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Last Updated on June 4, 2022 by Renee’

Bone Broth is finally being recognized for its amazing health benefits.  It is one of the most nutrient-dense & healing foods you can consume.

Bone Broth is an ancient food that has been around for ages. Today’s culinary experts are catching on and joining the “trend.”

Listen to your Grandmother!

Our great grandmothers knew what great healing powers bone broth had. Where do you think “chicken soup” came from? They always kept a pot of broth simmering on the hearth.

This provided an easy base for soups, stews, gravies, sauces and also a way to keep the broth fresh before refrigerators were invented. It’s one of the many traditional foods that we’ve largely forgotten about in our modern culture.

A study of chicken soup (broth) conducted by the University of Nebraska Medical Center wondered what was in the soup that made it so beneficial for colds and flu.

Researchers found that the amino acids that were produced when making chicken stock reduced inflammation in the respiratory system and improved digestion.

Research is proving it can also boost the immune system and heal disorders like leaky gut, allergies, food sensitivities, asthma, and arthritis. It is said, if you heal the gut you heal disease. 

Most store-bought broth or stock that you buy today is not real. If you want to reap the benefits of bone broth, you need to make homemade or buy from a reputable source or this brand on Amazon.

Personally, I prefer to make it myself. It is so easy & way more affordable.

Bone Broth is easily made by boiling bones (beef, chicken, fish, etc.) in water with an acid (like ACV) and optional spices, vegetables, and herbs.

Broth can boil for as little as 2 hours in a pressure cooker such as an Instant Pot or up to 48 hrs. on the stove or in a crockpot. Here is the recipe that I use.

 8 Benefits of Bone Broth:

1. Treats leaky gut
2. Helps to overcome food intolerance’s, allergies & sensitivities
3. Improves joint health
4. Reduces cellulite
5. Boosts the immune system
6. Improves digestion
7. Boosts metabolism
8. Supports Hair, Skin & Nails

Better Than Botox!

Bone broth contains collagen, which supports hair, skin and nail health.  Collagen is what keeps the skin smooth, firm (elasticity)  and reduces wrinkles which makes it a great natural alternative to Botox!

 

It also contains glucosamine, chondroitin sulfates, and other compounds that support joint health.

Bone broth provides the amino acids needed for collagen production that is hard to get from diet alone.

4 Amino Acids that you get from Bone Broth:

1-Proline:  Proline helps the body break down proteins. It helps improve skin elasticity and smoothness, also to regenerate cartilage and heal joints, reduces cellulite & helps repair leaky gut.

2-Glycine: Is used to make glutathione & bile salts, for blood sugar regulation and digestion.  It prevents the breakdown of protein tissue like muscle. It is a neurotransmitter that improves sleep, memory, and performance.

3-Arginine: Helpful for proper kidney function, wound healing and proper kidney function necessary for immune system function.  It is also needed for the production and release of growth hormone & helps regenerate damaged liver cells.  It is also needed for the production of sperm.

4-Glutamine:  Bone broth is an excellent source of glutamine. Glutamine protects the gut lining,  provides metabolic fuel for cells in small intestine & is great for metabolism and muscle building

Bone broth is a source of bio-available nutrients that is easy-to-digest.  Its amino acid structure and high gelatin content soothes and heals the gut and helps with the absorption of nutrients from other foods also.

Possibly Nature’s Best Multi-Vitamin!

• It has over 19 easy-to-absorb, essential and non-essential amino acids (the building blocks of proteins).
• It has Collagen/gelatin, which helps to form connective tissue.
• It provides nutrients that support digestive functions, immunity and brain health.

Bone broth is low in calories yet high in minerals that most people are lacking.

6 Key Nutritional Compounds

that help provide all these wonderful Bone Broth Benefits:

• Glycosaminoglycans 
• Glucosamine
• Hyaluronic Acid
• Chondroitin Sulfate
• Minerals and Electrolytes
• Collagen

Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies. It’s found in our muscles, bones, skin, & tendons.

It is Bone Broth’s source of immune-boosting properties. You’ve probably seen this in your roasting pan after it has cooled (the jiggly jello layer) and thrown it away.  I bet you will think twice next time you dump this into the garbage disposal!

Collagen is the protein found in the connective tissue of vertebrate animals. It’s abundant in bone, marrow, cartilage, tendon, & ligaments. The breakdown of collagen in bone broths is what produces gelatin.

