Bone Broth. People pay more for this liquid served up at chic bistros than they do for a Starbuck’s coffee.
So what’s all the fuss about?
Originally associated with the keto and paleo diets, consuming bone broth has now caught on with many people.
People claim the high amount of collegian proteins improve their skin and the minerals in this liquid improve their overall health.
Bone broth is made by slow-simmering the bones and connective tissues of animals.
This highly nutritious stock is commonly used in soups, sauces, and gravies.
Bone broth dates back to prehistoric times, when hunter-gatherers turned otherwise inedible animal parts like bones, hooves, and knuckles into a broth they could drink.
You can make bone broth using bones from just about any animal — pork, beef, veal, turkey, lamb, bison, buffalo, venison, chicken or fish.
Marrow and connective tissues like feet, hooves, beaks, gizzards or fins can also be used.
In general, animal bones are rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and other trace minerals — the same minerals needed to build and strengthen your own bones.
Fish bones also contain iodine, which is essential for healthy thyroid function and metabolism.
Connective tissues offer glucosamine and chondroitin, natural compounds found in cartilage that are known to support joint health.
Marrow provides vitamin A, vitamin K2, minerals like zinc, iron, boron, manganese, and selenium, as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
All of these animal parts also contain the protein collagen, which turns into gelatin when cooked and yields several important amino acids.
As the ingredients simmer, their nutrients are released into the water in a form your body can easily absorb.
Many people don’t get enough of these nutrients in their everyday diet, so drinking bone broth is a good way to get more.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know the exact amount of each nutrient that bone broth offers because no batch is the same.
Some people even add apple cider vinegar to their broth which draws even more minerals from the bones.
Since the gelatin that’s released from bone broth naturally attracts and holds liquids, it also binds to water in your digestive tract and helps food move through your gut more easily.
It’s also been shown to protect and heal the mucosal lining of the digestive tract in rats. It is thought to have the same effect in humans, but more research needs to be done to show its effectiveness.
One amino acid found in gelatin, glutamine, helps maintain the function of the intestinal walls and has been known to prevent and heal a condition known as “leaky gut.”
Leaky gut, associated with several chronic diseases, occurs when the barrier between your gut and bloodstream becomes impaired.
Substances that would normally be excreted properly begin to leak through the damaged intestinal walls and into your bloodstream, leading to inflammation and other autoimmune disorders.
For all of these reasons, drinking bone broth may be beneficial for individuals with leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and irritable bowel disease (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.
Multiple studies have found that the glucosamine and chondroitin found in bone broth decreases joint pain and lessens the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
In other words, bone broth is beneficial for anyone with achy joints.
Now the question is, how does it taste?
Well again, it depends on how it’s made. If you just put bones in water without any aromatic spices or vegetables, it can be rather bland.
But it can be a tasty broth if cooked for 24-36 hours with onions, garlic, and spices. It should be noted that the actual collegians and minerals do not have any taste at all.
Bone broth certainly offers the potential to aid your digestive system, improve your joints, and give your skin improved elasticity.
So the next time you have some leftover bones, it might be worth making some bone broth.
