Bone Broth
From Hollywood to New York City, bone broth is the hottest new craze. But while people know it’s trendy, here’s the real secret: It’s also powerful medicine. In fact, bone broth is the most crucial element in a weight-loss and anti-aging program.
Here are the basics and benefits of Bone Broth.
WHAT IS BONE BROTH AND HOW IS BONE BROTH DIFFERENT THAN STOCK?
Bone broth is made by simmering animal bones (usually chicken, turkey or beef) for a long time (8-24 hours) in order to extract maximum flavor and goodness. Bone broth contains considerable health benefits over typical stock or broth.
It contains:
- Collagen
- Minerals (Magnesium, Potassium, calcium)
- Proteins
- Amino Acids
The noticeable taste difference is its texture. The collagen and gelatin provides a rich thickness and mouth feel.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF BONE BROTH
Here are some benefits:
- It fills you up—without adding pounds. Bone broth and bone-broth soups are rich, complex, hearty, and soul-satisfying. It has virtually zero carbs and few calories, so you can indulge even when you’re fasting.
- It’s packed with collagen. Collagen helps your body burn fat and form lean muscle mass, shaping your arms, legs, and core.
- It detoxifies your body. The amino acids, glycine and proline, aids your liver in removing toxins from your body.
- It heals your gut. Helps your digestive system by battling problems like —constipation, diarrhea, and gas. The gelatin and other nutrients in bone broth help to heal the gut, curing digestive problems and facilitate weight loss.
- It supplies you with easy to absorb essential minerals. Including Calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.
- It aids digestion. Bone broth is hydrophilic—it attracts and holds liquids, like digestive juices. This is another reason why it helps you digest food more efficiently.
- It heals your joints. Bone broth gives you a generous supply of glucosamine, chondroitin, and otherglycosaminoglycans (GAGs) that help heal your joints. GAGs also help your body lay down collagen where it’s needed.
- It’s anti-inflammatory. When you heal that inflammation with nutrients like those concentrated in bone broth—including anti-inflammatory proline, glycine, and arginine—your weight starts to fall off.
BONE BROTH RECIPES
Bone broth is easy to make, but you need to give it time to extract all the benefits out of the bones. Plan 8-24 hours. I love using my slow cooker, it’s easy and I set it and forget it.
Simply simmer bones from pasture-raised meat or free-range poultry in water for eight or more hours, adding more water when necessary. If you’re making fish stock, it only takes two or three hours. Add onions, carrots, celery, and any herbs you like. Strain the broth through a double layer of cheesecloth. When your broth cools, it’ll be “jiggly” because it’s packed with healthy gelatin.
I like to drink it plain, even simply sip out of a mug. It can also be used a base in soups or in dishes. But treat it as liquid gold! Cheers, to your health.
Keeps for up to a week in the refrigerator or freeze.