Nursing Mom & Detoxifying Juices

by Zoe Ann
(Sequim, Wa)

Q: Thank you for your wonderful Detoxifying Juice book. I've just started my granddaughter and her family juicing, but
I'm concerned if the detoxifying recipes will be too harsh for a week old nursing baby. I've suggested holding off on any with beets, but just am not sure about some of the others. They all love the carrot, apple & strawberries drink.

A: Hi Zoe Ann! So glad you are enjoying the book. Good call on holding off on the beets, they are definitely a stronger detoxifier for sure. She can add them to your everyday recipes, however, I wouldn't add more then about 1/4 of a beet and add lots of other produce (like apples) to the mix.

Greens are also a strong detoxifier to be aware of for her, but at the same time they are extremely nourishing to the mother's milk and will benefit the baby. Stick to the romaine lettuces if a recipe calls for a green. Kale and dandelion greens are stronger. My suggestion would be to go easy on the juices containing greens, adding a bit less then the recipe calls for (for example if you made the liver cleaner juice recipe, just add 1-2 sprigs of dandelions or replace it with romaine lettuce.)

The one recipe I would avoid in the book, if I were her, might be the beautiful skin detox, as that's a bit strong. She should be just fine with the others. Good ones for any nursing mom would be the carrot celery detox and the veggie detox juice. Celery will help her balance her water weight.

Also, a little unrelated to your question, but she might want to try blending a few leaves of lettuce in water to make a green drink concentrate. She could drink a small amount of it each day for health. While it doesn't taste great, this will nourish her milk and help her get her body back to normal.

Hope this bit of advice helps! :)