Without a shadow of a doubt the single greatest improvement I have added to my life over the last few years has been the addition of bone broth to my diet. I drink a Tumeric flavoured bone broth at least 3 times per week and the changes it has provided to my body are astounding. The most noticeable difference has been my gut health, but other benefits like increased energy levels, less joint pain, and improved mood are things I now feel since adding this to my lifestyle. What exactly is in this drink that makes it so good? And why do so many other people like myself swear by it as something to include in your diet? In this article, I will explain what makes this unique drink so powerful to your health and a great recipe you can use to make your own drink.
Bone broth is a highly nutritious stock made from simmering connective tissue, marrow, and bones of animals, for example chicken, beef, or fish. Over the recent years bone broth has become a very popular health drink as more people have become aware to the incredible health benefits it contains. It is such a versatile food that it can be easily added to soups, casseroles, gravies, and sauces.
Bone broth contains several important nutrients which may provide your body with potential health benefits. The nutrient content will increase by using the best quality ingredients that you can source which has become much easier in recent times. When I first tried it 10 years ago you had to make it yourself as there was nobody making ready to drink versions of this. Whereas now there is a range of options to choose from and the quality is getting better each year.
Other factors which will also increase the nutrient content are:
- The length of cooking time, the longer the better
- The number of bones that you are using in your recipe
- Which animal the bones that you are using came from
- If the meat on the bone has already been cooked
Here are 6 health benefits of including bone broth in your diet.
1: Improves Digestion
Out of all the benefits this food provided me with, the changes to my gut health was the most noticeable. Anyone who has experienced gut problems in the past will know exactly what I am talking about. Digestion problems affect sleep leaving you tired and cranky, but worse than that they also create a multitude of health problems. With gut-healing your body is able to house more beneficial microflora, which, in turn, bring reduced storage of carbohydrates as body fat. As opposed to poor gut bacteria which increases insulin production, leading to insulin resistance and increased storage of body fat.
Not only is bone broth easy to digest, but it will also help in the aiding the digestion of other foods.
Drinking bone broth could be beneficial for those people who suffer from ulcerative colitis, Chron’s disease, leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease.
This is the broth that I drink.
You can read more about gut health in this article – Why gut health is so important to the immune system
2: Helps Fight Inflammation
Glycine and arginine are amino acids which are found in bone broth, amino acids will have strong anti-inflammatory effects on our body. Arginine is especially beneficial for helping the body to fight long term chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation can lead to heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. This is also a great way to improve the strength of your immune system.
3: Loaded With Vitamins & Minerals
Bone broth is highly nutritious, as mentioned earlier the nutrition levels will depend on a few things, including the additional ingredients that we add to the broth. The Western diet can be quite poor, with a lot of people consuming fast food & or processed food, drinking bone broth is a great way to get additional nutrients into their diet.
4: Improves Sleep Quality
Earlier we mentioned the benefits of glycine helping to fight inflammation, glycine can also help you to relax, which will also promote sleep, especially if have a cup of bone broth prior to sleeping. The glycine will also help you to fall asleep quicker, will help to keep you in a deeper sleep, therefore possibly waking fewer times throughout the night. Having better sleep will help us to have improved mental function during the day and improved memory function.
5: Improves Joint Health
Improved joint and bone health will be provided by the collagen found in the bone broth, collagen is the protein, which is found in the animal bones, ligaments & tendons. The collagen from the bones is broken down during the cooking process of the broth. The gelatin found in the broth will also support joint and bone health. Consuming bone broth regularly may help to prevent or lessen the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
6: Assists Weight Loss
Bone broth is very low in calories, but being high in protein it will certainly satisfy your hunger. Eating quality protein is one of the best ways to improve appetite control, help to keep blood sugar levels maintained at a constant level, and avoid the trap of food cravings. We all know how hard it can be to break the bad habit of giving in to food cravings so this could be a great way to solve that problem.
Recipe
Ingredients
•4 litres of Water
•30 ml Apple Cider Vinegar
•2kg Bones
•Garlic Cloves
•Salt & Pepper
•Vegetables of choice (optional eg carrot, celery, onion)
•Herbs & Spices of choice
Method
1.Place all ingredients in a large soup pot.
2.Slowly bring to the boil.
3.Reduce the broth to a simmer.
4.Simmer for 12-24 hours.
5.Once the broth has cooled strain into a large container.
The bone broth can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or you can freeze in serving size portions.
Summary
There is no doubt this is a great addition for everyone to try and trust me when I say you will not be disappointed. Bone broth can be enjoyed as often as you like, for some it is daily, others like myself 2-3 times a week is enough. It is really up to you. The main thing to take from this article is that bone broth is highly nutritious, and you will certainly reap the health benefits if you drink this broth regularly.