Liquid Gold: Bone Broth - Postpartum Superfood

Bone Broth is like liquid gold, a superfood. Especially for pregnant and new mothers. But it’s great for everyone’s general health and strength too. I try and drink it regularly, I cook with it and always feed to my kids when they start getting sick - we call it “tummy tea”!

It’s warming, easy to digest, nutrient rich, hydrating, nourishing and supports your pregnancy and postpartum recovery in so many ways.

Strengthens and Repairs

Sipping bone broth is such a wonderful, gentle way to heal your body after the rigours of pregnancy and birth. Minerals like calcium, magnesium and phosphorus as well as collagen and gelatine, help support the growth and maintenance of bones and tendons. Easing those aches and pains from carrying a growing baby - both inside your body and in your arms.

They also support the strength and regeneration of soft tissues. Supporting your recovery in the case of a C-section or tearing.

Digestion and your immune system

Bone broth is warming and easy to digest in the early days postpartum, which means it will be gentle on your digestive system as your body and internal organs readjust themselves after pregnancy and birth. It supports the immune system and protects against infection by strengthening your gut lining.

There’s more!

There are claims that bone broth can improve mood, memory, brain function, decreases fatigue and even supports sleep! There have been no studies that I could find, but some mothers claim that it also boosted their milk supply.

Some mothers also find that sipping on warm bone broth eases their morning sickness.

Make your own Bone Broth

I have included a “recipe” for bone broth in the below, but like most of my cooking it is more of a guideline than exact instructions. You can throw in any vegetables you like (although I tent to avoid soft things like zucchini that break down and make the broth cloudy), I also include broccoli stalks, peppers or whatever else I have around. The vegetables also don’t have to be perfect specimens, just clean. I keep a freezer bag of vegetable “bits” in my freezer and throw in any offcuts of onions, carrots, leeks, broccoli, etc. Also stalks from fresh herbs like parsley, rosemary, basil.

When the veg bag is full it is time to make the broth. I add anything that seems to be lacking from the vegetable mix and get it all in a pot.

Honestly, you cannot make this recipe wrong! If it’s not flavourful enough, just keep cooking it down for longer until you’re happy with it. Remember when you add the salt at the end of cooking, it will really bring out the flavour.

Enjoy the process! It’s messy and not very pretty - but ultimately delicious!

Ingredients:

• Large stock pot or slow cooker

• 1 whole organic chicken carcass (or a Suppenhuhn)

• Any other bones you would like to add - beef bones can be roasted first for extra flavour.

• c.125ml cup Apple Cider Vinegar (you won’t taste it, the vinegar just makes sure that all the minerals are removed from the bones)

• 1 Tablespoon Mixed peppercorns

• 2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped

• 2 large carrots, roughly chopped

• 1 large onion, quartered and/or 1 leak, roughly chopped

• Fresh herbs (I like parsley and rosemary)

• Cold water

• Salt & Pepper to taste - Add this at the end, after straining.

Directions:

• Put all ingredients into the stock pot or slow cooker, cover with water.

• Cooking times:

  • For the slow cooker: set on low for 24 hours.

  • If cooking on a hob: bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for a minimum of 5 hours, the longer the better - I cook mine for at least 12 hours, my husband complains!

  • Pressure cooker - bring to the boil, don’t release the steam but lower the temperature and continue to cook for minimum 2hrs

• When finished, strain through a metal sieve or cheesecloth.

• If you’d prefer to remove more of the fat, leave the broth in a jug in the fridge until the fats cool, harden and separate. Then strain the broth again through a cheesecloth.

• Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

• Fill into sterilised bottles and glass jars or freeze.

• Will keep for about 5 days in the fridge or up to a month in the freezer - although I usually keep my longer, but I am not a food hygiene expert, so let’s be cautious!

Easy, peasy lemon squeezy!

You’ll find hundreds of recipes online, so there is no definitive one. It’s not an exact science and the broth will turn out different each time. Some people like to add garlic, ginger even chilli. So just have a go and work out what you like and what cooking method works best for you.

Enjoy and let me know how it goes!

Kathi x

Delicious Slow Cooker vegetable soup made with homemade bone broth - recipe on my Instagram page! @mamadoula.ch