DivineMama lactation bars

If you’ve ever nursed a milk-guzzling, pre-solids baby, you know the kind of craving I’m talking about. It’s that after-dinner-before-bed (and, likely, middle-of-the-night) relentless peckishness. And not just anything will do – it has to be satisfyingly delicious. And, in my case, has to feel a little sinful.

Sadly – not for my taste buds, but for my hips – I often chose chocolate. Now, I’m a dark chocolate kind of girl so at least it wasn’t (completely) empty calories. But had I known about DivineMama Bars, things would have been different.

When DivineMama started following me on Twitter, I was intrigued and went to the website. Lactogenic (milk-producing) bars that taste of the goodness that is macadamia nuts and cashews, created by a yoga-loving pharmacist? Could it be true? I asked for some to find out.

I tried both concoctions: Macnut Chocolate Chip and Datey Apricot Cashew. I must note, however, that trying only two bars means I can’t possibly comment on what they did for my dwindling milk supply.

THE GOOD

As I sit here polishing off the second of my DivineMama Bars, I can tell you this: they are yummy! I had a pretty light dinner (I’m trying to get back to my post-baby weight of last summer, before I got cocky about all the weight I’d lost breastfeeding and not working out…I sooo deserve this…); three hours later, I’m jonesing for chocolate. I have to say, the bar totally satisfied my craving.

These are seriously filling; I think you could even use them as a meal-replacement bar if you’re well past the super-duper milk production stage that requires you eat the weight of a small horse each day.

The bars are loaded with lots of healthy ingredients that are pro-lactation (macadamia nuts, oats, apricots). And you won’t find any artificial sweeteners, processed starches or GMOs with DivineMama. This kind of commitment is so important to me, especially when I knew I was the sole provider of nutrition for my babies.

Speaking of healthy, you’ll be glad to know that the bars are very low in sodium at only 7mg per bar. We are a nearly no-salt house, so I love this.

When I saw that there was whey protein isolate in the DivineMama Bars, I needed to know more. I’ve read a lot lately that “whey protein” is often a disguised GMO and can have some pretty nasty side effects. But (1) DivineMama states that “new food technology” isn’t part of the bar-making process, and (2) whey protein isolate represents the best of three ways that it can be processed, which yields a higher percentage of pure protein.

THE GAFFE

Dear DivineMama, why only two flavours? If I’m going to eat one of these every night to promote lactation and stave off cravings for bad-for-you nosh, I need variety. It’s the spice of life and all that.

Beware, the bars are higher in fat than other pro-lactation options (like milking tea, for example). At 12g for the Macnut bar and 9g for the Datey Apricot, if you’re eating these purely for the benefit of helping your body produce milk, you might want to rethink this decision. Keep in mind, of course, that most of this is from healthier fats, such as nut fat, which of course your body does need to produce milk.

The flax seeds are whole – not ground. It’s generally accepted in the health and nutrition world that ground flax is better because it’s easier to digest. You don’t risk the seeds passing right through your body without doing their job. I’d like to see that one extra step taken to make these bars even more of a nutritional powerhouse.

Healthy don’t come cheap. Each bar is around $3 ($2.50 if you buy them in cases of 12). Over the course of a week, we’re talking a $21 habit. If you’re also a Starbucks addict, you’re going to zip through your ever-so-generous government EI payments before you can say “baby bonus.”

THE GEARS

4/5

So…where can you buy it?

• Directly from DivineMama