Bone broth is made by boiling down animal bones and connective tissue which dates back to prehistoric times, when hunter-gatherers turned otherwise inedible animal parts like bones, hooves, and knuckles into a broth they could drink.
Bone broth is made by simmering bones in water and vinegar. You can also add other ingredients to create more flavour.
Adding vinegar is important because it helps pull all of the valuable nutrients out of the bones into the soup you ultimately consume.
Bone broth is rich in minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, that help build and strengthen your bones and fish bones contain iodine essential for Thyroid hormones.
Connective tissue gives you glucosamine and chondroitin, natural compounds that support joint health.
Marrow provides vitamin A, vitamin K2, minerals like zinc, iron, boron, manganese, and selenium, as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
All of these animal parts contain the protein collagen, which turns into gelatin when cooked and supply’s several important amino acids, vitamins and essential fatty acids
Advantages
The gelatin in bone broth supports healthy digestion and may be beneficial for individuals with leaky gut, as well as IBS and IBD.
The amino acids glycine & arginine in bone broth can help fight inflammation and because of this, eating them may help protect against disease. Glycine has even been shown to promote sleep.
The gelatin in bone broth has been shown to help promote feelings of fullness. Consuming it on a regular basis may therefore reduce calorie intake which could lead to weight loss over time.
Where to get bones?
Leftover bones and carcasses from meals with meat on the bone or whole chickens, etc. Instead of throwing the leftover bones and carcasses in the bin collect them in a bag and freeze them until there is enough to make a portion of broth.
If you’re not someone who typically buys and eats whole chickens and meat on the bone you can ask for bones at your local butcher or farmers market even the meat department at most grocery stores will often have them.
They are typically very inexpensive to purchase your butcher may even give them to you for free.
Best if the animal or chicken was pastured or grass-fed beef. Bones from these animals are healthier and contain more nutrients.
How to store it?
Even though it is very easy to make broth in large batches, it can only be stored safely in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. But it can be frozen down in small individual containers to be heated up again as needed.
How often to drink it?
Unfortunately, there’s no straightforward answer to this though many recommend drinking 1 cup / 250ml of bone broth daily for maximum health benefits.
But some is better than none, so whether it’s once a week or once a day, drink it as often as you can.
You can drink a cup of bone broth like ‘tea’, but if you don’t like the texture in your mouth, it can be used to make soups or sauces.
Recipe
Bone Broth is without a doubt the ultimate food for health and beauty. In-fact bone broth supports everything from beautiful skin and shiny hair, to gut balance, strong bones and connective tissue, and much more.
The soup is very easy to make and tastes amazing.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo organic bones from a cow, lamb, pig, venison, goat, rabbit, etc with lots of meat and gristle or a whole chicken.
- 3 litres of cold water
- 2 tbsp. vinegar, such as apple cider vinegar or Balsamic, which aids the breakdown of the proteins in connective tissue and collagen to produce the gelatinous, protein rich soup.
- 2 Bay leaves
- Several fresh sprigs with Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, or them you like best
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Maybe veggies, like rest-over onions, leeks, carrots, and celery, though it is not necessary and I don’t add them
Instructions
- Put the bones/chicken in a large saucepan and cover with water, approx. 3 cm over the bones
- Add the vinegar, Bay leaves, your choice of herbs, salt and pepper and the veggies (if you’re using them)
- Bring to the boil then let the broth simmer for the next 12 – 24 hours, with the lid on.
- The boiling / simmering can create foam and there are different opinions about whether or not the foam should be skimmed. I don’t skim the foam.
- It is important not to skim the fat as this offers many important nutrients and increase satiety.
- After 2 – 4 hours the meat can be removed from the bones and used in a large array of dishes. Small pieces of meat can even be added to the finished broth to increase satiety even more
- If you added veggies, they can also be removed now or can remain until the end.
- When the 12 – 24 hours have passed let the broth cool down then strain it into a large container or several portion sized containers and cool or freeze.
- Check the sieved leftovers for edible parts, many of which are perfect for dogs.
