Researching bone broth will present you with a surplus of resources claiming that there are multiple health benefits to be reaped from consuming it. The good news is that most of the information is true. Even from personal experience I can say that the stuff is simply amazing for your body. There are however a few specifics to keep in mind. Especially if you are purchasing ready made broth. I highly recommend making it at home, the benefits more than outweigh the time and effort required.
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Health Benefits of Broth
Honestly, bone broth is good for such a wide variety of things. From general health, including things like bone strength, organ health, detoxification and healthy skin, nails and hair. To protection and repair, such as immunity support and cell regeneration.
This “liquid gold”, as many have called it, is full of essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium. All of which play a role in supporting our bodies ability to produce energy and form healthy cells. It also contains amino acids, like glycine and proline, which the body cannot do without yet most of us do not get enough of. Additionally, broth is bursting with nutrients from the bone marrow which, amongst other things, help form white and red blood cells. Then, the final cherry on the cake is the collagen protein. Which, amongst other things, provides glucosamine and chondroitin which are great for joints, aiding in the prevention of arthritis and support degenerative discs and joints.
The list of benefits provided by bone broth could go on for days but for now I shall list a few, and from here you can choose to further read up on all the health perks of each aspect.
Detoxification
Many of the nutrients in bone broth help the digestive system expel waste. In particular the amino acid glycine is important for optimal Phase 2 liver detoxification. Also known as the conjugation phase, this is when toxins are joined (or conjugated) to other molecules to render them less harmful and to make them easier to transport.
To add to this, broth also improves the body’s ability to use antioxidants. Helping keep free radicals in the system under control and preventing oxidative stress.
Anti inflammatory
The amino acids found in bone broth, including glycine and arginine, have strong anti-inflammatory effects. Arginine in particular has shown benefits in studies involving asthma. Showing that it may reduce inflammation in airways.
While inflammation plays an important role in the body’s functionality, it is important to control it and prevent chronic inflammation which can lead to many serious conditions.
Gut Health and Repair
One of the greatest benefits that we get from broth is its ability to boost and heal our gut. It has shown to aid in the growth of probiotics within the gut while also controlling inflammatory responses.
At the same time many of the nutrients in broth help build a strong gut lining, which rebuilds itself every three to five days. This has a surplus of benefits, from helping fight food sensitivities to improving the immune system. Plus, it aids in the repair of any damage within the gut. For this reason broth has been used to heal and aid in the prevention of related conditions such as leaky gut and irritable bowel syndrome.
Immune System Assistance
We now know that most of the immune system lies within the gut, so it is no surprise that our overall health depends heavily on the health of our intestinal tract. This means that all the goodness broth provides for our gut reinforces our immune systems.
Additionally, the powerful nutrients in bone marrow are what the body uses to produce the white blood cells that make up our immune system.
Supports the Metabolism
The boost in nutrients means that broth generally has the added benefit of making the body feel full, preventing a person from overeating and clogging the digestive tract. At the same time many of the minerals in broth, such as the glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate and hyaluronic acid, also improve fat burning within the body.
Healthy Joints
Broth is boosted full of collagen protein, which provides incredible support for healthy bones as well as the cartilage that we need to keep our joints happy. With nutrients like hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, chondroitin, glycine proline, calcium and magnesium bone broth plays a major role in maintaining joint strength and mobility. While at the same time promoting healthy inflammatory responses. It’s for these reasons that bone broth is becoming a go-to drink among athletes.
Skin Health
Collagen protein comes into play again, providing amazing benefits for your skin. Primarily, it helps the body form elasticin, which keeps the skin toned and smooth. While also aiding in the formation of new skin.
Better Sleep
There is no doubt that good sleep goes a long way in terms of health, and the amino acid glycine, found in bone broth can help us get the rest we need. It supports the Central Nervous System (CNS), performing tasks such as aiding in the production of GABA. Allowing the body to feel calmer and helping us sleep. Additionally, studies have shown that the effects are improved when glycine is paired with other sleep-supportive nutrients, like calcium and magnesium. Which broth also contains!
