Mar 20, 2018

Benefits of Bone Broth

by Chris Herbert

There is a major trend happening in the natural health industry with a growing interest in probiotics, digestive bitters, fermented foods, and broths. Rather than being a new, passing fad, it's more of a revival of ancient wisdom that collectively works towards digestive health, and subsequently, immune health. The experts are now confirming what your great-great-grandparents probably already practiced, but was lost along the way. Scientific research is backing the long-understood idea that the majority of our immune system, about 70%, is located in the gut.  So it makes sense to bring beneficial probiotics, fermented foods, and nutritious liquids into our diets and supplementation.

Bone Broth is a hot topic right now. It is incredibly nutrient-dense, easy to digest, rich in flavor, and boosts healing. It is best made from the bones of natural, ethically raised animals; such as organic chicken, beef, and pork. From there you want to add organic vegetables, seaweed, a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar, and bring to a simmer over the course of 24-48 hrs. Over the slow cooking process, the bones and ligaments release healing compounds like collagen, proline, glycine, glutamine, and a plethora of minerals.

Here are some extra added benefits of bone broth:

  • Joint support

  • Better digestion support through normalizing stomach acids

  • Improved hydration

  • Source of collagen for skin health

  • Rich in minerals

  • Immune system support

Bone broth is very economical as well, saving you money and giving purpose to things you would normally throw in the bin. If you roast a chicken or beef with bone in, after your meal simply put the bones with vegetable scraps in a slow cooker and water and make yourself some broth. If you're short on time, you can freeze the bones and vegetable scraps in a baggie until you're ready. When your broth is finished & you've strained out the solids, you now have liquid gold to help you stay healthy. You can simply drink a cup, make soup, use instead of water when cooking rice or quinoa, or freeze to use for a later time when you're feeling sickness coming on.  Drinking bone broth during a time of fasting can help you to abstain from eating foods and reduces the negative effects of toxin removal while giving you important nutrients for health.

Besides doing wonders for you nutritionally, it also tastes impeccably better than store-bought broths and saves you money in the end, with very little effort on your part. Consume on a regular basis and take note - you may find you feel an improvement in your well-being and experience sickness less! So Drink up!

Bone Broth Recipe

Serves: 3-4 cups

INGREDIENTS

  • 3-4 lbs of mixed beef (or chicken) bones
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 2 medium onions
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 10-12 cups water

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in slow-cooker
  2. Turn slow cooker on low and cook 8-24 hours:
  3. Strain the broth and discard ingredients. Pour broth into jars and store in the fridge. You can also freeze, but make sure to use freezer-safe glass.