Excerpt from the Young at Heart French’s Forest: The Amazing Health Benefits of Bone Broth
Besides the exquisite flavor bone broth imparts into any savory dish, it also:
- Is full of minerals
- Fortifies the immune system
- Enhances digestion
- Nourishes all body parts related to collagen. This means the joints, tendons, ligaments, skin, mucus membranes, and bone.
- Reduces inflammation and the effects of accidental gluten exposure – a concern for people like me with autoimmune disease.
Clearly, long-cooked broth made from bones will be rich in a dynamic array of minerals. Bone is, after all, highly mineralized. A well-made bone broth will give your body calcium, phosphorous, magnesium sodium, potassium, and sulfate. All delivered in a form that your body understands. In order to pull out these precious minerals from the bone during cooking, add an acid, like Bragg’s apple cider vinegar, to the water before cooking.
How Collagen in Bone Broth Heals the Gut
Bones, marrow, skin, tendons, ligaments, and the cartilage that sometimes accompanies a bone are all made of a protein molecule called collagen. Collagen contains two very special amino acids: proline and glycine.
Collagen has been found to help heal the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, which includes the stomach and the intestines. This means that heartburn or GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) and many of the conditions associated with intestinal inflammation can be helped with bone broth, including Hashimoto’s and other autoimmune conditions.
- Collagen and gelatin have been shown to benefit gastric ulcers
- Proline is necessary for the formation of collagen
- Glycine improves digestion by increasing gastric acid secretion
- Glutamine, also found in bone broth, is important metabolic fuel for cells in the small intestine
Besides collagen, cartilage contains something called glycosaminoglycan’s (GAGs). Studies have found an underlying deficiency of glycosaminoglycan’s in patients with Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Correcting a deficiency and helping to repair a compromised gut wall is another good reason to consume bone broth regularly.
Bone Broth Helps with Wrinkles, Stretch Marks, and Cellulite
Bone broth contains collagen to make your skin supple and radiant. This delicious, mineral-rich broth can be used to make soup to support strong skin and reduce cellulite.
Drinking bone broth makes skin supple. Cellulite does not arise from carrying excess fat. Haven’t you ever seen a thin person with cellulite? It is common. Most people are taught to choose skinless and boneless meat and to fear animal fats. This is why even those who are slender will not be able to shake cellulite until they change their diet.
- Cellulite comes from a lack of connective tissue
- The smoothness of skin is from an abundance of connective tissue
- Collagen-rich bone broth will supply your skin with the tools that it needs to support itself
- Adding chicken feet, animal joints, and knuckles to a bone broth will increase the amount of collagen available.
Making a Good Bone Broth
When collecting bones, go for variety. This is because the marrow found in bones is either yellow marrow or red marrow. Yellow marrow is found in the central portion of long bones. It is where fats are stored. Red marrow, on the other hand, is found in flat bones. These are:
- Hip bone
- Sternum
- Skull
- Ribs
- Vertebrae
- Scapula
- The ends of long bones
Red marrow is so valuable because it is where blood stem cells are found. When you drink a broth made with a good source of red marrow, you are drinking all those stem cell factors that ultimately build your body’s strength and support for your own immune function.
Not sure what kind of bone to use?
Any kind will do. You can even use an assortment of different varieties. Just make sure that all bones are sourced from animals that are organic and grass fed or pastured and free-range. Remember, everything that the animal ate, how it lived, and where it lived all factor into the health benefits of your broth.
You can purchase bones ready to cook, or you can collect bones from meals and store them in your freezer until you have enough to build a good stock. Remember to only use bones from animals that are grass-fed and free-range.
Make sure the bones, especially large bones, are cut into small pieces. This reduces cooking time and allows more material to become a part of the broth.
Cooking Suggestions
- Place bones into a large stock pot and cover with water.
- Add two tablespoons of Bragg’s apple cider vinegar or wine to water prior to cooking. This helps to pull out important nutrients from the bones.
- Fill stock pot with filtered water. Leave plenty of room for water to boil.
- Heat slowly. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for at least 6 hours. Remove scum as it arises.
- Cook long and slow. Chicken bones can cook for 6-48 hours. Beef bones can cook for 36 to 72 hours. I always allow mine to cook 72 hours. A long and slow cook time is necessary in order to fully extract the nutrients in and around bone.
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 consume the broth. Mason jars provide good storage for bone broth.
Consume broth within 3 days or freeze for later use. Sip on broth or use the base in a nutrient-dense soup.
Use Bone Broth with Your Next Fast
During a fast, the body receives little nourishment from food. Because of this, sometimes muscle tissue can break down.
- When glycine is consumed, this limits or prevents the breakdown of protein tissue, like muscle
- Glycine is used for gluconeogenesis, which is when the liver makes sugar fuel for the body to burn in the absence of glucose
- Glycine is also necessary to detoxify the body of chemicals. This is because glycine is a precursor amino acid for glutathione, which is a major antioxidant and detoxifying agent in the body
- Glycine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. It has been shown to improve sleep, as well as boost memory and performance
Points to Remember
- Bone broth is rich in minerals to strengthen the immune system and support healthy digestion. Bone broth also contains collagen to strengthen tendons, joints, ligaments, bone, and skin.
- The collagen in bone broth will help heal the lining of the gut to relieve heartburn (GERD), and other types of intestinal inflammation. On top of that, collagen will support healthy skin to make it supple and strong to reduce the appearance of cellulite.
- You can make bone broth at home and even use it in your next fast to give your body ample nourishment. The glycine in bone broth will detoxify the body of harmful chemicals, improve sleep, and boost memory and performance.
