Bone Broth -A Complete Superfood
Bone Broth-Superpower for Health
Almost two decades ago, I realized that my family often became sick. My children were very little, and it started to make me question the food we were consuming. I prayed and asked Allah swt to help me and then made an intention to study and research to figure out how to help improve our gut health. One of the foods I decided to include is bone broth in our diet.
Why did I choose bone broth?
Do you remember when you were a child and you became sick? What did your mother make for you to eat? Chicken soup. That is a form of bone broth.
Bone broth is probably the first healthy food humanity has ever had. This superfood has been consumed by humans for thousands of years, most likely from the beginning of time. Nations, cultures, and everyone’s grandmother knows about bone broth. This is not just a myth. Many scientific studies have proven that bone broth is rich in nutrients. In 2000, a study was published in Chest Physicians, which studied bone broth/chicken soup and found that it did aid in alleviating the symptoms of common cold and bronchitis. Bone broth did this by clearing up the mucus, opening the respiratory pathways, and providing easily digested nutrition to the area.
How do we make bone broth?
Bone broth is created by taking the connective tissues of an animal we consume. The bones, carcass, intestines, or feet of beef, goat, chicken, or other meat. Bone broth is made by placing them with water in a slow cooker to simmer for many hours, slowly. When you allow these ingredients to simmer for 12-24 hours slowly, you enable the nutrients to seep into the liquid, leaving you with a highly nutritious, easily digestible, low-calorie beverage that should turn gelatinous when refrigerated. This bone broth soup has become a superfood that can support the health of every part of your body.
We see the prescription of bone broth by Roman physicians, Muslim scholars, Chinese herbalists, Jewish philosophers, and modern moms. For a remedy to be this pervasive across all cultures throughout history means that it is not just ancient folklore, bone broth is a superfood.
What does bone broth have which aids my overall health?
Collagen
Bone broth is rich in collagen, the most abundant protein in the human body, and plays a key role in numerous bodily functions. Collagen is the protein that makes up 75% of our hair, skin, nails, bones, discs, and gut lining. Collagen also improves the skin, thickens the hair, and strengthens bones.
Benefits of collagen include:
Support joints
Bone broth has more than 20 amino acids used to strengthen and build the body in so many ways. Glycine is the most abundant amino acid in collagen.
Glycine supports your joints because it makes up your connective tissue. It can further reduce inflammation while protecting the joints and improving their function.
Glycine is the precursor to glutathione, which is one of the best nutritional cleansing assets that we have. Glutathione cleanses your entire bodily system.
Bone Health
Our bones are made of more collagen than calcium. Bone broth supplies this vital collagen which makes bones stronger, more flexible, and less likely to fracture as we get older.
Studied performed to figure out which nutrients were needed for bone health found that this process of bone-formation requires an adequate and constant supply of the following nutrients: protein, calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, phosphorus, manganese, potassium, zinc, copper, boron, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and the B vitamins. Our diets don't include an adequate continuous supply of these vitamins and nutrients. A combination of vegetables, bone broth, and meat provides a good source of these minerals and vitamins. Bone broth can be prepared with vegetables, meat, and herbs to obtain all the nutrients and vitamins needed. If we were to include a cup of this recipe of bone broth daily, we would get the supply of nutrients our bones needs. If you have arthritis or any other bone-related issue, try adding this superfood into your diet and see the difference it can have.
Improves gut function & Supports healthy metabolism
Bone broth has been consumed for thousands of years to support digestion because it strengthens the gut lining. The amino acids and collagen help build the walls of the intestines and colon. This helps to heal Chrone’s disease, IBS, ulcerative colitis, and leaky gut syndrome. Bone broth has a protein that is easy to absorb and digest. This is excellent for individuals who are elderly, young, or sick who tend to have a weaker digestive system and struggle to digest heavy proteins such as dairy and meats.
It helps strengthen your Immunity
The amino acids in bone broth, like arginine, glutamine, and cysteine, help strengthen your immunity. Bone broth supports a healthy gut and enables you to grow more friendly bacteria known as probiotics. Probiotics help your body absorb more nutrients from the foods that you consume. Probiotics are an essential part of our immunity because they make up about 70% of the immune system. If you follow a diet drinking bone broth daily, it can help your body become resistant to diseases and infections.
Detoxification
We are exposed to all kinds of environmental toxins, heavy metals, and pesticides, which can cause havoc on our bodies. Bone broth helps to support the liver to detoxify these harmful chemicals from our body gently.
Promotes deeper sleep
Glycine is an amino acid that is in bone broth. Bone broth has a high amount of glycine, which can help you sleep deeper. How does glycine help? Glycine helps your body relax and cool down, which releases melatonin and helps you sleep. Instead of eating junk food before you go to bed, which can upset your stomach, why not sip on some warm bone broth to help you relax and sleep peacefully?
