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What Are the Health Benefits of Bone Broth?
Bone broth has been a popular superfood for several years now, but many still don’t know why it’s so healthy. Bone broth is a traditional food that has been consumed for thousands of years, made from slow-cooking the leftover bones of animals with vegetable scraps, herbs, and spices.
Why Is Bone Broth Healthy?
Plenty of research finds that chicken soup or chicken broth is actually healthy and supports immunity. Bone broth is like soup stock, but with more nutrients. Each batch of bone broth will contain its own unique set of nutrients, based on what it is prepared with, but the average bone broth recipe will contain:
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Zinc
- Iron
- Boron
- Manganese
- Potassium
- Phosphorous
- Glucosamine
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin K2
- Selenium
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Collagen
- Amino acids glutamine, glycine, arginine, and more
Together, these nutrients support healthy bones, immunity, digestion, and inflammation levels in the body. That’s a lot from just one broth!
Many practitioners recommend bone broth as a healing food for digestive problems like leaky gut, as well as for autoimmune disease and other chronic disorders. It can safely be consumed on a daily basis.
The nutrients in bone broth also support healthy muscles and joints, making it a therapeutic drink for people with arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. They are what the body uses to repair tissues and to promote healthy cells. Amino acids are also responsible for many other processes in the body, including energy production and synthesis of neurotransmitters, the chemicals in the brain that help regulate mood.
How to Make Your Own Bone Broth
Bone broth can be made from the bones and connective tissue of nearly any animal, including:
- Beef
- Pork
- Veal
- Turkey
- Lamb
- Bison
- Venison
- Chicken
- Seafood
You can follow our Beef Bone Stock recipe, or you can simply add the bones or leftover carcasses that you have to a large soup pot. Add ½ cup of vinegar, some salt, and whatever other herbs or spices you desire to use. Toss in vegetable scraps, orange and lemon peel, and the like to add more depth of flavor to your bone broth. Fill the pan with ⅔ full with water or at least until all ingredients are submerged.
Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 24 hours on low. Alternatively, you can use a slow cooker or a pressure cooker. When it’s done, strain the broth from the solids, and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to six months.
You can sip bone broth plain, as a healing beverage, or you can replace any cooking liquids when making soups, stews, grains, or vegetables for added nutritional value.
Today’s Simple Step
Drinking an 8-ounce cup of bone broth each day is a great wellness habit to begin. It counts toward your daily hydration and promotes healthy digestion, normal levels of inflammation, and optimal immunity along the way.
Today’s Recipe
Our Beef Bone Stock is a classic recipe to follow for a wonderful gut-healthy broth. Make a batch every week to support digestion, immunity, joints, and more.