Bone broth, sometimes called stock, is liquid made from boiling animal bones and connective tissue. It is used by Chefs for its great culinary uses and unparalleled flavor, but it is also a powerful health tonic that you can easily add to your family’s diet. You’ll find a large stock pot of broth/stock simmering in the kitchen of almost every 5-star restaurant. Chefs use stock as a base for soups, sauces, and gravies. Some people drink it on its own.
Broth is a traditional food that your grandmother likely made often (and if not, your great-grandmother definitely did). Many societies around the world still consume broth regularly as it is a cheap and highly nutrient dense food.
Besides it’s amazing taste and culinary uses, broth is an excellent source of minerals and is known to boost the immune system (chicken soup when you are sick anyone?) and improve digestion. Its high calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus content make it great for bone and tooth health. Bone broth also supports joints, hair, skin, and nails due to its high collagen content. In fact, some even suggest that it helps eliminate cellulite as it supports smooth connective tissue.
It can be made from the bones of beef, bison, lamb, poultry, or fish. Vegetables and spices are often added both for flavor and added nutrients.
What Kind of Bone Broth?
Homemade, nutrient-dense bone broth is incredibly easy and inexpensive to make. Store-bought versions often contain MSG or other chemicals and often lack gelatin and some of the other health-boosting properties of homemade broth. However, if you’re short on time, I recommend Kettle & Fire’s grass-fed bone broth because it’s pretty gelatinous and made with organic ingredients.
In selecting the bones for broth, look for high quality bones from grass fed cattle or bison, pastured poultry, or wild caught fish. Since you’ll be extracting the minerals and drinking them in concentrated form, you want to make sure that the animal was as healthy as possible.
The protein content in bone broth may support your body as it builds bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. Bone broth also contains small amounts of calcium, iron, and potassium. Beef, chicken, and pork bone broths are the most common types. However, you can create bone broth from virtually any animal’s bones and connective tissue. Some examples include turkey, veal, lamb, bison, buffalo, deer, and fish. You can also use a mix of bones from different animals.
Homemade Broth/Stock can be used as the liquid in making soups, stews, gravies, sauces, and reductions. It can also be used to saute or roast vegetables. Try to drink at least 1 cup per person per day as a health boost, especially in the winter. An easy way is to heat 8-16 ounces with a little salt and sometimes whisk in an egg until cooked (makes a soup like egg drop soup).
When you are feeling tired or feel a cold coming on drink bone additional broth until you start feeling better. It is very easy to digest so the body’s energy can go to healing.
If you aren’t already, make bone broth a regular part of your kitchen routine. It’s health boosting, inexpensive, and easy… you can’t afford not to!
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