First there was kale, then there was juice, next came fermentation and now (well, for a while now) the latest health food trend is bone broth. Like all the previous trends there is a very good reason bone broth has become popular. It is nutrient dense - and packed with amino-acids that are hard to get into your diet. Perhaps this is why chicken broth is prescribed by grandmothers in some form or another across the world and has been for thousands of years. They may not have understood the science but they know it works. When bones and ligaments are boiled they release collagen, proline, glycine, glutamine, arginine and more. It is also rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and sulphur. Broth is one of the easiest foods to digest making the dense nutrition available to those with digestive challenges.

Some of the benefits of bone broth:

• Get better guts - Gelatin in bone broth has been linked to improving leaky guy syndrome. In can help the digestion system with everything from diarrhea to food intolerances.
• Skin booster - Without question bone broth is a rich source of collagen. So many beauty products lay it on your outsides but from the inside it will improve your skin, hair and nails.
• Immune improvement - It is unclear if it is the marrow or the minerals, but studies from Harvard show people with autoimmune disorders experienced a relief of symptoms when drinking bone broth, with some achieving a complete remission.
• Joint protection - Why reach for glucosamine supplements when you get it in our diet? There are other complementary properties that have been linked to improving osteoarthritis, reduce inflammation and keeping your joints pain free. Calcium and magnesium leach from the bones into the broth ready to build up your bones.

What’s the difference?

• Stock is made with bones and may contain meat. Bones are sometimes roasted before simmering which lasts 3-4 hours. Stock has gelatin and plenty of minerals.
• Broth is made with meat and a small amount of bone. It is simmered for only a short amount of time, less than two hours. It has lots of protein and is light in texture and flavour.
• Bone broth is made with bones and sometimes the remaining meat and connective tissues. The bones are usually roasted to improve flavour and then simmered for a long time - 24 hours plus. The bones often crumble after the simmering with so many minerals and nutrients removed.

Making bone broth is a time consuming process, for a quick fix there are some fantastic options like Ancient Nutrition Bone Broth Collagen Protein to get the benefits of bone broth without making your own and the convenience of adding it to water or your own recipes.

 

Make your own bone broth:

3-4 pounds beef marrow and knuckle bones 2 pounds meaty bones such as short ribs 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar 4 quarts filtered water 3 celery stalks, halved 3 carrots, halved 3 onions, quartered Handful of fresh parsley Sea salt

1. Place bones in a pot or a Crockpot, add apple cider vinegar and water, and let the mixture sit for 1 hour so the vinegar can leach the mineral out of the bones.
2. Add more water if needed to cover the bones.
3. Add the vegetables bring to a boil and skim the scum from the top and discard.
4. Reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 24-72 hours (if you're not comfortable leaving the pot to simmer overnight, turn off the heat and let it sit overnight, then turn it back on and let simmer all day the next day)
5. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, throw in a handful of fresh parsley for added flavour and minerals.
6. Let the broth cool and strain it, making sure all marrow is knocked out of the marrow bones and into the broth.
7. Add sea salt to taste and drink the broth as is or store in fridge up to 5 to 7 days or freezer up to 6 months for use in soups or stews.

How to Use Broth

Broth is more than just soup. Try:

• In a mug by itself as a warm drink
• As a base for gravy and sauce
• Use instead of water to cook veggies or rice with extra nutrients