Bone Broth is the Best Food For Health

There’s no doubt, if you’ve followed ONH for long, that I go about things the old fashioned way. That is certainly my method of pursuing health, as well! With so much diverse information out there—it can be so confusing! Food trends are always surfacing from Paleo, Whole 30, Keto, Vegan… and that’s just from within the last 10 years.

There is SO much information out there. So many MASSIVELY conflicting ideas. Where can one even start?

Might I suggest taking a peak back into history? I’m not over-glorifying the past— I know we’ve come so far in numerous ways for which I am grateful. However, considering ALL that is involved in shipping something like bananas to Michigan in winter—it’s not good for us. It’s not good for the environment, either. Look at how much energy and land it requires to grow enough food for one person on a vegan diet… it’s not sustainable. We HAVE to look back and see the way health has been achieved long ago. Before our world was swept up in the Industrial Revolution. Seasonally and locally. Dare I say, passionately and craftily.

I confess that I have been caught up in the different health trends. Media is quite the persuasive beast, and when there’s an agenda behind something, it takes keen discernment to be able to decipher the truth. Nothing like the invention of scientific meat to make me take a closer look at what I’ve been believing and what propaganda I’ve been consuming!

I’m so thankful for the Weston A Price Foundation and all the research and education they have done over the years. If you are in a place where you’re wanting to pivot and make a lifestyle change, back to the old, healthy ways of living, the book Nourishing Traditions is a GREAT place to start.

Bone Broth:

One of the best things you can start incorporating for optimal health is bone broth. And, per usual, it’s not expensive, and is often made (in my house, anyway!) with “trash!” Oh, people will capitalize on this and sell powders and all kinds of things to make this lifestyle incredibly expensive. But it by no means needs to be an expensive endeavor. Read this post to learn how to make incredible nourishing broth with your kitchen scraps.

Our gut dictates the health of every other part of our body. Un-health shows up in skin issues, mouth problems, and “innocent” things like gas and bloating! We HAVE to learn to tune into and heal those “little” things before dysbiosis gets out of hand and we are facing a scarier diagnosis. A long line of little minor infections will make our body far more susceptible to severe diseases in the future.

But you already know that, right? That’s why you’re here! NOTHING is more gentle AND more healing than bone broth. It provides important nutrients and helps with digestion and elimination!

Why Bone Broth?

In her book, Nourishing Broth, Sally Fallon says that both ancestral wisdom and simple common sense put broth at the front of any anti aging plan. It has power to soothe inflammation, preventing and reversing diagnoses of many digestive diseases, as well as auto immune disorders. It nourishes our joints and can stop osteoarthritis. With bone broth as a staple in our diets, most of the disorders that plague the typical American just don’t happen!

Our gut lining replaces itself every 3-5 days. (!!!) Collagen, protein and minerals are required to rebuild a healthy lining of our gut. There’s not a better source of all of those things than bone broth. If you have a specific issue you are trying to correct, eat soups and stews made with bone broth for 2-3 weeks to rebuild gut health. (Follow this Pinterest board for inspiration in anti-inflammatory meals!)

Once you are feeling nourished and your symptoms are easing up, try adding in probiotic foods. Sauerkraut, kimchi, beet kavass, yogurt and other dairy ferments. I have always wondered how homemade fermented foods compare to store-bought probiotic pills. I just learned the answer on a podcast— just one teaspoon of homemade sauerkraut has 1 billion cfu’s! Compare that to the price of probiotics when you’re shopping, and consider the fact that we usually eat at least 1/2 a cup of it… let that inspire you to get on making it yourself at home!

NOT ALL BONE BROTH IS GOOD FOR YOU!

I must emphasize the importance of the health of the animal you are getting your bones from. If it has any antibiotics (70% of antibiotic use in the US goes to our livestock!) or added hormones and garbage, your broth will NOT be doing you any favors. Make your health a priority and do whatever you need to ensure you are getting clean, grass-fed animals.

BONE BROTH DETOXIFIES

Glycine is a prevalent, simple amino acid that is found in bone broth. It contributes to the liver’s ability to make glutathione, an important antioxidant needed to be able to detoxify heavy metals as well as chemicals like formaldehyde and antibiotics that are so abundant in our modern lives. If these unwelcome intruders are not dealt with, they will cause problems in all our metabolic pathways, leaving us sick and old, far too young.

