If you add one thing to your pregnancy diet, let it be home made bone broth.

Homemade bone broth has an abundance of healthful and healing qualities for both you and your baby throughout pregnancy and into postpartum. Bone broth supports and strengthens your immune system, helps your body recover from illness more easily, and may help to relieve nausea.

The minerals in bone broth are essential for your baby to build strong, healthy bones and joints. Bone broth is a quality source of gelatin which contains collagen. Collagen improves skin elasticity and, during pregnancy, helps prevent stretch marks.

10 great reasons to add bone broth to your pregnancy diet

1. When cooked over a long time, minerals from the bones leach into the liquid. These minerals are easy to digest in this soupy form and boost the immune system.

2. Bone broth may help relieve morning sickness. When you’re feeling nauseas during pregnancy, it can be hard to keep food down. Bone broth is soothing, nutrient-dense, easy to digest, and may help to calm the stomach.

3. Bone broth contains the “conditionally essential” amino acid glycine. Glycine must be obtained through your diet in order to have enough to support the growth of your baby’s skeleton, teeth, internal organs, hair, skin and nails. Glycine is also necessary to support mum’s stretching skin, growing uterus, placenta and to help the circulatory system adapt to the demands of pregnancy.

4. Bone broth is also rich in gelatin, which contains collagen. During pregnancy collagen helps prevent stretch marks and also helps tighten loose postpartum skin.

5. Glucosamine and chondroitin are also released from the bones during the cooking process and have been shown to assist your baby’s joints in forming and also support your joints during pregnancy. Joint pain is one of the most common symptoms in pregnancy.  

6. Weight gain can put strain on your joints and the hormone Relaxin, that your body produces during pregnancy, really loosens things up. Relaxin doesn’t disappear once you’ve given birth. Nursing mothers create more of the hormone, so including bone broth in your diet during and post pregnancy may help you minimise and avoid joint injury and strengthen your joints until things return to normal. 

7. Protein requirements in pregnancy increases by about 25 grams and amino acids are the building blocks of protein. The amino acids in bone broth perform a wide variety of functions including: boosting the immune system, improving digestion, fighting inflammation, promoting sleep and calming the mind. 

For a copy of our nourishing bone broth recipe, plus more helpful ways to support your pregnancy, grab a copy of our FREE e-book below.