Placenta Pot Roast

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Placenta Pot Roast Recipe
Wellness Mama » Blog » Motherhood » Placenta Pot Roast
Disclaimer: This was an April Fools Joke. Please do not attempt to make this recipe!

Today, I’m sharing an unusual recipe…

Giving birth is taxing on a woman’s body but the birthing process provides a wonderful way to replenish the hormones and iron: the placenta.

The Benefits of Consuming Placenta

So why would anyone in her right mind want to eat THAT? Glad you asked…. Wikipedia explains:

“Placentophagy (from ‘placenta’ + Greek ‘to eat;’ also referred to as placentophagia) is the act of mammals eating the placenta of their young after childbirth.

Apparently, it contains high levels of prostaglandin which stimulates involution (an inward curvature or penetration, or, a shrinking or return to a former size) of the uterus, in effect cleaning the uterus out. The placenta also contains small amounts of oxytocin which eases birth stress and causes the smooth muscles around the mammary cells to contract and eject milk.

Some research has shown that ingestion of the placenta can increase the pain threshold in pregnant rats. Rats that consumed the placenta experienced a modest amount of elevation of naturally-occurring opioid-mediated analgesia. Endogenous opioids, such as endorphin and dynorphin, are natural chemicals, related to the opium molecule, that are produced in the central nervous system. Production of these endogenous opioids is increased during the birthing process. They have the ability to raise the threshold of pain tolerance in the mother. When coupled with ingested placenta or amniotic fluid, the opioid effect on pain threshold is dramatically increased. Rats that were given meat instead of the placenta showed no increase in the pain threshold.

American Medical anthropologists at the University of South Florida and UNLV, surveyed new mothers, and found that about 3/4 had positive experiences from eating their own placenta, citing “improved mood”, “increased energy”, and “improved lactation””

This article also points out the suggested benefits:

“It is believed that consuming the placenta can:

  • Help to balance your hormones
  • Replenish depleted iron levels
  • Assist the uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy state
  • Reduce post-natal bleeding
  • Increase milk production – this has been proven in a study
  • Make for a happier, more enjoyable post-natal period
  • Increase your energy levels”

Placenta Encapsulation

With the growing popularity, it is now possible to find people who specialize in encapsulation. In this process, the placenta is cleaned, steamed, dehydrated and ground into pills to be consumed as needed.

This process definitely makes the idea of consumption a little easier for most people, but it can get pricey and more importantly, it takes several days so mom doesn’t get the benefits for the first few critical days.

These services are definitely an option, but I’ve found an easier way to consume it for optimal benefit: Placenta Pot Roast.

This recipe allows mom to consume the placenta within 12 hours of giving birth and adds nutritious herbs and vegetables. Many women crave protein after labor and this recipe is the solution. Even better, it is simple to prepare and leftovers can be frozen to eat as needed.

Sound too crazy? It has a milder flavor than liver or other organ meats and it can usually be easily consumed once properly spiced and prepared. Most other mammals consume the placenta, we just get the benefit of adding vegetables and spices. This recipe should be consumed by the mother who has just delivered a baby and not by anyone else. The benefits of placenta consumption are for the mother only…

Placenta Pot Roast Recipe

Placenta Pot Roast Recipe

Placenta Pot Roast Ingredients

Placenta Pot Roast Instructions

  1. Clean the placenta and carefully cut off the cord and the side that was attached to the baby, including the membrane.
  2. Sprinkle with the spices on either side to evenly coat.
  3. Place the placenta in the crock pot.
  4. Chop carrots and add.
  5. Slice onions and place on top of the placenta
  6. Add green beans.
  7. Place coconut oil on top of the onions.
  8. Cook on high (2 hours) or low (4 hours) until tender.
  9. Serve immediately or freeze to consume later.

Important Note

When making this recipe, please note that it is April 1 and this post is an APRIL FOOLS JOKE… 🙂 If you read this far, thanks for being a good sport! If you want to spread the fun (and get some interesting reactions from your friends) share this post on social media with a comment about how you’ll definitely be trying it 🙂 and tag me so I can see your post. Please don’t try this recipe as I completely made it up and have never tried placenta pot roast myself.

For the record, I have nothing against placenta consumption and had my own encapsulated to be able to try it with my last pregnancy since I’d gotten so many questions about it, but I don’t think I’d have the stomach to consume it as a pot roast 🙂

Ever consumed yours? Were you fooled by the joke or did you think it was for real? Please share below!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

99 responses to “Placenta Pot Roast”

  1. Layla Avatar

    I know I am a little late, but this was super funny:-D I am very new to the wellness lifestyle, and I am very open to pretty much anything. My only qualm while reading this was that I remembered reading somewhere that heating reduced some of the placenta’s magical powers. I was also wondering who would have time to cook a meal immediately postpartum:-) The problem wasn’t with the post. Now I am wondering how to consume the placenta. I hope to have a home birth next time. I am definitely going to have to google this one.

  2. Kristen Suzanne Avatar
    Kristen Suzanne

    I was thinking, as my stomach turned while reading, “I wonder if my mom could handle preparing it, and if so, could I find a way to eat that if I didn’t have to prepare it.” Thank Goodness you made this a joke. I’m off the hook!

  3. Sandra Avatar

    Eww, eww, eww! I’m glad I read enough because I was thinking “this girl is crazy!” You got me!

  4. Aisha Avatar

    Omigoodness, I was so weak reading this! So glad I read to the end, I was about to pass out then read it was fir April fool’s day. Whew! This was a good one. Gonna send this to my fiance 😉

  5. Dora Avatar

    My husbands first comment before we read it was “Does it make gravy!?” Then we read it together….. 😉

    Very good job! lol…

  6. Stacy Avatar

    I am new to your site and I have been loving it! I am learning so much and making great changes toward a healthier me and healthier family. I just read this post and I thought, “Awww man! She is a total wacko! Unsubscribe! Unsubscribe!” 🙂 Good thing I read to the end. LOL- So you are amazing AND funny! Love it. Thanks for the laugh!

