Have you heard about bone broth? It’s very quickly gaining popularity – have you found yourself wondering what all the hype is about?
Well, bone broth, when made at home with grass-fed bones, can be EXTREMELY beneficial to your body.
Here are just a few of the benefits Bone Broth can provide:
- Treat leaky gut syndrome
- Overcome food intolerances and allergies
- Improve joint health
- Reduce cellulite
- Boost immune system
Chicken soup isn’t just good for the soul: There’s a reason why it’s prescribed by doctors and mothers alike when you’re feeling under the weather.
All bone broths – beef, chicken, fish, lamb (and more) – are staples in the traditional diets of every culture and the basis of all fine cuisine. That’s because bone broths are nutrient-dense, easy to digest, rich in flavor and they boost healing.
Bone broth or stock is a way to make use of every part of an animal. Bones and marrow, skin and feet, tendons and ligaments that you can’t eat directly can be boiled and then simmered over a period of days. This simmering causes the bones and ligaments to release healing compounds like collagen, proline, glycine and glutamine that have the power to transform your health.
But, be careful of the store-bought stocks and broths. Most store-bought “stock” and “broth” today aren’t “REAL.” Instead, companies use lab-produced meat flavors in bouillon cubes, soup and sauce mixes. Also, manufacturers began using monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is recognized as a meat flavor but in reality is a neurotoxin.
While they may state that they are organic, they can include some very questionable ingredients. Just check out some of these labels:
Bone broth is a great place to find a plethora of valuable amino acids, collagen, gelatin and trace minerals. In fact, there are dozens of different nutrients found within bone broth, many of which can’t be obtained easily from other commonly eaten foods. That’s partly why there are so many incredible bone broth benefits.
By regularly drinking bone broth or using it in recipes, you can help promote healthy gut integrity while reducing permeability and inflammation.
5 Major Bone Broth Benefits
1. Protects Joints
Taking glucosamine supplements to help with joint pain has been common knowledge for years, but it turns out that bone broth has glucosamine, too. But unlike pills, the broth also includes a host of other goodies that help keep your joints happy, healthy and pain-free. The chondroitin sulfate in bone broth has been shown to help prevent osteoarthritis.
2. Heals the Gut
Studies show that gelatin found in bone broth is beneficial for restoring strength of the gut lining and fighting food sensitivities (such as to wheat or dairy), helping with the growth of probiotics (good bacteria) in the gut, and supporting healthy inflammation levels in the digestive tract.
This gelatin (found in the knuckles, feet and other joints) helps seal up holes in intestines helping to cure chronic diarrhea and constipation.
3. Maintains Healthy Hair, Skin & Nails
Bone broth is a rich source of collagen. You can find collagen in all kinds of “plumping” products these days, but why stick it on the outside when you can work from the inside out?
According to Donna Gates, author of “Body Ecology,” bone broth benefits your skin because it makes it supple and can decrease cellulite!
She says cellulite comes from a lack of connective tissue, and if someone has very smooth skin, it’s because the skin is high in connective tissue. Gates explains that consuming collagen-rich bone broth can reduce cellulite and tighten your skin, making you look younger — adding it to the long list of bone broth benefits.
4. Boosts Immune System
Bone marrow can really help to strengthen your immune system. (Something that won’t surprise your grandma who always made you her famous chicken soup when you got sick!)
Bone broth is one of the most beneficial foods to consume to restore gut health and therefore support immune system function and healthy inflammation response. Collagen/gelatin and the amino acids proline, glutamine and arginine are responsible for helping to seal these openings in the gut lining and support gut integrity. Traditionally made bone broths are believed to support healthy inflammatory response and normal immune system function.
Bone broth can even promote healthy sleep, boost energy during the day and support a healthy mood.
A Harvard study even showed that some people with auto-immune disorders experienced a relief of symptoms when drinking bone broth, with some achieving a complete remission.
5. Aids in Metabolism
Amino acids found in bone broth have numerous roles, including building and repairing muscle tissue, supporting bone mineral density, boosting nutrient absorption and synthesis and maintaining muscle and connective tissue health.
Glutamine is an amino acid that’s important for a healthy metabolism, since it helps us maintain energy by sending nutrients, including nitrogen, to our cells.
Arginine is also important as it has the role of breaking down nitric oxide that helps improve circulation and sends blood and nutrients to cells throughout the body, improving muscle and tissue integrity and promoting normal wound healing.
Seriously, bone broth could be called “nature’s multivitamin.” It’s packed with:
- over 19 easy-to-absorb, essential and non-essential amino acids (the building blocks of proteins)
- collagen/gelatin, which help form connective tissue
- nutrients that support digestive functions, immunity and brain health
Did you get that? Bone broth benefits literally every part of your body, from your gut to your brain, from your muscles to your ligaments.
It’s also relatively low in calories, yet very high in minerals and other chemical compounds that many people are lacking. There’s no doubt that bone broth makes a great everyday addition to your diet.
So, how in the world do you make a nutrient-dense bone broth at home?
HOW TO MAKE BONE BROTH
There are a few important basics to consider when making good stock.
It’s important to use body parts that aren’t commonly found in the meat department of your grocery store, things like chicken feet and neck.
You also want to buy animal products that you know are pasture-fed and free of antibiotics and hormones in order to truly unlock all of the bone broth benefits.
The essentials are bones, fat, meat, vegetables and water. If you’re making beef broth or lamb broth, you should brown the meat before putting it into a stock pot. Fish and poultry are fine to put in a pot without browning first. Add a bit of apple cider vinegar to your pot to help draw the minerals from the bones.
Cooking Suggestions
- Place bones into a large stock pot and cover with water.
- Add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to water prior to cooking. This helps to pull out important nutrients from the bones.
- Fill stock pot with filtered water. Leave plenty of room for water to boil.
- Heat slowly. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for at least six hours. Remove scum as it arises.
- Cook slow and at low heat. Chicken bones can cook for 24 hours. Beef bones can cook for 48 hours. A low and slow cook time is necessary in order to fully extract the nutrients in and around the bone.
- You can also add in vegetables, such as onions, garlic, carrots and celery, for added nutrient value.
After cooking, the broth will cool and a layer of fat will harden on top. This layer protects the broth beneath. Discard this layer only when you are about to eat the broth.
Consuming eight ounces one to two times daily as a soup, a plain beverage or doing a bone broth fast allows you to get all these wonderful bone broth benefits!
No need to waste your hard-earned money on certain vitamins and supplements when you can just make up a large batch of bone broth and get even better results.
Have you tried making your own bone broth? Let me know in the comments below!
Yours in Health & Happiness,
Chrissy
P.S. For additional benefits, add in some oolong tea to your bone broth mixture! Or, just brew a cup to drink along with your feel-good brothy soup. Be sure to pick up a box of the purest oolong tea on the planet, right here.
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