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The Benefits of Bone Broth

8/26/2020

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Bone broth is a traditional remedy for illness, usually made from chicken, turkey, beef, or lamb bones simmered for several hours. It has been receiving a lot of attention in the media lately and for good reason. Bone broth provides an abundance of nutrition, including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, selenium, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, fatty acids, and collagen. These minerals and nutrients are all beneficial for supporting overall health, especially bone and joint health. One study done in rabbits showed that administering bone broth every day as a dietary supplement increased the rate of healing of bone fractures.

An important component in bone broth is collagen. Collagen is also called gelatin because it becomes gelatinous when it is cooked. Studies demonstrate that the collagen in bone broth can protect the joints and alleviate symptoms of osteoarthritis. It is also high in amino acids, including glutamine and glycine. Glutamine helps to heal the lining of the intestine in the case of leaky gut. Glycine improves digestion by promoting gastric acid secretion, it helps increase wound healing, and it may improve sleep quality.

Fish bone broth is another option. Besides all the nutrients mentioned earlier, broth made from fish bones also contains iodine, which helps to improve thyroid health and protect against thyroid cancer. Another plus is that fish bone broth takes much less time to cook because the bones are so small and delicate. Use wild-caught fish that are less oily (such as sole, Pacific cod, halibut, rockfish, or tilapia) because the oils can go rancid with cooking.

A caution with bone broth is that there is a potential risk of being exposed to heavy metals such as lead. Throughout an animal’s lifetime, the heavy metals they ingest are stored in the bones and cooking bones can release these toxins. However, the studies are conflicting and some report that most bone broths contain very little or no heavy metals, with the biggest source of lead contamination being tap water. To minimize these concerns, make sure to use the bones of organically raised animals that were not exposed to heavy metals in their environment and boil them in clean, filtered water.

​When preparing your bone broth, use joints as well as bones to increase the amount of collagen-containing cartilage and add some apple cider vinegar to help extract the nutrients (the amount will vary depending on volume of broth and the toughness of the bones). Adding a variety of vegetables and herbs to your broth is a good way to increase its nutrient content even more. You can make your bone broth last longer by boiling a large batch and freezing it in smaller containers until you are ready to use it.
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