Some of the benefits of Gelatin/Collagen:

• Gelatin helps people with food allergies and sensitivities to be able to tolerate those foods better
• Collagen protects and soothes the lining of the gut and can aid in healing IBS, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis and acid reflux symptoms
• Gelatin promotes probiotic balance and growth of the good bacteria that we need
• Bone broth increases collagen, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and reducing cellulite 
• Gelatin helps break down proteins and soothes the gut lining, which helps with leaky gut syndrome & the autoimmune disorders that go along with it
• Gelatin provides bone-building minerals that help to prevent bone loss and reducing joint pain

What is the difference between Bone Broth, Broth & Stock?

Nourished Kitchen provides a great explanation:

• Broth is typically made with meat and can contain a small amount of bones (think of the bones in a fresh whole chicken).  Broth is typically simmered for a short period of time (45 minutes to 2 hours). It is very light in flavor, thin in texture and rich in protein;
• Stock is typically made with bones and can contain a small amount of meat (think of the meat that adheres to a beef neck bone).  Often the bones are roasted before simmering them as this simple technique greatly improves the flavor. Beef stocks, for example, can present a faint acrid flavor if the bones aren’t first roasted. Stock is typically simmered for a moderate amount of time (3 to 4 hours).  Stock is rich in minerals and gelatin;
• Bone Broth is typically made with bones and can contain a small amount of meat adhering to the bones. As with stock, bones are typically roasted first to improve the flavor of the bone broth. Bone broths are typically simmered for a very long period of time (often in excess of 24 hours).  This long cooking time helps to remove as many minerals and nutrients as possible from the bones.  At the end of cooking, so many minerals have leached from the bones and into the broth that the bones crumble when pressed lightly between your thumb and forefinger.

How to use Bone Broth:

• in soups & stews 
• to drink (my favorite)
• to cook veggies in for extra vitamins & nutrients
• to make sauces
• use in place of water

When I first started the AIP Paleo lifestyle, I drank several cups of bone broth daily to heal my leaky gut & started feeling better than I had in years.  I still make a pot every week.  I love the way it makes me feel. Even my 16-year-old daughter asks for it, especially if she’s feeling a little under the weather or a little blue (you know, teenagers).

Some of my Recipes that use Bone Broth:

• Coconut Chicken Soup (my daughter’s favorite) Paleo
• Hamburger & Purple Cabbage Soup AIP Paleo
• Hamburger “Fauxtater” Soup AIP Paleo
• Paleo Chili
• Mashed Cauliflower AIP Paleo
• Paleo Cauliflower Leek Soup
• Paleo AIP Cream of Broccoli Soup
• Zuppa Toscana AIP Paleo 
• AIP Paleo Chicken Pot Pie Soup

 

How to Store Bone Broth

Bone broth can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, (Mine never lasts that long).

You can also freeze it in ice cube trays, or silicone muffin molds and transfer the frozen cubes of broth to a resealable freezer bag where they will keep for 6 months.  I haven’t tried it, but some people freeze in glass mason jars. I haven’t tried this, but I’ve heard it works. I would be careful not to fill them too full & allow for expansion.

My favorite way to store Bone Broth long term is to Pressure Can it. Read about how to Pressure Can bone broth for long-term storage.

How to Make Bone Broth

Personally, I prefer making it myself.

Bone Broth is easily made by boiling bones (beef, chicken, fish, etc.) in water with an acid (like ACV) and optional spices, vegetables, and herbs.

Broth can boil for as little as 2 hours in a pressure cooker such as an Instant Pot or up to 48 hrs. on the stove or in a crockpot. Read  How to make Bone Broth in the Instant Pot here.

 

Where to buy Bone Broth (If you don’t want to make it yourself)

In my opinion, the best way to get Bone Broth is to make it yourself.  Here is my recipe.  This is the least expensive and most nutrient-dense way to get Bone Broth if you can find quality (grass-fed, organic) bones locally. If you can’t, or don’t want to make it, you can find it on Amazon.

 

Pets Too:

Bone Broth is great for Pets too! I pour it over both my German Shepherd Rescues food twice daily! It makes their coats so shiny & healthy. It helps my Senior Rescue with her arthritis & joints. Great for their gut health too!

 

I would be honored if you followed me on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram!

Sources:

 

https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/why-broth-is-beautiful-essential-roles-for-proline-glycine-and-gelatin/
Study: Efficacy of glutamine-enriched enteral nutrition in an experimental model of mucosal ulcerative colitis.
Study: Glutamine and the preservation of gut integrity
Study: The effect of concentrated bone broth as a dietary supplementation on bone healing in rabbits

Study: Chicken soup inhibits neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro

Study: Bone and Vegetable Broth