Why You Should Be Drinking Bone Broth:
Homemade bone broth is very easy to make, delicious to consume (if made properly!), and is a rich source of minerals, like calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, and potassium in forms that your body can easily absorb. It’s also rich in amino acids, arginine, glycine and proline; these amino acids have many important roles and are not readily found in the muscle meats that we commonly consume. Some of the roles of these amino acids include:
Arginine: plays an important role in cell division, the healing of wounds, removing ammonia from the body, enhancing immune function, and hormonal regulation.
Glycine: supports the body’s detoxification process and helps with digestion and the release of gastric acids to help breakdown foods and absorb nutrients. Proline: (especially) when paired with Vitamin C, it promotes healthy skin and increases collagen production (aka….anti-aging benefits!) and richly aids digestive health.
Bone broth also contains rich sources of chondroitin and glucosamine; these compounds are commonly sold as supplements to reduce inflammation and joint pain
What are the Health Benefits of Bone Broth:
There are so many health benefits of bone broth! Some of the most potent health benefits include:
Helps heal the Gut: this is very important for those people with weak or poor digestion or autoimmune conditions which have been attributed to a “leaky gut.”
Reduces joint pain and inflammation
Promotes strong and healthy bones
Inhibits infection—Grandma was right when she made homemade chicken soup for a cold and flu
Fights inflammation
Promotes healthy hair and nail growth
Recipe:
My favorite recipe is included below ( courtesy of Wellness Mama):
Ingredients:
2 pounds (or more) of bones from a healthy source (organic or pasture raised is important!!)
2 pounds (or more) of bones from a healthy source (organic, pasture-raised is important!)
2 chicken feet for extra gelatin (optional)
1 onion
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 bunch of parsley
Salt and pepper
2 cloves of garlic added in the last 30 minutes
Any herbs or spices of your choosing to enhance the flavor
Slow cooker or large stock pot
Strainer
1) Place the bones in a large stock pot or slow cooker, add enough water to completely cover the bones and add in the vinegar. Let it sit in the cool water for 20-30 minutes.
2) Roughly chop your vegetables and add them to the pot. Add any herbs or spices of your choosing.
3) Bring the broth to a boil and reduce to simmer. In the first 2 hours, skim the surface as needed.
Simmer times:
Beef broth: 48 hours
Chicken broth: 24 hours
Fish broth: 7 hours.
Once the broth is finished cooking, pour it through a strainer. If you choose to remove the excess fat, chill the broth in the refrigerator and skim the top once it’s cool. If your broth has a Jello-O like consistency, that’s the gelatin. Just heat on top of the stove and it will return to a liquid state.
I like to drink a mug of it, just like you would coffee or tea. In fact, a warm cup of broth is a great way to start your morning—try drinking 8 ounces a day, every day. (For the record, this does not replace my need for coffee!) Of course, you can use it in recipes wherever it calls for broth or stock, or turn it into a base for your favorite soup.
You can keep the broth in the fridge for 3-4 days. After I make a batch, I will keep some in the fridge and then I freeze the rest in ice cube trays…..that way, it’s easy to heat up a small or large amount when I need it.