Author: Abby McLennan, Paediatric & Maternal Nutritionist
Design
Our focus is always squarely on the baby during pregnancy and the post partum period while mumma’s needs are considered way down the line. Le Purée saw a gap where mothers needed a solution to nourish themselves in a convenient way and replenish key nutrients during pregnancy and post partum. So many new mothers fall into what’s called postnatal depletion. This is a combination of physical, emotional and hormonal depletion from experiencing pregnancy and birth. I was ecstatic when LePuree asked me to create a smoothie range to honour mums and their nutrition. I wanted to create something special from wholefoods to ensure mothers had every chance to help meet their nutritional requirements for this precious period.
I drew inspiration from wholefoods that contain the key nutrients which overlap from conception to post partum such as folate, choline, iron, B6, vitamin C, zinc, magnesium, calcium, protein, omega 3 fats, fibre and carbohydrates. Many of the key nutrients exist in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains so I wanted to ensure I developed beautiful tasting smoothies whilst being nutritionally complete to help replenish mums.
Process
In pregnancy and post partum mums need to consume extra energy and nutrients to grow the baby and to heal after birth. New mummas find it so difficult to eat meals (or food in general) that help them feel fuelled not fatigued.
I set out to test as many different flavour combinations from fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains as I could to guarantee a delicious, nutrient dense smoothie. During this process I found a couple of new flavour combinations that not only tasted refreshing but captured specific nutrients suitable for each stage of pregnancy and post partum. The “Mother Earth” smoothie with strawberry, beetroot and hemp was a delicious surprise. And “Mangotini” smoothie with mango, avocado and pineapple is a perfect combo for a first trimester mumma with its fresh flavours and key nutrients of folate, choline and vitamin C.
Curation
Putting it all together, I developed a range of six smoothies with high bioavailability of nutrients into a convenient and nutrient dense meal. I really wanted to make sure each smoothie had a diverse range of flavours and wholefood combos to rotate through for variety while meeting important nutrient requirements. By maximising the nutrients in each smoothie cube I felt confident that the smoothies packed a punch when it comes to nourishing a time poor and depleted mum.