BONE BROTH IS INCREDIBLE FOR HAIR, SKIN AND NAILS

Bone broth carries amazing proteins called collagen and elastin. I know I first heard of collagen and elastin when I was a kid and Olay and Pantene commercials would come on! But, you know that putting those ingredients ON your skin, hair and nails (especially in the toxic, artificial way they are sure to come about it) does your skin, hair and nails no good. The proteins are too large to pass through, so they just sit on top, doing nothing.

But that’s not to say that collagen and elastin are not incredible for your skin! They just need to be ingested… and there’s no better source than bone broth. When you eat those nutrients, they are able to pass through all your skin layers, all the connective tissue layers, plumping up your cells from the inside out. It also works to repair wounded skin from acne, eczema, psoriasis and all kinds of other issues.

BONE BROTH THAT GELS

In order to get all the benefits I’m talking about, our broth needs to gel. Meaning, once it’s been in the fridge overnight, you should be able to turn it upside down and have nothing liquid fall out. We want a solid jello in that jar! Don’t throw it out if it’s not gelatinous, it’s still very nutritious. It just won’t do all that I’m claiming it does if the proteins aren’t extracted appropriately.

WAYS TO ENSURE YOUR BONE BROTH GELS:

• Choose bones that have a lot of cartilage. An entire chicken carcass has what you need, between the back, wings, neck, and if you can get your hands on them, feet! That is one of the reasons why I only buy whole chickens. With beef, knuckles, ribs, shanks and oxtails have what you need. The healthier your animal, the easier it will gel.
• Don’t use too much water. Just barely cover the bones if you’re using a carcass. You want your ratio to be 3-4 pounds of bones for every gallon of water.
• Don’t over-heat your broth! There’s no need to bring it to a roaring boil— that will break down collagen strands. Just heat over medium until it just starts to boil, then turn it down to low.
• Cook it for the right amount of time. Chicken broth only requires 4-6 hours. Beef can go for 12 hours.

FLAVORFUL BROTHS

If you’re looking for flavor, using meaty bits of bones is the way to go. The bones themselves do not provide much flavor. I’ve never made JUST bone broth without adding anything else in, but when I don’t have much meat, it definitely has a “mineraly” flavor. I always save my garlic, onion, celery, carrot and bell pepper scraps in a bag in the freezer. Whenever I have bones ready, I will add those scraps in and it makes a delicious broth. In addition to the scraps I will add some or all of:

• dried mushrooms
• bay leaves
• cinnamon sticks
• all spice
• peppercorns
• lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (helps aid in extracting the nutrients out of the bones)

SOURCING BONES

I highly recommend purchasing beef from a farmer in either 1/4, 1/2 or whole cow increments. What a gift it is to have these bones, fat and organs on hand without having to purchase them. If that is not an option for you, check your local natural grocer or buy them from Azure. They have chicken feet as well as beef knuckles and bones. For chicken, get in the habit of only buying a whole chicken—it will save you money and you’ll get the free bonus of bone broth!

MAKE CHICKEN BONE BROTH:

1-2 whole chicken carcasses
2 chicken feet (if you can access them)
2 TBS vinegar
gallon of vegetable scraps (or 2 of each onion, celery and carrot)
bunch of herbs
1 TBS whole peppercorns

MAKE BONE BROTH:

4-5 pounds of beef bones
3 bay leaves
1 TBS peppercorns
cinnamon stick
all spice
2 TBS vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place all ingredients in a large stockpot. Pour in clean, filtered water until just at the level of the ingredients. Watching carefully, heat it on medium-high until it just comes to a boil, then set on low. Simmer for 4-6 hours.

Set a large strainer inside a large, clean bowl. To strain, I take a wide mesh skimmer and fish out as many of the bones and scraps that I can. Place those in the strainer so the extra drips will not be wasted. Continue doing so until all the large scraps are out of the liquid. Dump the bones and scraps, give the strainer a rinse if need be, then pour the liquid over the strainer. From there, pour into jars and let cool a bit on the counter. Once they are cooled off enough, place in the refrigerator.

How To Use:

• Pour a cup in the morning before you eat anything else and set your gut up for a great day! I love to squeeze lemon juice in mine.
• The obvious one: use it in soups and stews
• Cook rice and beans using it
• *Some* people use it for hot chocolate. I never make it without onions and vegetables, so that’s not a great option for me!

CONNECT!

Let me know if you give this a try, or what your favorite variation of bone broth is! Leave a comment below or tag me on instagram or facebook!