Bountiful Benefits of Bone Broth

Bone broth is blowing up right now, but is much more than the latest trendy food. Broth has been a traditional staple, consumed by cultures across the globe for ages.  Before central air, it was common (and convenient) to have a warm pot of broth simmering over the fire throughout the winter.

A good broth is flavorful, nutrient dense, and warming. Excellent to drink by itself, to use as a base for soups and stews, or to use as a cooking liquid for grains, legumes, and vegetables.  As you can see from the menu plans, high quality bone broth is a staple of the Microbiome Revival – and for good reason!

If you’re not one to just jump on the bandwagon of either the time old traditions or modern craze for bone broth, don’t just take our word for it. Here are specific and scientific benefits of consuming bone broth regularly:

• Bone broth is collagen and gelatin rich. Unfortunately these proteins are not present in significant amounts in many other foods. Collagen and gelatin have been shown to protect and repair our gut lining, and even reverse leaky gut.
• Collagen found in bone broth also provides both suppleness, structure, and elasticity to skin, hair, and nails. You may have seen collagen and gelatin in expensive anti-aging skin creams but the best way to get it in your body is to ingest it!
• Bone broth also contains glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronic acid, all of which support joint health and lubrication by strengthening cartilage, stimulating new collagen production, and improving synovial fluid production.
• Bone broth provides an array of essential amino acids including glycine, proline, and prolamine, necessary for digestive health, detoxification, blood sugar regulation, and muscular energy.
• Bone broth delivers an abundance of nutrients to the body in a highly digestible format. This makes bone broth a great option for people who have a busy lifestyle or who have a compromised immunity, autoimmunity, or digestive issues.
• Bone broth is a source of some of the most important trace minerals necessary for consistent energy, metabolism, immune regulation, and digestive health.

For optimal gut healing benefits, try to have 1 cup of bone broth every day. It’s a great warming beverage in the morning or evening, or add some meat and vegetables for a simple meal.

Fortunately, with the bone broth revival, it is now easier to get than ever! You can find prepackaged organic bone broths in the refrigerated, frozen, and shelf stable sections of the grocery store. You can also find collagen protein as a powdered supplement to add to your smoothie- just be sure the products you use are pasture raised and organic as bones are a deposit area for environmental toxins.

Our instincts say that the best bone broth is made at home, afterall the quality control of your own kitchen is best! Here are  some useful tips to be able to make a bone broth regularly at no added cost:

• Buy organic pastured meat with the bones included. Save and freeze the bones after you have used the meat. In a few weeks you will have enough for a big batch of broth.
• Save all the ends of your vegetables in a container in the refrigerator- onions, carrots, chard stems, celery, zucchini tops, etc. These are optional, but add flavor and nutrients to your broth
• Store broth in wide mouth pint mason jars in the freezer, just be sure not to overfill them as the broth will expand when frozen.

Basic Instant Pot Broth

• Once you have about a gallon bag full of bones in your freezer, pack the bones into your instant pot until they are just below the max fill line for pressure cooking. You can also add in some vegetable ends. Next, pour enough filtered water over the bones to cover them (be sure not to exceed the fill line) and add a splash of vinegar to help break down the collagen. Cook the bones on high pressure – 30 minutes for chicken bones and 60 minutes for beef and pork bones. Allow the pressure to release naturally for about 30 minutes then strain the broth into clean mason jars.
• When we do this, we make 2-3 rounds of broth with the same bones and still get a nice gelatinous broth.

Slow Cooker Method:

• Buy a rotisserie chicken (preferably organic, pasture raised, without added hormones or antibiotics) or roast a chicken at home. Pull the meat off all the bones then put 8 cups water, a few bay leaves, a little salt into crockpot then add the bones, extra skin etc. and let simmer for 8 hours on high. Strain the broth from bones.

Traditional Chicken Soup and Bone Broth

• Buy a whole raw chicken and put it in your slow or pressure cooker with water, salt, and spices of your preference. Eat the soup, save the bones, and resimmer them with water to make a second round of broth.

Leave us a comment below letting us know your favorite ways to enjoy bone broth 🙂