Author: Vicky Warr, pregnancy and postnatal fitness trainer
All the vitamins and nutrients you need to nourish your body during or after pregnancy in one glass!
This smoothie is ideal for mothers-to-be or new mothers as it contains plenty of vitamins and nutrients for pregnancy health and to help recover and nourish the body after childbirth. The ingredients in this smoothie contain Iron, vitamins A, C and K, magnesium and fibre for energy and healthy skin and to help strengthen the stretched connective tissue following pregnancy to restore core strength.
I call this smoothie the ‘Queen of Greens’, containing one of the most nutritionally dense foods you can eat, Kale, an essential food to eat for healthy postpartum nutrition. Kale contains vitamins and nutrients that will help improve muscle tone, keep your appetite stable to help you lose post-baby weight, and help keep your skin healthy and glowing.
Kale has a rich fibre content to help reduce bloating and improve digestion to promote the elimination of waste products from your body. It helps you lose any extra baby weight, too, as part of a nutritionally balanced postpartum diet! One cup contains just 36 calories, 5 grams of fibre and zero fat.
This smoothie’s kale, cucumber and apple provide valuable sources of vitamins K, C and A, vital for healthy skin and building collagen. When you’ve had a baby, it’s important to strengthen your collagen, the tissue at your midline that helps bring your tummy muscles back together to strengthen your core and protect your back. One handful or cup of kale provides double your daily requirement of vitamin A, which helps smoothen your skin, and more than the daily requirement of vitamin C, which builds collagen for healthy skin. The banana and kale provide a long-lasting energy source to help your energy levels stay stable and beat any cravings for sweet or starchy foods, which, when you over eat can lead to weight gain.
Let’s make it up!
Ingredients
Serves two
½ banana; peel and chop into slices
1 green apple; peel, core and chop into quarters
½ cucumber; peel, core and chop in half
2 large handfuls of Kale; remove stalks and chop into smaller pieces
2 tbsps of Greek Natural Yogurt
1 tsp of honey
Juice from half lime
1 cup water
How To make
1. Place the water and lime juice into a blender.
2. Then add the banana, yoghurt and honey.
3. Add the cucumber, kale and apple.
4. Blend on a low setting first for 5-10 seconds.
5. Then increase the speed and blend for about 60 seconds or until smooth.
You may need to stop and mix the ingredients with a spatula during the blending process.
Tip: Add more water if you like your smoothie runnier. If you prefer a thicker consistency, use slightly less water.
Check out my blog post ‘Postpartum Nutrition – foods to heal’
