Bone broth is my favorite health food. Simple, tried and tested. Full of minerals, healing compounds and roughly 10g per cup, it's an everyday go to for good health.
If you’re not on it already, its time to jump on the bone broth wagon. Just like any soup, its easily digested and an excellent snack, but with all the added health benefits of minerals that boost the immune system, and healing compounds such as glycine, glutamine and collagen, its more of a magic elixir than a broth. Best of all it's really cheap and easy to make.
Glutamine keeps your joints healthy, and consuming the collagen from bones, which is the main ingredient of hair, skin and nails, keeps you looking well as you age.
The gelatine that gets extracted from the bones after hours on simmer is said to heal leaky gut, and prevents digestive disorders by sealing and protecting the holes in the intestines, and can help chronic diarrhea, constipation, and even some food intolerances. (1) Glutamine keeps your joints healthy, and consuming the collagen from bones, which is the main ingredient of hair, skin and nails, keeps you looking well as you age. A cup or two a day is what’s recommended, but drink more if you have the flu, until you’re better (2).
Here’s how to do it:
Start by sourcing the best quality bones you can find from biodynamic, organic, grass fed animals (eg chicken, beef, lamb).
Put 1kg of bones in a big pot or slow cooker with 4 L of water, a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and let it sit for 30 minutes. Here’s the time to add veges for extra taste like onion, carrot, celery, kale. Get creative here. Rough chop them, add to pot, put in spices, then bring the pot to a vigorous boil.
Reduce to simmer for 12-24hrs for chicken, and at up to 48hrs for lamb and beef.
Add garlic and parsley in the last 30 mins.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Strain using a fine metal strainer to remove all the bits of bone and vegetable.
When cool enough, store in glass jars in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for later use. Add broth to meals, or relax and enjoy as a warm drink.
Tip- I save my vege off cuts, like the tops and tails of carrots and celery leaves, in a container in the fridge so when its time to add them to the broth they are ready to go.
NB: In the very rare case that when introducing bone broth into your diet you feel worse, or experience a flare up of symptoms, you may have a histamine intolerance. Try cooking you broth for half the time in smaller batches and drinking only broth from the last 2 days. Contact someone who can help you with the underlying condition behind your reaction.
(1) Fallon, Sally; Enig, Mary. Nourishing Traditions. New Trends Publishing. Washington, USA 2012
(2) Pitchford Paul. Healing with Wholefoods. North Atlantic Publishing. Berkely, California. 1993.