What to Eat When Eating for Two: Pregnancy Smoothie

Cacao powder from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Back in 2005-2006 I lived in Egypt where just about everyday I would get a banana date "smoozie" from the American University in Cairo campus. I've used this as inspiration for a pregnancy smoozie that I can't seem to get enough of these days.

1 Banana + liquid (dairy/coconut/almond/rice milk) + dates + Tbs blackstrap molasses + 1/4 cup cacao powder + 2 Tbs peanut butter + probiotics + 1tsp fish oil + whatever.

What makes this a great pregnancy drink (I must admit, it feels more like a meal than a beverage) is that it's got...

Protein from the dairy/alternative and at least 8g from the peanut butter.

Iron, magnesium, calcium, and vitamin B6 from the molasses (great for anemia).

Iron, magnesium, calcium, and protein from the cacao powder (also ridiculously tasty).

Vitamin B6, potassium, calcium, and fiber from the banana.

Iron, magnesium, calcium, protein, sugars, and fiber from the dates. This tasty smoothie is entirely sweetened by dates and banana! Dates may also have a positive impact on labor when consumed in the late third trimester, according to a recent study.

Healthy bacteria from the probiotics (I like to empty the capsule directly into the blender). I've been really interested lately in how maternal microbiome health--keeping in mind that "we" are about 20% human cells and 80% bacteria!--impacts things like children's immune responses, such as allergies and eczema.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids from fish oil, which can help with fetal development and has all sorts of health benefits for us grown ups.

You can play around with the combination and amount of ingredients. I also like to add my prenatal by emptying the capsule into the blender, and another favorite addition is coconut oil. This is great warm or cold. I usually make a blender-full intending to save some for breakfast the next morning, but inevitably down the whole thing because it tastes great and I know it's good for me.

Cod Liver Oil for Beautiful Babies

Pregnancy Dispatch from Week 16