10 Safe Protein Powders for Breastfeeding Moms in 2023

If you’re like many new moms, you might have wondered how to lose the baby weight safely. Is it safe to drink protein shakes while breastfeeding? Does protein powder affect the milk supply or the baby? These might be a few common questions that often pop into your head.

After your baby is born, it is essential to nourish your postpartum body by following a healthy diet. Not only do you feel weak and produce less milk without proper nutrients, but your baby will also lack the basic building blocks needed to grow. Healthy fats, proteins, and carbohydrates should be part of your postpartum diet for both proper lactation and weight loss.

The good news is protein powders are safe during pregnancy as well as breastfeeding. However, it’s better to try and supplement with natural, plant-based protein powders. Also, experts suggest avoiding soy-based protein powders because of possible hormonal effects on the baby. So it’s ideal that you talk to your midwife or a lactation consultant before trying a protein powder while nursing.

To make things easier for new parents, our in-house experts have evaluated dozens of protein powders to recommend the safest protein powders for breastfeeding moms.

Best Protein Powders for Breastfeeding Moms

Our Top 3 picks

TRUVANI – Plant-Based Protein Powder

If you follow a plant-based diet, you won’t probably find a better match than the Truvani Plant-Based Protein Powder. That’s because they only use super clean, organic ingredients while offering enough protein per serving. Free from artificial colors, sweeteners, fillers, preservatives, or any unnecessary additives, Truvani Plant-Based Protein Powder comes in six different flavors.

We found that this protein powder tastes great when blended with a nice frozen banana or strawberry. Also, the smooth, rich texture of the blended powder doesn’t leave a weird feeling in the mouth.

Our experts appreciate that Truvani uses minimal ingredients to ensure superior quality. However this protein powder is a little pricey, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you try it for the very first time.

Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder

Orgain is well-known for providing clean, healthy protein nutrients for pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond. Made with pea, brown rice, and chia seeds, this Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder is free of gluten, dairy, lactose, low net carbs, sugar, soy, artificial flavorings, and GMOs. If you are looking for less expensive alternatives to Truvani protein powders, this one surely fits the bill.

You can rest assured that Orgain protein powders don’t contain artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. They also don’t contain dairy or soy-based ingredients, which can cause colic-like symptoms in babies.

Unlike many plant-based protein powders, they taste quite good as well. “It’s very rich and creamy without any weird aftertaste,” one tester remarked. 

Ora Organic Vegan Protein Powder

Our experts were impressed with this vegan protein powder from Ora Organic. The amount of protein per serving is higher than other plant-based protein powders, and it also tastes delicious.

As the name implies, it only contains plant-based, organic ingredients. Without any gluten, soy, or dairy-based ingredients, we found it super easy to digest.

Our testers love that this protein is super easy to prepare. It blends well with just about any ingredient, from fat-free organic milk to fruits. Just make sure you’re picking the right flavor. So it will be an easy addition to the morning’s breakfast meal for many new moms out there who struggle to maintain consistent eating in the morning.

Safe Protein Powders for Breastfeeding Moms

Highly Rated by Parents and Experts

Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein & Greens

If you are looking for a dairy- and soy-free protein option while nursing, this vegan protein powder from Garden of Life just fits the bill. It comes with an easy-to-digest plant-based formula that’s less likely to cause any digestive issues while nursing.

Apart from offering 20 grams of plant protein per serving, it also contains 1.5 billion live probiotics and 13 enzymes, so your gut health improves and digestive power gets a boost. Note that this one is easily mixable with just water, milk or milk alternatives.

Naked Whey Protein Powder

The blend of whey and milk protein can be ideal for postpartum recovery. Carefully sourced from grass-fed cows, Naked Nutrition’s all-natural whey protein is easily digestible and breastfeeding-friendly. It includes three ingredients that aren’t only safe but also necessary during the postnatal period.

Just know that per serving of Naked Whey provides 25g of protein, 160 calories, and 6.0g of BCAAs, along with a low level of sugar and carbs. You can easily pair it with your favorite protein pancakes, cookies, or protein shakes.

Beverly International UMP Protein Powder

As claimed by many users, Beverly International UMP Protein Powder is one of the best-tasting protein shakes on the market. Specially formulated to be gentle on the stomach, it comes with a unique blend of whey and casein proteins.

A single scoop delivers 20g of protein, 296mg of calcium, and more. All the ingredients are highest-quality yet clean and serve the purpose of building lean muscle and burning fat.

In addition, it doesn’t leave any chalky aftertaste in the mouth. However, it does contain artificial sweeteners and soy, so make sure you aren’t allergic to these ingredients.

Vega Protein and Greens, Chocolate, Vegan Protein Powder

You can also try this vegan and plant-based protein powder from Vega. Not just it contains high-quality, clean ingredients, but it also blends very well with just anything. However, our experts found the stevia taste a little overpowering.

With Vega Protein and Greens, don’t expect to experience the taste of your favorite morning smoothie. But you will find 120 calories per serving, 2.7mg of iron, 20 grams of vegan protein, and all the vitamin D and essential amino acids your body needs for a healthy postpartum recovery.

Recommended Safe Protein Powders for Breastfeeding Moms

Quest Nutrition Chocolate Milkshake Protein Powder

With these Quest Nutrition Chocolate Milkshake Protein Powder, you can give your quest to find the right protein nutrients while breastfeeding a rest. This dairy-based protein powder contains a nutrient-rich protein blend, including whey protein isolate and micellar casein. Along with milk protein isolate, the blend provides all the nine essential amino acids your body requires for proper functioning!

You need to up your protein intake during lactation. Keeping that in mind, Quest Nutrition offers 22 milligrams of protein per serving. So you don’t have to worry about minimum protein requirements for healthy lactation, which is 65 grams of protein per day. The absence of carbs and sugar means it’s easier to get back to pre-pregnancy shape quickly. However, the powder has an overpowering sweet taste as it is sweetened with sucralose and stevia.

Boobie Body Superfood Protein Shake for Moms

Boobie Body Superfood is a highly praised protein shake among nursing moms. Free of gluten, soy, and dairy-based ingredients, it is safe to consume throughout your motherhood journey. As designed keeping nursing moms in mind, the product contains a few nutrients that are essential to meet the nutritional demands of breastfeeding, including probiotics, vitamin D, and DHA.

Aside from supporting a healthy milk supply, it could be one of your best allies to lose postpartum weight. Though it doesn’t make a tasteful drink, it’s worth a try considering the health benefits.

Munchkin Milkmakers Postnatal Recovery Protein Powder

From diaper pails to mom care products, Munchkin has a large product line directed towards the baby and new moms. This postpartum support package includes a box with 10 chocolate chip lactation cookies and a postnatal recovery protein blend. 

Not just delicious, the crunchy cookies might also give a boost in supply. And the protein blend combines plant-based pea protein and chia seeds to help fasten your recovery after delivery and during breastfeeding.

The Bottom Line

It’s hard to raise a healthy baby if you’re not happy and healthy. Without proper nutrients, you can’t function at your best, let alone take care of your baby.

A protein supplement can be handy if you feel a sudden aversion to milk or meat during postpartum. Whichever protein powder you pick, make sure to check the quality of the ingredients and the quality of the brand too. We recommend that you talk to your doctor before choosing a protein supplement while nursing.