Bon Appétit, Bone Broth

A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Your Waistline

Photo by Bluebird Provisions on Unsplash

It’s a home remedy for the ages — chicken soup. This classic, warm, tasty meal is good for the soul and your health. And bone broth? It’s like chicken soup on steroids!

What is bone broth?

Bone broth is a liquid made from boiling animal bones and connective tissues. This may not sound incredibly appetizing at first, but it’s simply an intensified version of your typical soup stock or chicken broth. It’s incredibly nutrient-dense and commonly used in soups, stews, and sauces. You can even drink it as is!

Why drink bone broth?

1. Bone broth is rich in vitamins and minerals: calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. If you have one that’s made from fishbones, you can get iodine, which supports healthy thyroid function and metabolism. Connective tissue used to make the bone broth gives us glucosamine and chondroitin, the natural compounds in bone cartilage that aids in joint support. If the bone broth is made from marrow, we get vitamins A and K-2, plus zinc, boron, manganese, and selenium, some omega 3s and omega 6s, and collagen. Collagen is a protein that, when cooked, becomes like gelatin, which is why your bone broth has a jello-like consistency when cold.
2. The collagen in bone broth can help with sleep. Collagen gives us an amino acid called glycine, which helps promote sleep — studies show it can help us fall and stay asleep, and sleep deeper. Taking three grams of glycine before bed significantly improved the quality of sleep in individuals who have trouble sleeping.
3. Bone broth is also easy on the digestive system and there’s evidence it can improve gut health. There’s an amino acid in gelatin called glutamine. Glutamine supports the proper function of the intestinal wall. So, anyone who’s experienced leaky gut, gut health issues, or autoimmune issues could benefit from bone broth.
4. Bone broth can have anti-inflammatory effects. Bone broth contains amino acids, glycine, and arginine which can combat bodily pain, allergies, asthma, and arthritis, to name a few.

Tips for buying bone broth!

You could certainly make your own…if you wanted to. There’s an abundance of recipes online, but if you aren’t the kind of person who wants to deal with those parts of the animal, I get you. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when buying bone broth.

1. Look for quality ingredients. If they are not telling you where each ingredient came from, be wary. Every batch of broth is different in its nutritional content — the quality of ingredients, how long they’re boiled and the temperature at which they’re boiled or simmered are all factors. Inexpensive might actually be a red flag, since inexpensive might mean inexpensive ingredients, and we’re probably not getting everything we’re looking for.
2. Sodium content. Depending on your ailments, too much salt could exacerbate your symptoms. If it’s highly processed, not of great quality, or not as pure, they may be trying to add flavor with salt. Compare labels when choosing between options.
3. Look at the ingredients they’ve added. Veggies, ginger, turmeric, and herbs are all great, but keep an eye out for allergens! You don’t want to add allergens to your healing food, and we don’t want ingredients that will potentially counter the benefits of bone broth.

How often should we have bone broth?

Start with 8 ounces a day and go from there. Sometimes you might find yourself craving it. If so, have more, then see how you feel.

Let’s say you’re drinking bone broth for inflammation. How much should you drink then? Think of inflammation as a raging house fire and bone broth is the water. What would you do in that situation? Drink enough bone broth to douse the fire, but don’t drink enough to flood the house. Consider a loading dose, where in the beginning you have more than you think and drink it regularly until your symptoms dissipate, then scale back and see if/when your symptoms return. Step back up to the amount before the return of symptoms and you have your personal, ideal dosage. Give it time.

All in all, bone broth is a healthy inclusion to any diet. It’s rich in vitamins and minerals, is great for your gut health and digestive system, and can help as an anti-inflammatory or sleep aid. Remember to look for quality ingredients and watch the sodium. So warm it up and sip it from a mug or use it to make your next Fall soup! If you’re going to the store to buy bone broth, make sure it’s in stock! (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.)