  7. Carissa Avatar
    Carissa

    Now I feel weird because the entire time reading this I was thinking, “Hm, interesting. I will have to try this”. I wasn’t even grossed out at all. Not sure what that says about me! Haha

    1. Shaundra Avatar
      Shaundra

      Me too! I was thinking that slow cooking would destroy a lot of nutrients, but I trust Katie so much that I thought, “if I have a baby, I will consider this.” Though I was thinking Katie wasn’t winning anyone over with the raw placenta pic at the end:)

  8. Danielle Avatar
    Danielle

    Hilarious! I was about to stop reading your blog altogether!

  9. Lynn Avatar

    Oooh, ACK! I realize I was reading through squinted eyes like I was watching scary movie.
    You really got me!

  10. Sheryl Avatar

    Had a good friend recommend this website to me.
    Picked a great day to look it up.
    Glanced at it 4/1 and thought…hmm well that’s different.
    Glad I went back and read through.
    Hilarious!
    Of course to each their own but a pot roast?? haha

    Thanks for the laugh!

  11. Jessica Avatar
    Jessica

    I’m reading it thinking.. Hmmm.. I don’t think I could do this, but it sounds beneficial.. I was about to send the recipe to my husband! Lol

  12. Jenni Avatar

    Ha ha Good One! I went to your blog on my lunch break with my husband and friend sitting with me. I read the title and quickly moved to a different page so they wouldn’t think I was crazy. But I was intrigued and had to come back to read later.
    Thank Goodness this is a joke. 🙂

  13. erica Avatar

    This is hilarious!
    I was intrigued until I heard 5hours after birth cook this. I thinking, “who is cooking this? I just had a baby and can’t move!” Lol, and the picture looks good.
    You got me on this one.

  14. Adrienne Avatar
    Adrienne

    I thought it was totally serious all the way through. Because just about my first duty when my granddaughter was born was to cut up the placenta, which they had in a bucket in the fridge, into chunks to be added to smoothies. No April fool joke! There’s a picture of me doing it.

    It was not gross – just a piece of meat – but it sure was uncooperative! Too slippery to hold and too tough to cut easily. The one doubt I had about this post was “Would it really be tender enough to eat as a pot roast?”

    It made enough little packets in the freezer for about 3 weeks worth of smoothies, one a day. We had a recipe from online. I remember it included a couple of frozen fruits – blueberries and acai berries I think. A dollop of sheep yoghurt. Don’t remember what else, except my daughter requested the addition of a big spoonful of molasses as she had lost a lot of blood. She said the smoothie tasted of molasses – that overpowered whatever the placenta tasted like. Neither the new Daddy nor I tried it.

    I was surprised when my daughter, delegating tasks in her first minutes home, asked me to research placenta smoothies online. But when I read about all the benefits I wanted them for her so much that it felt really good to do the job – much more a physical struggle than a gross-out. And nobody else was volunteering…

    1. candice Avatar
      candice

      I wish I knew someone like you-I’d do the same for someone close to me if they asked.
      -its like having someone you know would help you hide a body-it takes a special type of someone.
      I don’t think I can honestly say I’d eat my raw placenta-I have a special talent for tasting or finding the taste that is a little “off”
      I think with all the other postpartum care wellness mama has supplied-as well as a great diet (maybe eating liver after birth would help too) and having supportive people around would be enough for me. I have my after birth galactagogues ready and have been drinking my safe during pregnancy herbs preparing for lactation…
      I think I’ll try everything else before resorting to eating placenta raw I think-but the encapsulation is too costly for us ($500).

      Wellness Mama-now I have to look up your other April fools day posts to make sure I didn’t take those seriously.

      This one made me confused as to why you had a placenta laying around to cook and photograph…and the “whoa she is way out there”-even more extreme than I thought…was rolling through my mind (but I try to stay open minded these days)
      I kept thinking-my husband tells me I’d eat poop if someone said it was good for me…and considering placenta pot roast made him pretty right.

  15. kate Avatar

    You totally got me! I got mine encapsulated and took the pills twice daily for the first 6 weeks. I have the remainder in the freezer because my doula told me that it may help me when I go through menopause in the future. But while I was reading your post, whole time I was thinking that… my doula once told me that she has so far observed significant fast recoveries from mamas who took uncooked placenta only and not from those who took heated placenta. So by roasting placenta, it destroys all the miracle power of placenta…

  16. Steven Avatar

    I don’t care if this was an April Fool’s Day joke or not….I won’t be coming back here, this is nothing short of disgusting and in very poor taste.

    Steven

  17. kelli ann cougle Avatar
    kelli ann cougle

    LOL I was trying so hard to keep reading and be open-minded but was like ok I’m gonna puke if she says how it tastes! good one!!!

  18. Mary Anne Avatar
    Mary Anne

    It was like finding out Santa Claus doesn’t exist…..my Wellness Mama done gone crazy 🙂 I have only recently heard of eating placenta, so I was TOTALLY falling for this. I have nothing against consuming placenta….just sounds insanely bizarre.
    Now posting to FB even though it’s April 2…..

  19. melissa Avatar
    melissa

    THANK YOU!THANK YOU! THANK YOU that this is just a joke!!! As i was reading this i must have had some kind of horrid look on my face because my son asked me what was wrong. Whew! Girl! I just laughed and laughed at the end and said out loud….THANKYOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

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