Hello Gut Healers!
If you don’t already know, bone broth has a wealth of goodness! If you’re in need of a major turn around in your health, adding bone broth to your diet is an absolute must! I can’t say it enough. For centuries, people have associated healing with the comforting warmth of chicken soup and it turns out that when made the way grandma made it, the broth base is incredibly restorative to your gut and overall health. There are several reasons why it would benefit you greatly to drink bone broth on a regular basis. Here they are!
1. Heals Gut Lining
Bone broth is a great source of gelatin (the broken down form of collagen). Gelatin and collagen help to break down proteins which aids in digestion. They also help to soothe, heal and seal the gut lining, making it a perfect recipe to help people who suffer from leaky gut, digestive disorders, skin conditions, autoimmune diseases and more. Most health issues can be traced to the condition of the gut. 70-80% of our immune system, in fact, lives in our gut, making it imperative to keep your gut in tiptop shape. Remember, all health begins in the gut according to Hippocrates.
2. Creates Strong Bones and Joints
Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Potassium are some of the minerals found in bone broth. These minerals in the broth naturally are in a highly absorbable form which makes bone broth a great way to get your bones and joints healthy. The compounds, chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine can also be found which are known to reduce inflammation and improve the symptoms of arthritis and joint pain. Bone broth is also rich in several amino acids like glycine, proline and arginine which are also anti-inflammatory agents, an incredibly important element to have for wellness in all areas of the body.
3. Boosts the Immune System
I mentioned before that bone broth has been used for eons in the form of soups. Often, there’s a lot of truth to these old, ancient remedies that have fallen by the wayside and this is one is no different. Your grandma knew she was doing right deep down in her gut when she gave you homemade chicken soup to heal your cold. According to Mark Sisson, author of Primal Blueprint, bone broth is a superfood due to the high amounts of minerals and amino acids it contains needed for optimal health. With all of these benefits, there’s really no reason to not add it into your daily routine. You won’t regret it!
4. Is the Fountain of Youth!
Because bone broth is high in collagen, which is extracted from the cartilage, it is incredible for your skin and every connective tissue in your body. Collagen aids in restoring all connective tissues which includes your skin. Cellulite and wrinkles are the result of the breakdown of the skins connective tissue, the skin begins to sag and the appearance of cellulite is born. Having a diet rich in collagen is a great way to strengthen the integrity of the skin and encourage a youthful appearance. How can it get any better?! You can have a healthy body, feel good and look 10 years younger by adding bone broth to your daily life! Collagen can also be purchased as a supplement. You can check it out on my supplements page here, but it’s not meant to be used as a replacement for bone broth. Use both!
BONE BROTH TIPS:
- Use only organically grown, pasture-raised or grass-fed meats and poultry, these have more nutrients and will create a far superior broth
- Drink bone broth with every meal (or as much as you can) to encourage gut healing and overall wellness in your body.
- If making a large batch, pour broth into an ice cube tray and freeze. This way you can save the broth for longer and thaw out only what you want to use.
- Fast with bone broth. This is a great way to detoxify the body and it makes the fast a little more endurable. Here’s a link to a post of mine, A Fasting Track to Healing, where I document an intermittent fast I did to aid in healing my chronic hand eczema.
- Anytime you want to add savory flavor instead of plain old water, use bone broth
- Use a variety of bones. There’s red and yellow marrow. Yellow is where the fat is stored and red is where the blood stem cells are found. Having the stem cell factor is great for building your immune system.
WHERE AND WHAT TO BUY:
- When making bone broth, you can either buy a whole chicken and use the carcass or you can buy raw bones at your local grocers. Sometimes they’ll just give them to you. Getting raw bones has some benefits. You can choose what kind of bones you want and get more of a variety. The flat bones like the scapula, skull, ribs, vertebrae and sternum have more red marrow. Yellow marrow is found in the center of long bones.
- Do not buy pre-made stock. The cooking methods that are used destroy the nutrients and the gelatin is removed, which pretty much makes it useless for gut healing.
- There are some broths that are sold online that are made the natural way and still have the health benefits in tact. They’re fairly expensive, but will save you time. Honestly, making your own is not difficult and will save you money, but I’ll give you a list of online stores anyhow.
LIST OF ONLINE STORES TO BUY BONE BROTH:
So you wonder how to make this healing elixir? I’ve got you covered. Enjoy this Julia Child’s inspired recipe below, the ultimate in grandma goodness.
Listen to Your Gut,
Sharla
- 1 raw whole pasture raised chicken or 2-3 lbs. raw meat or poultry bones
- 4 quarts purified water or enough to cover the bones or chicken
- ½ organic onion
- 2 organic carrots unpeeled, scrubbed and cut in half
- 2 organic celery stalks scrubbed and cut in half
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 2 whole cloves
- 2 garlic cloves lightly smashed
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- celtic sea salt to taste
- Place chicken into a large pot
- Fill pot with water until chicken is completely covered
- Bring to a rolling boil
- Skim the scum off the top as it surfaces (its the white bubbly stuff that floats up to the top)
- After all the scum is removed, add the rest of the ingredients except for the salt.
- Let cook at a very low simmer for around 4 hours (If using the raw bones only, you won't need to do the next few steps. Just continue cooking up to 24 hours.)
- After chicken is cooked, place it into another container.
- Remove chicken off the bone (save chicken for a soup or another meal)
- Return bones to the original pot with the water and spices
- Fill the pot with purified water
- Cover and allow to cook at a low simmer for at least 12 - 24 hours. (Beef bones can cook up to 48 hours) Make sure to check the water level and add boiling water if needed.
- Now add the salt to taste. Some of the liquid will evaporate. The amount of salt depends on how much broth is left in the pot.
- When done, pour the liquid through a sieve and store in glass jars in the fridge or freeze.
