For thousands of years there have been
traditional foods like fermented vegetables and cultured dairy
that have been touted for their health benefits.
But one common healing
food that is now being recognized for it’s incredible health benefits is bone
broth.
Bone broth benefits are
numerous and extensive so let me share a few ancient secrets with you.
Bone Broth Benefits
I have found bone
broth to be the #1 thing you can consume to:
- Heal leaky gut
- Overcome
foods intolerances and allergies
- Improve
joint health
- Reduce
cellulite
- Boost
immune system
Chicken soup isn’t just
good for the soul: there’s a reason that it’s prescribed by doctors and mothers
alike when you’re feeling under the weather. All bone broths beef,
chicken, fish, lamb and more are staples in the traditional diets of every
culture and the basis of all fine cuisine. That’s because bone broths are
nutrient-dense, easy to digest, rich in flavor and–they boost healing.
Bone broth or stock was
a way our ancestors made use of every part of an animal. Bones and
marrow, skin and feet, tendons and ligaments that you can’t eat directly, can
be boiled then simmered over a period of days.
This simmering
causes the bones and ligaments to release healing compounds like collagen,
proline, glycine, and glutamine that have the power to transform your health
Nutrition researchers Sally Fallon and Kaayla
Daniel of the Weston A. Price Foundation explain that bone broths contain
minerals in forms that your body can easily absorb: calcium, magnesium,
phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and others.
They contain chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, the compounds sold
as pricey supplements to reduce inflammation, arthritis and joint pain.1
A study of chicken soup (broth) conducted by the University
of Nebraska
Medical Center
wondered what it was in the soup that made it so beneficial for colds and
flu. They found that the amino acids
that were produced when making chicken stock reduced inflammation in the
respiratory system and improved digestion.
Also, research is proving it can also boost the immune system and heal
disorders like allergies, asthma, and arthritis.2
Sally Fallon explains that most store bought “stock and
“broth” today aren’t “REAL”. Instead,
they use lab-produced meat flavors in bouillon cubes, soup and sauce
mixes. Also, manufacturers began using
monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is recognized as a meat flavor but in reality
is a neurotoxin.
If you want real bone broth you can make it yourself at home
which I will explain at the end of this chapter. You will need to get grass fed bones from
your local farmers market or from a online health food store like Wise Choice
Market.
The Magic of Collagen and Gelatin
Real collagen is the source of stock’s immune-boosting
properties. You’ve probably seen this
jiggling layer atop the broth in your cooling roasting pan and discarded it but
think again next time–this is the good stuff.
Collagen is the protein found in connective tissue of
vertebrate animals. It’s abundant in
bone, marrow, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. The breakdown of collagen in bone broths is
what produces gelatin.
•Gelatin (the breakdown of collagen) was one of the first
functional foods, used as a medical treatment in ancient China.
•Dr. Francis Pottenger and other world class researches have
found gelatin and collagen to have the listed benefits:
•Gelatin helps people with food allergies and sensitivities
tolerate those foods including cows milk and gluten.
•Collagen protects and soothes the lining of the digestive
tract and can aid in healing IBS, crohn’s, ulcerative colitis and acid reflux.
•Gelatin promotes probiotic balance and growth.
•Bone broth increases collagen reducing the appearance of
wrinkles and banishing cellulite.
•Because gelatin helps break down proteins and soothes the
gut lining, it may prove useful for leaky gut syndrome and the autoimmune
disorders that accompany it.
•Gelatin provides bone-building minerals in easily absorbable
ways, preventing bone loss and reducing join pain.3
And here is another incredible benefit from the collagen
found in bone broth, it can make your skin look amazing! According to Donna Gates, author of Body
Ecology, bone broth makes your skin supple and can decrease cellulite!
She says cellulite comes from a lack of connective tissue
and if someone has very smooth skin it’s because their skin is high in
connective tissue. Donna explains that
consuming collagen-rich bone broth can reduce cellulite and tighten your skin
making you look younger.
Healing Amino Acids
Gelatin in bone broths contains “conditional” amino acids
arginine, glycine, glutamine and proline.
These amino acids also contribute to stock’s healing properties.
Conditional amino acids are those classified as nonessential
amino acids that are essential under some conditions: you don’t produce them
very well if you are ill or stressed.
Kaayla Daniel points out that unhealthy Western diets, heavy
on processed carbohydrates, low in quality grass-fed animal products, and
devoid of homemade soups and broths, make it likely that these amino acids are
chronically essential.
What do these conditional amino acids do?
Arginine
•Necessary for immune system function and wound healing
•Needed for the production and release of growth hormone
•Helps regenerate damaged liver cells
•Needed for the production of sperm
Glycine
•Prevents breakdown of protein tissue like muscle
•Used to make bile salts and glutathione
•Helps detoxify the body of chemicals and acts as
antioxidant4
•Is a neurotransmitter that improves sleep and improves
memory and performance
Proline
•Helps regenerate cartilage and heal joints
•Reduces cellulite and makes skin more supple
•Helps repair leaky gut
Glutamine
•Protects gut lining
•Metabolic fuel for cells in small intestine
•Improves metabolism and muscle building
Talk about some incredible health benefits! For these reasons, I have most of my patients
consume bone broth as a partial fast, detox, or during meals to help heal their
gut and detoxify their cells, gut and liver.
How to Make Bone Broth
There are a few important basics to consider when making
good stock. You can make bone broth with
animal components alone but in his chicken soup study, Dr. Rennard found that
the combination of animal products and vegetables seemed to have synergistic
effects, working together to be more beneficial than either alone.
Cup of Fresh BrothSally Fallon says that it’s important to
use body parts that aren’t commonly found in the meat department of your
grocery store, things like chicken feet and neck.
You’ll also want to buy animal products that you know are
pasture-fed and free of antibiotics and hormones.
Fallon describes the essentials as bones, fat, meat,
vegetables and water. 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 put in a pot
without browning first. Add a bit of
apple cider vinegar to your pot to help draw the minerals from the bones.
Cooking Suggestions
1.Place bones into a large stock pot and cover with water.
2.Add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to water prior
to cooking. This helps to pull out important nutrients from the bones.
3.Fill stock pot with filtered water. Leave plenty of room for water to boil.
4.Heat slowly. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to
simmer for at least six hours. Remove
scum as it arises.
5.Cook slow and at low heat. Chicken bones can cook for 24
hours. Beef bones can cook for 48 hours. A low and slow cook time is necessary
in order to fully extract the nutrients in and around bone.
6.You can also add in vegetables such as onions, garlic,
carrots, and celery for added nutrient value.
After cooking, the broth will cool and a layer of fat will
harden on top. This layer protects the
broth beneath. Discard this layer only
when you are about to eat the broth.
Check out my recipes on how to make chicken bone broth and
beef bone broth.
Bone Broth Benefits as Therapy
Remember, bone broth is rich in minerals that support the
immune system and contains healing compounds like collagen, glutamine, glycine,
and proline.
The collagen in bone broth will heal your gut lining and
reduce intestinal inflammation. In
addition, collagen will support healthy skin and can reduce the appearance of
cellulite. Also, the glycine in bone
broth can detoxify your cells from chemicals and improve brain function.
I recommend consuming 8oz 1-2x daily as a soup, a plain
beverage, or doing a bone broth fast. I
typically drink 8oz upon waking every morning.
Have you ever had bone broth? Do you think you might give it a try?
Health and Wellness Associates
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