Did you know that making your own bone broth at home has many health benefits and provides more nutrients than the boxed kind you find at the store? People have been making bone broth for thousands of years. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, bone broth is used to strengthen the kidneys and support digestive health. Bone broth, which is a type of stock, is made by boiling animal parts, such as bones and connective tissue, so that the nutrients seep into the liquid. You can drink it straight or use it to make your favorite soup recipes this fall!
What Does Bone Broth Do For The Body?
Bone broth has benefits for numerous parts of our bodies. Some of these benefits include:
- Strengthening bones
- Joint protection
- Soothing the digestive tract
- Supporting immune function
- Supporting healthy sleep habits
- Promoting healthy skin, hair, and nails
- Strengthens the kidneys
What Makes Bone Broth So Nutritious?
Bone broth is made from animal parts such as bones, marrow, and connective tissue. The bones produce electrolytes in the stock, such as calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium. When marrow is used, it yields Vitamin A, B2, B12, Vitamin E, selenium, and zinc. When connective tissue is utilized to make bone broth, this adds glucosamine and chondroitin to the liquid. These animal parts used to make bone broth are rich in the protein collagen, which contains many different amino acids, but is particularly rich in arginine, glutamine, hydroxyproline, proline, alanine, and glycine.
Glycine is a particularly important amino acid for cellular health and growth. It is also essential for the body’s production of glutathione, which is known as the “master antioxidant” in the body. Glycine, proline, and glutamine rebuild tissue that lines the digestive tract, so they can help heal an irritated gut. Alanine is a source of energy for muscles and strengthens the immune system, while arginine increases nitric oxide and can help lower blood pressure.
Tips For Making Bone Broth
Bone broth is pretty simple to make, it just requires the right ingredients and ample time to produce this nutritious gelatinous liquid. You can find great instructions on how to make your own at home here. We recommend roasting the bones first. This will help create a richer flavor in your bone broth. It’s also always good to use an acidic ingredient when preparing bone broth, such as a little bit of lemon juice, vinegar, or a splash of wine. This acidic component will help extract more minerals from the bones to create a very nutrient dense bone broth. But what you choose to use will also affect the flavor of the bone broth, so be careful with vinegars that have an overpowering flavor.
Is Bone Broth For Everyone?
While bone broth is clearly very nutritious and beneficial, there may be some people it is not suited for. Bone broth is high in histamine, so for those struggling with histamine intolerance or mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), it may make their symptoms worse and create more inflammation.
Another concern of bone broth is for those who are sensitive to glutamate. The glutamine in bone broth can convert to glutamate and can cause too much of a stimulating effect in the brain for some individuals. If you know you have issues processing glutamate or have a neurological disorder, then you may want to be cautious of bone broth.