Body Nourishing Bone Broth {The Health Benefits of This Superfood & How to Make It}

I know it sounds a bit cave man-ish, but bear with me. Actually, cave men are totally en vogue right now, with the Paleo and Primal movements going strong, so this should intrigue you, right? While I do think that Paleo and Primal lifestyles have a solid foundation in healthful eating and are extremely nutrient-dense, I’m a girl of balance. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…Seinfeld fans? Anyhoo.

I’ve talked a lot about bone broth in the past. How I never pass an opportunity to make some from my pastured chicken or grass-fed beef bones for an amazing soup or add-in to my cooking. Besides the zero-waste factor that you KNOW makes my heart sing, I’ve got plenty of reason to be a member of the bone broth fan club. Here’s why:

1. It’s cheap

2. It’s nourishing

3. It’s real – even the organic “broths” you buy in the stores are not real. They are water with flavoring, including MSG, a neurotoxic food additive. Don’t believe me? Check this out.

It has a long history in traditional eating, not only because in those days, nothing went to waste, but they also knew a thing or two about nutrition. Without Google. Imagine that?

What is Bone Broth?

Simply put, bone broth is homemade stock made from animal bones such as chicken, turkey, beef, fish or any other animal of your choosing. You simmer the bones in water for hours or days, and the longer it simmers, the more nutrients are released from the bone and connective tissues, which accelerates overall healing and supports our own bones, as well as teeth, joints, digestion and immunity. Properly prepared broth contains a generous amount of a wide range of minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and silica. It is quite literally the perfect mineral supplement.

For you arthritis and joint pain sufferers out there, listen up. In addition to a mega-dose of minerals being rendered in this super food, glucosamine and chondroitin, nutrients with a stellar rep for soothing joint pain {and hefty price in supplements}, are also released. It was been widely reported that consuming bone broth every day can help tremendously in the repair and improvement of bone and tendon strength, skin, vessels, ligaments, and cartilage. But don’t take my word for it. Check out what the Weston A. Price Foundation has to say on this subject and then consider dumping those pricey supplements you’ve been downing.

But wait, there’s more!

Bone broth also boosts immunity by carrying oxygen to cells in the body while eliciting an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. In addition, it’s been linked to healing those with gut problems, because the collagen and other connective tissues in the broth rebuild the damaged tissues in the intestinal lining. You simply cannot buy a supplement with all of these healing properties even if you had a million, a billion, or even a trillion dollars because it doesn’t exist!

Here’s the catch. Like anything else, a good quality bone broth takes time. I simmer mine for at least 24 hours, ideally upwards of 48 hours. Fortunately for you, this is 24+ hours of inactive cooking time, if you use the busy mama’s BFF, the slow cooker, you can make your slow cooker bone broth while you catch up on Downton Abbey. Or sleep. That’s my M.O. This is the one I have. It’s got a timer you can set for up to 20 hours. Swoon…

Not a big soup eater and can’t stomach the thought of sipping bone broth in place of your morning java? No worries. Get the benefits of this amazingness by soaking and cooking your beans and grains in bone broth. Besides adding flavor, all of the nutrients will seep right into the food and you’ll be all the wiser.

Bone broth lasts a while in the fridge. Having said that, I’m pretty liberal with my shelf life and use the sniff test a lot, so do as I say, not as I do. Plus, I don’t want to get sued for your food poisoning, so your best bet is 7-10 days, max.

If you’re not using it right away, freeze in individual portions in wide-mouth glass mason jars (1/2 cup, 1 cup, and 2 cup). Based on my experience, be sure you are using wide-mouth mason jars like these and do not freeze in the 3-cup/quart wide mouth jars because that even that small-narrowing at the top causes breakage. Trust me. I went through about half a dozen of my beloved quarts before I realized this. It was a sad day and frankly, I’m looking out for you. You’re welcome.

Too lazy time-constrained to make your own?

Fear not. This company delivers it to your door! BOO-YAH! Order it here. 

Sources:

Fallon-Morell, Sally. Broth is Beautiful. Weston A. Price Foundation. August 4, 2005.

Rogers, Sherry, M.D. Pain Free in 6 weeks. Sand Key Company. 2001.           

Body Nourishing Bone Broth

Yield: 3 ½ quarts | Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 24-48 hours (inactive)

Ingredients

Use organic ingredients when possible

• Carcass and bones from chicken, turkey, beef, pork, fish, etc.
• 4 quarts of filtered water
• 2 cloves smashed garlic
• 2 tsp. raw apple cider vinegar (this helps to pull the nutrients out of the bone) – buy that here
• Method 1: 3 unpeeled carrots, 3 stalks celery, 1 medium quartered onion, and handful of fresh parsley

OR

• Method 2: bag of vegetable scraps (about 4 cups), and handful of fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Place all ingredients in a 6 quart crock pot {like this one} and set the heat to high and cook for 8 hours. After 8 hours, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least another 16 hours {and up to 48 hours}.

2. After at least 24 hours, turn off crock pot and allow to cool.

3. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and toss {compost if only veggies}

4. Place the cooled broth into glass jars for storage in the fridge (for up to a few days) or pour into freezer-safe containers.

Notes:

* Cook for at least 8 hours, but up to 48 hours. The longer the better. If by the time the broth is complete, the bones fall apart, you’ll have achieved a perfect broth. 

* Your broth may also gel when it’s cooled. This is totally normal and a sign that you’ve got great natural gelatin composition in your broth. Sometimes my broth gels, and other times it does not. Honestly, I can’t figure it out. 

What other outside-of-the-box ideas would you share for using bone broth? And be honest, will you ever be buying the boxed stuff again? I’d love to hear! Please leave a comment below.