Being a healthy living enthusiast drives you to work against existing protocols.
This is one of those times to speak against a practice that has existed for centuries.
We have talked about Tepache, a traditional Mexican fermented beverage made from pineapple peels. The usual fermentation period is five days.
Please, always stop fermentation on the third day; it becomes too alcoholic by the fifth day.
Bone broth is a highly nutritious stock that can be made by simmering animal bones. It can be sipped on its own, used as a cooking liquid, added to sauces, or incorporated into everyday meals for added depth and nourishment.
It dates back to prehistoric times, when hunter-gatherers turned otherwise inedible animal parts like bones, hooves, and knuckles into a broth they could drink.
It is one of the most popular trends in health and fitness right now. Some people drink it to lose weight, improve their skin, and nourish their joints.
It contains nutrients like calcium, but its nutritional value depends on factors such as how it is prepared and the type of bones used.
It can be consumed in the morning as a warm alternative to coffee, in the afternoon, before bed as a calming ritual, or between meals as a light option. There is no single correct time to take it. It depends on personal preference and routine.
Recipes for bone broth often include an acid-based product, such as apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. This breaks down the collagen and connective tissue, leaving you with a tasty, nutritious liquid commonly used in soups and sauces.
Bone broth is used both as a beverage and a cooking ingredient. It serves as a base for soups, stews, grains, sauces, and braises. It can also be consumed on its own as a warm drink.
Bone broth has been getting a lot of buzz over the last few years among health-conscious people. In fact, some people swear by drinking a cup each day.
You can make bone broth from any animal bones, but a few popular sources include chicken, turkey, lamb, pork, beef, wild game, and fish.
Any marrow or connective tissue can be used, including feet, beaks, gizzards, spines, legs, hooves, hocks, whole carcasses, or fins.
The nutrient content of bone broth depends on the ingredients and their quality:
Bone: The bone itself yields minerals like calcium and phosphorus. Sodium, magnesium, and potassium may also be present.
Marrow: Bone marrow provides vitamins A, B2, B12, and E, plus omega-3s, omega-6s, and minerals like calcium, iron, selenium, and zinc.
Connective tissue: This tissue provides glucosamine and chondroitin, which are popular dietary supplements for arthritis and joint pain.
Making bone broth is very simple. All you really need is a large pot, water, vinegar, and bones.
To get you started, here is an easy recipe you can follow:
Ingredients
4 litres of water
2 tbsp (30 mL) apple cider vinegar
1–2 kg of animal bones
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Place all ingredients in a large pot and cook.
Reduce to a simmer and cook for 12–24 hours. The longer it cooks, the better it will taste, and the more nutritious it will be.
Allow the broth to cool. Strain it into a large container and discard the solids.
To add nutritional value, use a variety of bones: marrow bones, oxtail, knuckles, and feet.
Adding vinegar is important because it helps pull all the valuable nutrients out of the bones into the water, which is ultimately what you will be consuming.
You can also add vegetables, herbs, or spices to your broth to enhance the flavour.
Common additions include garlic, onion, celery, carrot, parsley, and thyme.
A registered dietitian, Lauren Manaker, M.S., R.D.N., swapped her afternoon tea for bone broth and said, “Switching from my usual afternoon tea to a mug of bone broth quickly became a new, comforting ritual. I still enjoyed the quiet pause in my day, sipping at my desk and savouring a moment of calm, but the experience felt different.
“Despite being caffeine-free, the bone broth gave me a gentle boost of energy, thanks to the protein, electrolytes, and hydration it provided.”
What are the benefits of bone broth?
- It contains vitamins and minerals
Bone broth can be nutritious, but the precise nutritional content depends on the bones used.
Animal bones are rich in calcium, magnesium, and other vitamins and minerals needed to build and strengthen bones.
Marrow provides minerals like calcium and phosphorus, as well as very small amounts of vitamins A, B, K, and E.
All these parts also contain the protein collagen, which turns into gelatin when cooked and yields several important amino acids.
Simmering the ingredients releases some of their nutrients into the water in a form the body can easily absorb.
- It may benefit the digestive system
A healthy digestive tract is essential for overall well-being.
Bone broth is easy to digest and may help reduce inflammation in the digestive tract.
Experiments on animals with colitis have suggested that gelatin may protect and heal the mucosal lining of the digestive tract.
Gelatin contains an amino acid called glutamic acid. This converts to glutamine in the body and helps maintain the function of the intestinal wall. It may help prevent and heal a condition known as “leaky gut,” a symptom associated with several chronic gastrointestinal diseases.
A leaky gut occurs when damage develops in the barrier between the gut and the bloodstream, allowing substances to leak into the bloodstream. This can lead to inflammation and other health problems.
A 2021 mouse study also concluded that the amino acids in bone broth have anti-inflammatory properties that may reduce damage to the gut caused by ulcerative colitis.
For all these reasons, drinking bone broth may be beneficial for individuals with a range of gastrointestinal conditions.
- It may help fight inflammation
The amino acids found in bone broth, including glycine and arginine, have anti-inflammatory properties.
In 2015, for instance, an animal study showed that when mice with asthma took oral arginine, they experienced improvements in airway inflammation and other asthma symptoms.
However, a 2019 meta-analysis showed that arginine supplementation did not reduce inflammatory markers such as CRP and TNF-alpha in humans, while another meta-analysis that same year found that arginine actually increased CRP in subjects over 60 years old. Clearly, more research is needed.
Chronic inflammation has been linked to various serious diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer.
Including anti-inflammatory foods in the diet, such as bone broth, may help reduce the risk of these diseases.
A study titled Bone Broth Benefits: How Its Nutrients Fortify Gut Barrier in Health and Disease by Ayah Matar et al. concluded that the documented benefits of components in bone broth support improved gut health, help alleviate inflammation in the intestinal barrier, improve intestinal barrier function in both healthy and diseased states, particularly inflammatory bowel disease, and enhance nutrient absorption. Bone broth offers a nutrient-dense option for enhancing overall health and may serve as an alternative to dietary supplements marketed for gut health.