Updated January 14th 2025
When I was pregnant with my firstborn back in early 2019, I chose to stop drinking coffee. I know, crazy right?! – and yes, caffeine is safe during pregnancy (up to 200mg) I just chose not to drink it from coffee anymore.
Coffee was never really about the caffeine for me; it was more about the ritual of a warm beverage every morning. So when I decided to give it up cold turkey, I replaced it with a deeply nourishing (and delicious!) alternative that was helping me grow my baby and ultimately helped me recover postpartum.
Before I get to the recipe, I want to talk to you about why I chose collagen and its importance during pregnancy and postpartum recovery.
The Benefits of Collagen
Collagen is beneficial for your growing uterus and skin especially if you’re over 25 – unfortunately your body’s production of collagen starts to decline a little bit every year once we pass this age.
Collagen is an important protein that supports the skin’s elasticity and structure as it grows and stretches and then ultimately shrinks back down.
This nutrient is also important for your growing blood vessels when you’re pregnant and it helps keep your skin looking plump and youthful (which I appreciate as someone in her mid 30s).
When you’re postpartum, collagen helps to heal and repair your tissues no matter if you had a c-section or a vaginal birth.
Collagen can do all of these things because it contains the building blocks your body needs to heal and recover – amino acids.
Where can you get collagen?
You can find collagen in animal based foods like slow cooked meats, bone broths and soups made with bones like chicken, beef or turkey.
Collagen does not come from plant foods. There are many supplements on the market as “vegan collagen builders” but these labels are specific to say “builders” because the product itself does not contain any collagen. Just the building blocks to help your body produce its own (like vitamin C for example).
Alternatively, you can find animal based collagen in a powered supplement source but to be collagen, it does need to come from an animal source like cow (bovine) or fish (marine).
In my recipe, I use bovine collagen but you can use any powered collagen you prefer. Just look for one that is grass fed (if it’s bovine) or wild (if it’s marine) as well as third-party tested and free from any artificial sweeteners or additives.
The Recipe: Collagen Hot Chocolate
Ingredients: makes one serving
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened non dairy milk of choice
- 2 scoops of your favourite collagen powder
- 1 tbsp raw cacao powder (I like this one here)
- 2 tsp honey or maple syrup
- 1 tbsp butter ghee or coconut oil
- Pinch of sea salt
- Splash of vanilla (1/8 – 1/4 tsp)
Directions:
- Add everything except milk directly into a mug or blender. Heat or steam the milk and pour into the mug or blender.
- If using a mug, whisk until dissolved or frothy. If using a blender pulse just until blended and frothy. Enjoy!
Did you know most pregnant and postpartum moms are not meeting their nutrient requirements? Any many aren’t satisfied with the nutrition advice they’re getting from their care providers.
This leaves most of us feeling tired, moody, overwhelmed and confused.
There is so much information out there about what you can’t or shouldn’t eat and not enough about what you should ADD to help you have your healthiest pregnancy and postpartum.
Supporting your nutrition needs during pregnancy and postpartum doesn’t have to be complicated. You can make small changes, especially by ADDING certain foods to your diet to see big shifts happen.
I have a food-first approach when working with my clients. We focus on adding specific foods based on their goals to help them meet their nutrition needs rather than limiting or cutting out certain foods altogether.