Bone Broth: More than Meat Water

Bone broth is made from animal bones and connective tissue — typically cattle, chicken, or fish — that have been boiled into a broth and slow simmered for 10 to more than 20 hours with herbs, vegetables, and spices. So why is this seemingly simple liquid something you’d want to drink every day?

Even our hunter-gatherer ancestors realized that drinking bone broth was essential for survival; as its earliest version dates back over 2,500 years. Throwing away anything edible was out of the question back then, so animal hooves, knuckles, bones, and other connective tissues never went to waste. Bone broth has a rich history of being used in traditional Chinese medicine as a digestive tonic, blood builder, and kidney strengthener due to the high collagen content, bioavailable minerals, anti-inflammatory amino acids, and healing compounds that can only be found in bones and connective tissue.

In addition to aiding in digestion and helping to heal gut inflammation, bone broth is known for being high in calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and collagen, a protein that gives skin its elasticity to look smooth and plump, as well as keeping your joints healthy to prevent arthritis.  Why?  Well, bones and connective tissue are storehouses for essential amino acids and minerals — which are lacking in many diets today. Bone Broth is also an invaluable source of protein, collagen and gelatin, which is found in your bones, joints, tendons, muscles and teeth. And while it’s not exactly feasible, unless you go in for the cannibal thing, to eat whole bones or tissue, but you can still enjoy these health benefits by sipping bone broth. Collagen is extracted when you simmer bones for a long period of time. Typically, the longer bone broth simmers, the more collagen you’ll extract.

Meat Water?  Hardly.  More like Nutritional Liquid Gold.

Is bone broth the same as stock or broth?  Nope. Regular broth and stock are simmered for a shorter period of time than bone broth, approximately 2–6 hours. The expedited cooking process reduces the amount of beneficial gelatin extracted from the bones, reducing its capacity to boost the immune system, heal digestive issues, and reduce the symptoms of leaky gut.  Broth (not bone broth) typically has meat left on the bones, whereas stock will have little to no connective tissue left on the bones (as with marrow bones).

Want to try making bone broth at home?  It is a simple process, but one that requires plenty of time and patience. Bone broth is made by simmering animal bones and tissue for at least 10 hours with vegetables, herbs, and spices such as thyme, garlic, and bay leaves. High-quality bone broth starts with high-quality ingredients, using bones from organic grass-fed animals and organic vegetables. While any bone or ligament can be used, knuckles, chicken feet, and femur bones tend to contain the most collagen.  You can purchase these kinds of bones from your local butcher or at a farmers market, or by simply saving bones whenever you eat bone-in chicken, steak, or pork cuts.  You can find many slow-cooker bone broth recipes by searching YouTube.

Want to buy bone broth instead?  Finding a place to buy bone broth can be confusing. If you’re going to buy it, look for quality control and all the usual catchphrases, like: 100% Grass-Fed Bones, Organic, Locally Sourced, all that good stuff.  For example,  If “bones” aren’t listed as an ingredient on the label, it won’t contain the nutrients from the bone marrow, such as collagen, immune-boosting alkylglycerols, or Omega 3 essential fatty acids, which is the point of doing this, after all.  And look for “simmer times,” too.  The bones in any bone broth should be slow simmered for at least 10 hours to ensure the collagen, and amino acids get released from the bones and make their way into your broth.

Now you’re ready to bone broth your way to health!  Happy slurping!

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