Consuming this organ after giving birth has little effect on new moms, a new study indicates.
If you just gave birth, you might be feeling a little tired. Yes, a little more than a simple walk around the mall will put you out.
What to do? Resting as much as you can is always a good option. And then there’s eating the right food. Greens, hearty soups, fruit, vitamins: it’ll all do you good on your road to repair.
How about “alternative foods”? They’re out there. Some them far out there. Like placenta.
Related: How This Woman Got Sick After Eating Her Placenta
Lucky for you, you can now choose to eat your placenta in many ways, if you so desire. You can have it as a delicious lasagna, as part of a refreshing smoothie, in a chili, encased in truffles, you name it: there’s a recipe out there.
Most of the concoctions involve cooking your placenta down, having it dried and put into capsules as a powder. (You can find many companies online to do this for you).
Why?
Why would anyone wish to do eat it? Some believe that the nutrients found in this organ, which forms in an expectant mother’s body and feeds the fetus, can help to ward of postpartum depression, increase milk production and give new moms that extra needed ‘boost’.
In fact, some hail it as a near ‘miracle drug’, which is definitely attractive, when your energy and drive seem to be at sub-zero levels.
Is it true?
New research out of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas is saying that it isn’t. Scientists are saying this may be all, well, simply hogwash. Really? Let’s break it down.
Just Like BBQ Ribs
It’s not to say that the placenta doesn’t have anything to offer as a meal. Humans are the only mammals who don’t currently gorge on the organ after giving birth, (the placenta is “birthed” right after the baby), and some say we’re missing out.
Related: World’s Smallest Baby Doing Well After Almost One Year
The placenta IS a big enough chunk of meat, and it makes sense that if you eat it, you could enjoy the same benefits you would when consuming something like a nicely grilled steak.
But is it a miracle food? Scientists are warning that if you eat your placenta after it’s been cooked, broken down and encapsulated, you won’t really experience any effect as a new mother on when it comes to your mood or feelings of maternal bonding.
Hormones
Yes, small but detectable changes in the mother’s circulating hormone levels did occur in the study. Further research is needed, however, to determine if this is significant, and what it may do for new mothers down the line.
If you were getting excited to eat your placenta, go for it. It’s not going to do any harm. If you found yourself sitting on the fence though, rest assured you’ll be OK…as long as your fridge is full.
For more information on eating the Big P, click here.
Photo credits: alphaspirit/Shutterstock.com
