Bone broth has become the beverage of choice for many health food enthusiasts, and a “magic elixir” for improving several health conditions— from stiff joints to difficulty sleeping and chronic digestive disorders.
The “magic” of bone broth is primarily due to the high concentration of minerals it contains. But bone broth is also a rich source of collagen, glucosamine and gelatin, which are nutrients that are essential for healthy skin, healthy joints and a healthy gut. If you haven’t heard of bone broth before, it’s pretty much what you’d picture it to be: a concoction of chicken or beef bones boiled with vegetables and herbs.
As you may be able to guess, the bones provide the collagen, glucosamine, minerals and gelatin, while the herbs and vegetables provide a few extra vitamins, minerals and flavour. With winter slowly approaching, there’s no better time to begin improving your health with a warm cup of bone broth. In fact, you may end up enjoying the health benefits of bone broth so much that it will replace your morning cup of tea or coffee. Let’s take a closer look at the health benefits of drinking bone broth, and how to make it in 3 easy steps.
4 Amazing Health Benefits of Bone Broth (And How to Make it)
1. Fewer Digestive Symptoms (such as Constipation and Bloating)
Many pesky digestive symptoms, such as bloating and constipation, are linked to a condition called intestinal permeability, or leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut syndrome occurs when the lining of the intestines becomes permeable, and small food particles are able to make their way through the tight junctions in your GI tract, and into your bloodstream. In addition to digestive discomfort, leaky gut syndrome is also a common root cause of developing allergies. Whether you’re suffering from leaky gut or not, the gelatin in bone broth helps heal and protect the gut lining, which can greatly reduce digestive symptoms.
2. Clearer, Younger Looking Skin
You may have heard of collagen before, as a nutrient that’s commonly added to beauty care products, such as anti-aging serums and firming lotions. Collagen is a nutrient that has been shown to promote skin strength and elasticity and minimize fine lines and wrinkles. One of the best ways to improve your skin is by eating the right nutrients that can firm and protect your skin from the inside out. That being said, eating collagen from food sources such as bone broth tends to be more effective than applying it directly onto your skin. Since bone broth contains anti-inflammatory nutrients such as the amino acid glycine, it may also help reduce the inflammation associated with skin rashes and acne breakouts (1).
3. Increased Energy
You may not think bone broth can energize you more than an AM cuppa, but the vitamins, minerals and electrolytes, such as potassium and magnesium found in bone broth can help supercharge your energy levels. Needless to say, since our bodies depend on vitamins and minerals to help facilitate energy production, a morning cup of bone broth will be far more beneficial for long-lasting energy during the day than a double shot Americano.
4. A Strong Immune System
Not only do the vitamins and minerals found in bone broth contribute to increasing immunity, but the gut-healing benefits of gelatin can also provide immune system support. The majority of your immune system (nearly 80%) is found in your gut (2). Therefore, when your gut health is compromised, your body has less of a defense against illness and disease. Based on the high concentration of bioavailable, gut supportive nutrients in bone broth, it suffices to say “a cup of bone broth a day keeps the doctor away”.
How to Make Bone Broth in 3 Easy Steps
As one of the most nutritious foods to add to your diet, bone broth is incredibly simple to make. Best of all, it’s an ideal way to use up any produce that’s about to expire, and bones you were going to compost anyway. All in all, bone broth is a simple and economical way to add more nutrients to your diet. To make homemade bone broth, all you need are roughly 2 lbs of bones from chicken, beef or turkey meat, vegetables and herbs of your choice, a big pot and a little bit of patience. Here’s how to make homemade bone broth in 3 easy steps:
1. Combine bones with apple cider vinegar.
The first step for making bone broth is to cover your bones with water, and let your bones sit in a large pot or slow cooker with 2 tbsp of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar for one hour. The apple cider vinegar is said to help draw out the vitamins and minerals from the bones. Note: we recommend chicken, beef or turkey bones, but bone broth can be made from any type of bones you’d like. Chicken feet, wings, bison bones and cow knuckles are also commonly used to make bone broth.
2. Add vegetables and herbs of choice.
After the bones have had about an hour to soak with the apple cider vinegar, you can add herbs and vegetables of your choice. A few of our favorites are rosemary, chives, garlic, onions, carrots, celery, and parsnips.
3. Boil, then simmer on low for 24-48 hours
Bring your bones, herbs and vegetables to a boil, and then simmer on low for 24-48 hours. Chicken broth is recommended to be simmered for 24 hours, while beef can take a bit longer and is recommended to simmer for up to 48 hours. Note: a slight film or froth will develop on the top of your bone broth during the first few hours you have it on simmer. It’s important to discard this froth with a spoon. Once your bone broth has simmered for long enough, strain the broth to remove any small pieces of bones and vegetables. Store the bone broth in a glass container or mason jars to keep fresh for up to 5 days when refrigerated. You can also freeze your bone broth to keep for the future when making larger batches.