Your Body Needs Bone Broth—What, Why, & How?
Although it’s been around for centuries, bone broth is all the rage right now in health and wellness circles. And there’s a reason for that. The truth is, your body needs bone broth.
You may have heard of bone broth or you may be thinking “what broth?!”
What Is Bone Broth?
Bone broth is created when animal bones and connective tissues are slow-simmered along with herbs, vegetables, and spices for 20+ hours. Typically, bone broth is made from the bones of beef or chicken.
By slowly simmering the bones, minerals, amino acids, collagen, and other beneficial compounds are released into the broth.
Why Do You Need Bone Broth?
Bone broth supports a healthy gut and proper digestion. In fact, many people use bone broth to help them heal leaky gut syndrome. As a 2017 study in the journal Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care notes, glutamine supplementation helps heal the intestinal barrier in human and animal models.
Also, bone broth is great for strengthening your immune system, making you less vulnerable to common illnesses and allergies.
The collagen in bone broth helps keep your skin looking healthy and youthful.
Collagen turns into gelatin when cooked. Gelatin provides the body with amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins.
Additionally, bone broth is rich in nutrients such as:
- iron
- vitamins A and K
- fatty acids
- selenium
- zinc
- manganese
A 2016 study in the Nutrition Journal looked at the effects of type 2 collagen in people who had osteoarthritis symptoms in their knees. The collagen came from the connective tissue of chickens.
Its results show that collagen can improve knee joint symptoms, such as pain, stiffness, and poorer physical function in people with osteoarthritis.
In short, your body needs bone broth.
How Do You Make Bone Broth?
Roast a whole chicken and save the bones. Be sure to include the bones from the legs and wings. Add the bones to a large pot and top with filtered water until the bones are completely covered.
Add in a little salt to help season the broth. You can always add more later.
Next, add 1-2 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar. The acidity of the vinegar helps break down the the collagen so vinegar is a key ingredient.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.
Cook for at least 10-12 hours on a low simmer, but the longer the better.
The more it reduces, the more intense the flavor becomes and the more collagen is extracted.
You should yield about 6-8 cups of bone broth.
Strain and use or store for up to a week in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze it if you don’t want to use it right away.
Can You Buy It Pre-made?
It may not be practical for you to roast a whole chicken, and make the bone broth yourself.
There are various brands available to you in your grocery store.
If possible, it’s best to avoid purchasing pre-made bone broth off the shelf in the soup aisle.
These broths have added stabilizers and preservatives that frozen bone broths don’t.
If your grocery store carries frozen bone broth, always opt for frozen over shelf-stabilized.
Bonafide Provisions offers fresh, frozen bone broth that is organic and made from free-range chickens and grass-fed beef. Their broth does not contain any preservatives or shelf-stabilizers. Visit their website to locate a store near you that carries it.
How to Consume Bone Broth
The two most common ways to consume bone broth are drinking it or using it in a recipe.
Drinking
To drink bone broth, simply heat up a coffee cup’s amount of broth on the stove. Heat it to a simmer (don’t let it boil,) and then pour it into your coffee cup.
You can sip on it as is, or you can spruce it up a bit with some lemon juice, coconut milk, or any spices you’d like.
Cooking
Another great way to consume bone broth is by cooking with it. There are many great recipes for bone broth soup out there.
Use bone broth as the base to a veggie soup or as the base of chicken noodle soup.
You can also substitute bone broth for any recipe that calls for broth.
So, What Are You Waiting For?
Don’t walk. Run to your nearest grocery store! Try your hand at making your own or try out some frozen bone broth. Your health will thank you. After all, your body needs bone broth.
*Information included in this post is not to be considered medical advice. You should always seek medical attention if you feel you need it and consult with your medical provider before applying any of these suggestions.
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