Homemade bone broth has an abundance of healthful and healing qualities for both you and your baby. It 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.

Ingredients

For Chicken Stock: 1-2 leftover (cooked or uncooked) chicken carcasses plus extra bony chicken bits if you have them (wings, neck, feet)

For Beef Stock: 1-2kg beef bones (marrow, knuckle, ribs, neck)

For Fish Stock: 1 kg fish carcasses (heads, tailbones or offcuts of white-fleshed fish — best not to use oily fish)

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 onion, coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

2 cups veggie scraps, coarsely chopped (if you don’t have any veggie scraps use 4 celery stalks, 4 carrots and 1 cup chopped sturdy greens like kale or collards)

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp wakame flakes or dulse flakes

½ tsp dried green or black peppercorns

Method

Place the bones in a very large pot with the vinegar and cover with cold water. Add enough water to cover the bones, however the liquid should come no higher than 2.5 cm of the rim of the pot, as the volume expands during cooking. The water should be cold — slow heating helps bring out the flavours.

Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and add the veggie scraps, herbs, dulse flakes, peppercorns, then simmer on low for:

Chicken: 4-24 hours
Beef: 12-72 hours
Fish: 1-3 hours

When the stock has cooled, remove the bones and strain the liquid into a large bowl. (You can use beef bones to make a second batch, using new veggies). Refrigerate the stock until cool and then use a spoon or tongs to remove and discard the layer of congealed fat on top. Divide the remaining liquid into 1 cup portions and freeze for up to 3 months (for fish stock, 1 month).

You could also make the stock in a slow cooker, cooking on low for 8-24 hours.

Use the homemade stock to cook rice or quinoa, in stews, as the basis for soups and sauces, or simply enjoy cups of warmed broth to nourish and energise you.

Why is bone broth beneficial during pregnancy?

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.

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.

Glycine is a “conditionally essential” amino acid during pregnancy, meaning it must be obtained through your diet to provide 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.

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

Glucosamine and chondroitin are also released from the bones 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.  

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. 

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.