Juicing while breastfeeding

by Elizabeth
(Seattle, WA)

Q: I'm excited to start juicing and plan to have one glass in the morning with some lean protein and then perhaps another small glass with a healthy dinner.

My goal is to get more nutrients, especially from leafy greens and eventually weight loss. My question is... I am currently breastfeeding, is there anything I should be aware of? I do not want to detoxify and give baby the bad stuff.

A: Hi Elizabeth! Great that you are juicing. It's perfectly fine (and also very good) to juice while breastfeeding. It's a great way to get extra nutrition for you and baby.

Be sure to add greens (like romaine lettuce) into your juices daily as they will nourish the milk for your baby. It will also get you on the road to naturally debloating.

Avoid any juice cleanses at this time. Juice cleansing while pregnant or breastfeeding will kick up toxins in your body and circulate via bodily fluids that could end up in the breast milk.

You'll also want to avoid very detoxifying juices, for example, juices with a lot of beets, or with a lot of strong greens like kale (only a leaf or two should do it). These stronger juices encourage your body to detox quicker than it normally would, which just isn't ideal right now.

You also should know that basil (juicing or eating) will encourage more breast milk, so if you need more, juice it, but if you have enough, stay clear.


Congrats on the new baby, enjoy juicing!