Delicious and Nutritious: The Avocado Smoothie For Healthy Pregnancy and Postpartum

This nourishing avocado smoothie is one of the best snacks to eat during pregnancy and for postpartum recovery.

Avocado is an excellent superfood for both pregnant women and new mothers, particularly if you are breastfeeding. They contain good essential fats, known as helping the healthy development of your baby’s brain.

Whilst an avocado will fill you up, as it contains a good amount of healthy monounsaturated fats, it’s a low-carb-friendly plant food, typically containing only 160 calories and is rich in fibre, which helps sustain appetite and beat sugar cravings.

This avocado smoothie with apple and kiwi also provides even more nutritional benefits during pregnancy and postpartum; the apple and kiwi provide vitamin C for collagen boosting and healthy skin. The banana provides potassium to help circulate oxygen around your body and provide much-needed energy, particularly helpful during those weeks of pregnancy when you feel tired, often in the early weeks of trimester one and later weeks of trimester three. Plus, bananas provide silicon, an essential nutrient for strong nails and healthy-looking hair and skin.

Enjoy this avocado smoothie as an excellent breakfast option for busy days.

Serves 1

Ingredients
½ ripe banana (medium-sized)
1 kiwi
1 green apple
½ medium avocado
300 to 350 ml of water (depending on how you like the consistency)

How To Make

1. 1. Peel the banana and slice.

   
   

   2. Core the apple and quarter.

   
   

   3. Remove the stone from the avocado and scoop out the flesh.

   
   

   4. Peel the kiwi and chop in half.

   
   

   5. Add all the ingredients to your blender with 300ml of water.

   
   

   6. Blend it up and add more water and some ice cubes if you prefer the consistency to be thinner.

Healthy Fats.
The monounsaturated fat in avocados strengthens connective tissue and fascia around your muscles. During pregnancy, the thin band of connective tissue, fascia, that runs down the front of your abdomen, dividing the left and right sides of your rectus abdominis muscle, commonly known as the ‘six-pack’, is stretched due to the growing uterus and baby. After pregnancy, this connective tissue may remain stretched and weakened for months (and sometimes years) after childbirth. A good dose of healthy fats from foods rich in healthy fats will help strengthen that connective tissue to bring the muscles back together.

Vitamin K.
Vitamin K helps encourage blood clotting to reduce the risk of haemorrhaging during childbirth or postpartum recovery.

Folate.
Folate helps the production of red blood cells for your baby whilst it is growing in the uterus.

Vitamin C.
Vitamin C is important for helping your body absorb iron, the essential nutrient to provide energy and combat tiredness or anaemia. Vitamin C also contributes to healthy skin and collagen production to help nourish skin and keep it looking younger.

Potassium.
Potassium is a nutrient that helps ease muscle cramps and reduce heartburn and nerve function.

Vitamin B5.
Vitamin B5 helps provide energy and maintains healthy skin and nervous system.

Vitamin B6.
Vitamin B6’s role is to help break down the amino acids from protein-rich foods present to improve muscle tone.

Vitamin E.
Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant that helps heal scar tissue. For women with c-section scars, foods with vitamin E may help speed up c-section scar recovery.

Small amounts of Magnesium, Manganese, Copper, Iron, Zinc, Phosphorous, Vitamin A, Vitamins B1, B2 and B3. All these nutrients will help absorb calcium to improve bone strength and healthy teeth. Magnesium, along with calcium, is needed for proper nerve and muscle functioning to contribute to easing feelings of anxiety. This is helpful for pregnant women who may feel anxious about childbirth or new mothers who feel anxiety about caring for a baby.

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