In response to a public question about protein powder while breastfeeding.
Sophia: I’ve read mixed info on this. Is protein safe while breastfeeding? The brand I’m using is Biohealth and it’s a protein powder.
Justin: Biohealth brand has different flavors and I can only find the ingredients listed for just one (when I switch flavors on their website, the ingredients never change.). The main powder I found on their website containing just whey protein, natural flavors, and salt seems to run pretty clean compared to most protein powders. I don’t like when manufacturers obscure things behind “natural flavors” though. With that in mind, I would say it is generally safe.
Just make sure to stay away from anything soy (estrogenic) and at any point if your baby develops colic or reflux, and you’re pulling your hair out trying to figure out what it is, your first suspect should be dairy proteins consumed by the mother. It’s a thing, unfortunately. Something to keep in mind.
When you run out of your current brand, consider switching to Naked Whey [amazon link]. They don’t heat treat their protein and it only has one ingredient: Whey. Raw whey protein is never heat treated there’s some evidence that in this state it can boost glutathione production (the body’s master antioxidant.) So that’s a neat bonus. Plus you can add your own flavorings so that you’re happy and satisfied with what’s in it. If you’re that kind of person. (I am.)
Once you’ve stripped it down to these bare essentials (and one ingredient), what you’re really asking is can I ingest high amounts of protein or high amounts of milk while breastfeeding. The answer to that is that it is most likely safe and likely healthy unless your baby reacts or is allergic to dairy proteins in the mother’s breast milk as described above. As long as you are still consuming a robust amount of other nutrients, you should be fine. Plus there’s a heck of a lot worse things you could be ingesting instead of protein. 🙂
Sophia: DUDE! Thanks so much!