Fruit Juice & Smoothies

Pasteurised fruit juice and homemade smoothies are safe during pregnancy. Limit juice to 150ml per day due to its sugar content.

Safe to eat

Pasteurised fruit juice and smoothies made with safe, whole ingredients are both safe to drink during pregnancy. Fruit juice provides vitamins — particularly vitamin C — but lacks the fibre of whole fruit, meaning its sugars are absorbed more quickly. For this reason, the NHS recommends limiting fruit juice to 150ml per day (a small glass) as part of a balanced diet, and counting it as one of your five-a-day rather than drinking it freely. This guidance applies at all life stages, not just pregnancy. Smoothies made with whole fruits and vegetables at home are a nutritious option — they retain the fibre that juice loses, and you control exactly what goes in. Adding ingredients like yogurt, oats, or nut butter increases their protein and nutrient content. The key requirement for both juice and smoothies during pregnancy is that any juice used must be pasteurised, and all fresh produce should be washed before blending. Unpasteurised juice from juice bars, farm shops, or markets should be avoided — see the unpasteurised juice article.

What to be aware of

Choose pasteurised juice only — supermarket juices are pasteurised; freshly squeezed juices from cafes and markets may not be.
Limit fruit juice to 150ml per day due to high natural sugar content.
Wash all fresh fruit and vegetables thoroughly before blending into smoothies.
Smoothies are safe and nutritious — they can include any pregnancy-safe fruit and vegetables.
Avoid adding unpasteurised dairy (raw milk) to smoothies.

NHS guidance: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/5-a-day/juice-smoothies-and-5-a-day/

Pregnancy-safe recipes

These recipes are designed with pregnancy safety in mind.

Green pregnancy smoothie

Packed with folate from spinach and banana, vitamin C from the apple, and calcium from yogurt — a nutritional powerhouse in a glass.

Pregnancy tip: The banana and apple mask the taste of the spinach almost entirely — this is a great way to eat leafy greens if you are not keen on salad.

Ingredients

2 large handfuls baby spinach, washed
1 ripe banana
1 green apple, cored and roughly chopped
150g Greek yogurt
Juice of half a lemon
200ml cold water or coconut water
A few ice cubes

Method

Wash the spinach and apple.
Add all ingredients to a blender.
Blend until completely smooth — 30–60 seconds.
Taste and add a little more lemon or water as needed.
Serve immediately for maximum nutrient content.