Bones vs Muscle Meat
Bone broth is one of the most ancient healing foods. If you think about it, when our ancestors acquired meat, they ate everything they got. From the muscle meat to the organs and even bones, they did not waste a single element. The bones in particular were too hard to consume, so they would boil them in water making the bones soft and edible. While also extracting many of the vital nutrients into the liquid.
Balance of Amino Acids
While muscle meat contains many healthy nutrients it does not contain everything that the body needs. Not just that, but the human system also has a lot to do with balance. So, for example, the ratio of amino acids in the body should be monitored. This is the case with the amino acids tryptophan and methionine that are found in muscle meat and the glycine from broth.
Tryptophan is a wonderful amino acid that aids in many vital functions such as the creation of serotonin. But when tryptophan levels are out of balance with glycine levels it could have negative impacts on the body. Such as increased fatigue from too much serotonin.
Likewise, methionine has crucial benefits, such as those which come from its antioxidant properties. However, too much methionine compared to glycine could have negative side effects. For instance, too much methionine affects the body’s ability to produce GABA, a neurotransmitter that helps us with things like anxiety and sleep.
Make Your Own Broth
These days one can purchase bone broth from most stores and online shops. This is both a good and bad thing, because as is often the case with mass production, manufacturers often stop focusing on quality while trying to increase quantity. So if you are not observant, you could end up with bone broth that contains toxins and at the same time is not as mineral dense, leaving you with significantly fewer benefits.
So when purchasing bone broth you should only consider those that are made using 100% organic ingredients. Plus, the animals at the source must be grass fed and hormone free. This is in part because most creatures store toxins in their bone tissue. So any toxins, such as lead, present in the animal bone will be absorbed by your body through the broth.
Personally I prefer the method of making it myself. There are many recipes that one can play with to change the flavour each time. Plus, I find it easy to make despite the belief that broth is more labour intensive and time consuming compared to other dishes. Sure, it needs to be on the stove for three to four hours. But you don’t need to pay any attention to it during that time. It really is as simple as throwing all your ingredients in a pot, letting it cook for a few hours, and then straining out the liquid.
You can even freeze any excess for later use. I do this in little single portions and each day I take a serving out to heat up and drink.
How to Incorporate Broth into Your Diet
For me the easiest and most effective way for me to consume broth is by drinking it as a stand alone beverage. The key here is to drink it warm, because once cold it becomes too gelatinous to drink. Consuming it this way also helps me ensure that I get my daily dose in. If I choose to cook with some as well, then it is an extra bonus on top of my daily cup. The good news here is that broth is super low in calories, so it is acceptable to drink even while fasting and a great way to get in your nutrients.
Depending on the condition of your taste buds, drinking broth straight could be very unappealing. If this is the case, don’t worry because your taste buds will adapt and grow to enjoy the flavours. I went from feeling very ill with my first few cups to actually craving it on a regular basis. My system seems to now associate the smell and taste with feeling good.
In the meantime, broth makes a delicious addition when cooking. It acts in the same way as stock, adding a depth of flavour unobtainable by other means. You can use it in soups and stews, or make a delicious gravy or sauce from it. I have often also used it as a liquid for my vegetable bakes.
Conclusion
So often do I state “there is no one magic elixir to make you healthy or cure an ailment”. However, I must admit, with the surplus of benefits it offers, bone broth comes pretty close to being a cure-all. I have personally felt immense changes in my body and mind when drinking broth regularly compared to when I am not.
One just has to realise that it is there to supplement your diet, not replace it. If you need to do a mild gut reset then feel free to spend a few days drinking only broth, but remember not to expect to be able to do this forever. The body needs all kinds of nutrition to function optimally and while it has a lot of it, broth does not have it all.
