One of the most powerful healing food that was recognized for centuries and with latest research it becomes more evident that the health benefits of a bone broth are incredible!
Correctly cooked bone broth (please find the recipe below) has a real power to heal. When we prepare a broth or stock we use all parts of the animal including bones, skin, ligaments and boil and simmer it for hours, that causes the bones and ligaments to release healing nutrients like glutamine, glycine, proline, collagen. It also contains such minerals as - calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silica, sulphur, chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine in a form that your body can easily absorb.
One study showed that amino acids in the chicken soup reduced inflammation in respiratory system and helps digestion. Research proves that broths not only boost immunity, help to fight colds and flue, allergies and asthma, it is benefitcial in reducing inflammation in the body, reducings sighns or arthritis and joint pain, reduce cellulite, help with food intolerances.
So what is it particularly in the stock that makes it so healing?
If you ever cooked bone broth at home you probably noticed jiggling layer on the very top of the pot, this is collagen. Collagen is the component that has immunity boosting properties. It is found in bones, cartilages, ligaments, marrow and tendons. The breakdown of collagen produces gelatin.
Gelatin is found by the world class researches to improve such medical conditions such as food allergy and intolerance (like milk and gluten), heals IBS, reflux, ulcerative colitis and crohn’s decease, helps to promote probiotic balance and growth of friendly bacteria, essential for the ones who have leaky gut symptoms and autoimmune decease that accompany this state, prevents bone loss and reduces joint pain and discomfort, makes skin looks years younger.
Gelatin in bone broths contains amino acids arginine, glycine, glutamine and proline. If the person has poor diet filled with processed foods, emotional or environmental stresses, the body doesn't produce amino acids very well and research shows that most of the people are chronically missing them for years in their diets.
Lets take a closer look at these amino acids and what they do for us:
Arginine
- Essential for immune system function and regenerating processes;
- Produces growth hormone;
- Heals damaged liver cells;
- Helps production of sperm.
Glycine
- Prevents breakdown of protein tissue like muscle;
- Helps production of bile salts and glutathione;
- Detoxifies the body and is an antioxidant;
- Neurotransmitter that improves sleep,memory and performance.
Proline
- Repairs leaky gut;
- Regenerates cartilage and heal joints;
- Reduces cellulite and makes skin more supple.
Glutamine
- Protects gut lining;
- Regenerates cells in small intestine;
- Helps metabolism and muscle building;
- This is an incredible combination in a small bowl!
You can drink the broth itself 1-2 times a day. You can make it as a soup for lunch by adding green leafy vegetables or gluten free pasta. Even have a bone broth fast for couple of days in certain chronicle and autoimmune conditions that are linked to leaky gut syndrome, such as Hashimoto's disease, gut permeability (leaky gut), arthritis. It is nourishing if you caught a flue or have cold.
Cooking suggestions
- Buy your meat pasture-fed and free of antibiotics and hormones;
- Make it with vegetables.
Dr. Rennard in his chicken soup study, found that the combination of animal products and vegetables seemed to have synergistic effects, working together to be more beneficial.
- Here is an advise from Sally Fallon.
Use body parts that aren’t commonly found in the meat department of your grocery store, things like chicken feet and neck. If you’re making beef broth or lamb broth, you should brown the meat before putting it into a stock pot. Fish and poultry are fine to cook without browning first. Add a bit of apple cider vinegar to your pot to help draw the minerals from the bones. Broth essentials according to Fallon are bones, fat, meat, vegetables and water.
Recipe
Place chicken (beef bones, lamp, fish) a large stock pot and cover with water.
Add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to water it will help to pull out important nutrients from the bones and cartilages.
Fill stock pot with good quality water.
Add vegetables - onion, carrot, celery, 2-3 bay leaves, or leafy greens, sea vegetables like kombu or dulse to your taste.
Heat slowly. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for at least six hours.
Cook slow and at low heat. Chicken bones can cook for 24 hours. Beef bones can cook for 48 hours. This amount of time is essential to fully extract the nutrients in and around bone.
After cooking a layer of fat will harden on top, discard this layer only when you are about to eat the broth.
When your bone broth is ready you can add chickpea or quinoa spaghetti in it, children love this version:)