Bone Broth - Health Benefits, Recipe & Uses

Bone broth has risen in popularity over the last few years in the health & nutrition space.  Is it just an overblown fad or is the hype justified?  Well I personally recommend incorporating bone broth for multiple reasons.  Traditionally we have consumed bone broths in the form of soups, stocks and sauces, because we used to utilize all of the animal parts for consumption instead of just the muscle meats.  However, there are essential nutrients found in bone broth that are important for the health of multiple parts of the body.  Bone broth is a great source of Collagen peptides, Gelatin, Glutamine and Glycine, which we just don't get enough of in our modern diet. Lets take a look at these specific nutrients we're talking about, what roles they play in the body and then we'll talk about some recipes and ways to incorporate bone broth into your diet.

The Nutrients

1) Gut Health: Glutamine is a specific amino acid found in bone broth that plays a key role in the health of our digestive tract, especially in the intestines.  It promotes healthy epithelial cell growth (which make up your intestinal walls) and also stimulates the tight junction proteins that hold these cells together.  When these cells and their junctions break down we experience "Leaky Gut" (known as intestinal permeability).  This causes a cascade of inflammation in the body which increases our risk of chronic diseases and contributes to overall poor health.  This is a complex topic, and I will have a future post specifically on Leaky Gut, but just know that Bone Broth helps maintain a healthy digestive tract.  The gelatin and glycine also play important roles in maintaining a healthy gut.

2) Brain: Glycine is the amino acid we'll focus on when looking at brain, mood and sleep.  Glycine is a key amino acid that serves as an essential buidling block in the body for neurotransmitters, hormones and the body's master antioxidant Glutathione.  As glycine plays a role as an inhibitory neurotransmitter it helps decrease anxiety and promote stress balance within the body.  Proper glycine levels in the body help promote sleep and rest.  These factors not only help support brain and mood, but also overall health in the body.  *While Glutamine is a more abundant amino acid in the body, glycine is a specific amino acid I target when working with clients because it's not found in as many different foods.  

3) Immune: The combination of health benefits from points 1 & 2 are the reason that bone broth also helps regulate and balance immune function within the body.  The most concentrated location of immune cells is surrounding your intestinal tract.  When you have a compromised intestinal tract (aka leaky gut) it over-activates the surrounding immune cells.  So maintaining a healthy digestive tract is the number one way to support your immune system.  The master antioxidant Glutathione mentioned above is also a key tool used by your immune system to combat and resolve oxidative stress in the body.  Bone broth helps to equip your immune system with the tools needed for health.

4) Joints & Skin: The collagen peptides and specific amino acids found in bone broth are also the same components that make up your bones, cartilage, connective tissues and skin.  This is no surprise as bone broth is made by cooking bones, cartilage and connective tissues.

Bone broth can be very expensive at the grocery store, but it's actually very easy to make at home and can save you a lot of money. 

How To Make Bone Broth:

• 2 lbs Bones (Preferably Grass Fed Marrow Bones)
• 1 gallon Water (or enough to fill crock pot)
• 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Onions, 3 Carrots, 3 Celery Stalks, 4 Garlic Cloves - All Rough Chopped
• Herbs & Spices (rosemary, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, etc)

Roast Bones at 350 degrees for about 1 hour.  Meanwhile bring all other ingredients to a simmer. The vegetables, herbs & spices are optional, but add a nice rounded flavor as well as some additional nutrients.  I like to use a crockpot that I can walk away from and let simmer away for 12-24 hours.  Let cool, strain out bones & vegetables and refrigerate.  You can also freeze any that you will not be using in the next 10 days.

How to Use Bone Broth:

Many people just sip on a cup of warm bone broth, but I prefer to use it in my cooking.

1) The most traditional way to use bone broth is by making soup with it.  Using bone broth as the base of a soup is a fantastic way to add great depth of flavor to the soup and get all of the nutrients mentioned above!

2) The second way that I like to use bone broth is when I'm cooking rice & quinoa.  You can substitute it for all or some of the water that the recipe calls for.  Again this adds a great depth of flavor to what is usually a basic side dish.

3) The third way that I use bone broth is when I'm cooking vegetables.  I will usually start the vegetables with a bit of olive oil, but as the vegetables cook they tend to absorb the oil.  Instead of adding more oil (which adds a bunch of calories) I like to add a dash of bone broth to help finish cooking the vegetables. 

Resources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5454963/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213453021000112