Bone Broth: Essential for Optimal Pre-Natal Nutrition
Written by: Leanne Sedentopf, RHN
Trying to get all the extra nutrients required during pregnancy can often leave moms-to-be feeling overwhelmed. Especially if you are experiencing morning sickness or finding the ever growing baby to be limiting the amount of food you can eat at one time. This may lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, sleep issues and major fatigue. If you are exploring supplements to fill your nutritional gaps, it can get expensive and many are made with questionable, synthetic versions of vitamins and mineral and loaded with fillers and artificial colours and flavours (i.e., unnecessary chemicals).
If you are looking for a more natural (and easy) option to meeting your ever-increasing nutritional demands in pregnancy, bone broth is it!
Here are 4 reasons Bone Broth is Essential for your Pre-Natal Nutrition Plan:
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A Source of Highly Absorbable Minerals – Bone Broth is an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus all of which have increased requirements during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
The minerals that are dissolved in broth play important roles in many areas of the body, including bone health, nerve health, and muscle function which is not only important to you but also your developing baby.
According to Health Canada, it is estimated that approximately 40-70% (depending on age) do not meet their daily requirements for magnesium and 30-80% are deficient in calcium. Minerals are becoming harder to come by with the soil becoming depleted and in turn passing along less vitamins and minerals to the plants that we eat.
- Support for “baby brain” - A hormone produced in bones known as osteocalcin has been shown to have a direct effect on brain function, improving memory and mood. Which is good news if forgetfulness is increasing in line with your belly size. Our brain is made up mostly of fat, so consuming adequate healthy fats (like those found in broth) is a good way to support both your brain and the developing brain of your baby. Glycine (see #3) is converted into the neurotransmitter serine, which promotes mental alertness, improves memory, boosts mood, and reduces stress all of which are much-needed benefits for an anxious mother to be.
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Provides Building Blocks for Optimal Fetal Development – From minerals to fat and amino acids, this nutrient dense liquid provides many of the essential building blocks needed by you and your baby. Glycine is an amino acid that can be made by the body, but under certain metabolic circumstances (e.g. pregnancy), the body’s need is higher and glycine must be obtained from diet. Bone broth is exceptionally rich in glycine. It is required for synthesis of DNA, RNA and many proteins in the body making it of top priority for your growing baby. Bone broth’s high mineral content makes it great for bone and tooth health and development.
- Eases Morning Sickness and Nausea - When nausea hits in the earlier weeks of pregnancy, it can be hard find an appetite or to keep food down. Bone broth is very soothing to the whole digestive tract and nutrient dense. It is very easy to digest and often calms the stomach very quickly. Magnesium deficiency is suspected to be one of the main culprits of morning sickness symptoms, and as mentioned above, bone broth is a wonderful source.
Leanne Sedentopf is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Women’s Health Coach. When it comes to nutrition and lifestyle she believes that our ancestors’ knew a lot more than we give them credit for. She supports her clients to tune into the wisdom of nature and their bodies and to utilize whole foods, movement and self-care to achieve optimal health and wellness.