When you google anything about pregnancy, you get a lot of mixed messages and opinions. It’s quite confusing. But one thing that does come up over and over is that “consuming dates in late pregnancy was effective in decreasing the length of labor processes and reducing the need to oxytocin for labor acceleration.” (cited) In short, dates have been shown to help with reducing first stage of labor AND dilation. Dates are awesome. And luckily they taste like candy. All you need to do is eat around 70-75g of dates per day starting anywhere between 35-36 weeks. Depending on the kind of date you eat and the size of the date, this is normally around 3 medjool dates per day. I personally think medjool dates are waaaaay better than neglet dates, but you do you. You can eat them by themselves…OR you can make this smoothie!
I added dates to my smoothie every time I made one. Which was every day in the third trimester. In the first, I couldn’t even stand the thought of a smoothie. It made me gag. But by the third trimester, it was all I wanted! They are great in any smoothie, no matter if you make my Chocolate Blueberry Protein Smoothie or Strawberries & Cream Collagen Shake or my Green Mango Smoothie! But if a smoothie isn’t calling your name, you could stuff some peanut butter or other nut butter in a date and sprinkle some salt on top. Divine. Or you could wrap the date in bacon and pop it in the oven until the bacon gets crispy. Melt in your mouth good. You could also add dates to my Pumpkin Seed Granola, in a salad, OR you could make my Date Banana Bread. It’s divine. I could eat a slice of that every day.
And this post is very timely since I’m no longer in the third trimester…I’m in the fourth!! I gave birth on Tuesday morning to the most beautiful little girl. I can’t believe my pregnancy finally came to a close after 9 insanely hard months and now I finally get to reap the benefits. I never liked kids before, I really never even saw myself as a mom, but now that I’ve birthed our girl, everything makes sense. Everything I learned throughout pregnancy, everything I struggled through…it was all worth it. And to really bring this post home…I started contractions around midnight, went to the birth center by 4:30am, and gave birth around 8:30am. When I got to the birth center, I was already 7cm. Was this because of the dates? Maybe. But it also could have to do with raspberry leaf tea, continued chiropractic, weekly acupuncture, Maya abdominal massage, and any other thing I tried along the way. It could also just have been my body! WHO FREAKING KNOWS. Either way, I’m a fan of dates. I was before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and I will still be consuming them after pregnancy. Like now. I need a snack. Kloveyoubyyyye.
Third Trimester Green Date Protein Shake
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
Ingredients
- 1 frozen banana
- 1/2 cup fresh spinach
- 3 pitted medjool dates
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup ice cubes (optional)
- 1/2–1 cup milk of choice (the amount of milk you use will depend if you like a more thick or more runny smoothie…you decide!)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
What I Used To Make This Recipe:
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You May Also Like:
Strawberries & Cream Collagen Shake
Mint Chocolate Chip Collagen Shake
Cookies & Cream Collagen Shake
Sweet Potato Coffee Protein Shake
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Congratulations! I am glad to hear that your labor went so smoothly. Rest up and enjoy this precious time with your family. Oh, and the smoothie looks delicious.
thank you, Sarah!!
I ate tons of dates and did the raspberry leaf tea at the end and did chiropractic work and also had an 8 hour labor from start to finish as a FTM. So happy you had such a fab experience! Congratulations!
absolutely amazing!!
Congrats!!! I am 30 weeks pregnant and have loved following your journey! Your posts make me so excited to meet my lil babe! ❤️ I will definitely start making this smoothie soon. Thanks!!
eeeeeek! so happy for you! not sure how your pregnancy is going, but i find motherhood WAY MORE FREAKING FUN than being pregnant lol
Congratulations Juli, it makes me so incredibly happy watching you burst with joy over your baby girl. What a journey! Thanks for always sharing your life, love and food. I have half a bag of spinach in the fridge that I know what I’m using it for now!
awwwww thank you so so much, Kristi!
Hey Juli, just wondering what some of your favourite protein powders were while pregnant. I’m hoping to try this recipe soon! 🙂
my favorite is Active Stacks! i’ve tried a handful of other brands, but I think Active Stacks tastes the best! if you use code PALEOMG, i believe you’ll receive 10% off!
Congratulations to you and Brian, Juli! So excited for you both! I’m not on Instagram but was still able to hop over to be able to view the pics of your adorable new baby girl. You are already an awesome mama. Can’t wait to follow your journey in parenthood and wishing your family the absolute best! 💕
thank you so so much, Julie!! feeling so lucky and so in love!!
This looks so good and I can’t wait to give it a try! No lie – I have on my September to do list to eat dates daily because I will be 35 weeks starting September 1st LOL. Your date banana bread lives rent free in my mind and I can’t wait to make that too.
Can you please link the raspberry leaf tea that you used? On my August to do list is research and order that haha. Thanks so much for all you do and all the help you provide! I am pregnant with my first and I feel so much more prepared and so much less stressed by it all simply by following along with your journey.
woooohooo!! and i just got rapsberry leaf tea from my local grocery store – traditional medicinals brand! just look for an organic brand!