Builds and restores muscles
Regular bone broth can help support, build, repair, and restore muscles. Many athletes and bodybuilders who exercise daily to strengthen their muscles include bone broth in their daily meals. They add it to many things, such as shakes and pancakes.
Hair, nail and skin health, and anti-aging
As we age, we tend to lose collagen, and this causes our skin to show signs of aging. The collagen in bone broth helps form elastin and other essential compounds inside the skin. This allows the skin to stay firm and prevents the signs of aging.
Cellulite is another aging issue some women are affected by. Cellulite forms in the buttocks, thighs, and hips. This occurs when the skin loses its firmness because the connective tissues break down. Taking bone broth daily can restore the needed collagen.
If you are concerned about losing your hair or having your hair thin out, try including bone broth in your diet. Many individuals take a multi-collagen supplement to thicken their hair. But bone broth naturally contains minerals and amino acids to help build strong hair follicles.
There is another amino acid called arginine, which has been shown to nourish the nail bed and help it grow and become strong. Many individuals have seen excellent results in only a week of drinking bone broth.
Different types of collagen:
Collagen has nutrients that support the health of the body. More than 30% of the beneficial protein in your body is collagen protein. I believe that one-third of our daily protein intake should be coming from collagen protein to keep our health at an optimal rate. Bone broth contains type 1, 2, and 3 collagen. If you are consuming bone broth from chicken, it has high levels of type 2 collagen.
Type 2 collagen is the collagen that is recommended to consume daily because type 2 collagen builds and supports your connective tissue, ligaments, fascia, tendons, and many other body parts.
If it is bone broth from beef, it contains high levels of types 1 and 3 collagen. Types 1 and 3 collagen build and support your skin, nails, hair, discs, bones, and part of your gut lining. Our ancient ancestors drank bone broth every day. How did they do this? Unlike us, they would consume the entire animal which they hunted. Each part of an animal supports that part of us in our body. When we choose to eat the chicken breast and the steak or beef. Here we are eating the muscle of the animal. We are helping support our forces. But what about the rest of our bodies? Why aren’t we eating food which can support all our other organs? If you want to support all the areas of your body, then you need to include bone broth in your diet.
Why is it essential to break a fast with bone broth?
Breaking a fast is a very delicate period. The gelatin in bone broth is a hydrophilic colloid, which draws water into your intestinal tract. And because bone broth has a high volume of collagen and gelatin, it helps support your mucosal layer. When fasting, your gut mucosal layer breaks down somewhat due to dehydration, and it needs nutrients. Bone broth also has glutamine, and glutamine supports your immune system.
Yes, you can drink a lot of saltwater to get potassium into your body after a fast, but bone broth has a nice balance of all the nutrients you need. It is way better than opening your fast with water. Bone broth also has magnesium which allows the gut to relax after breaking a fast.
Bone Broth for weight loss?
Bone broth is super low in calories. There are virtually no calories in this super beverage. There are absolutely no carbohydrates in bone broth, but it is filled with nutrition. When you are trying to lose weight and decide to drink a hot cup of bone broth, it will comfort you and replenish all the nutrients your body yearns for. This practice will calm you down and fulfill your cravings and help you lose weight. Because bone broth includes a high amount of nutrition, it is the best food to drink to help prevent food cravings and crashes.
How to use bone broth?
1 . Make a fat-filled coffee or hot cocoa:
Direction:
Take one tablespoon of ghee or coconut oil
Add your favorite beverage spices
Hot cacao powder
Natural sweetener. My favorite is maple syrup
Then whip it up into a froth.
This is a unique way to get healthy fats into your body.
2 . You can use bone broth to cook to—Cook with it.
Boil potatoes in bone broth for a more nutritious mash potato.
Boil pasta in it to give it more flavor and nutrition.
Add bone broth to your favorite super shake to make it even more beneficial.
Add it to any meal you like!
Can I purchase powdered bone broth?
It is always best to prepare bone broth at home from pasture-raised organic meat. This will have the highest nutrition value.
If you cannot prepare and need to purchase bone broth powder, look for a commercial bone broth powder that is not high in sodium and has used whole foods and halal meat.
I don't feel comfortable with the commercial versions. I believe there are many blessed benefits from preparing our meals at home, freshly made with love and remembrance if Allah swt. If I come across a commercial powder version I like, I will recommend it soon.
What ingredients do I need to make bone broth?
Filtered water
1-3 lbs of bones or extra parts of the animal
Onions, diced or cut in quarters
Salt, pepper, or any other spices you prefer. I like to add turmeric, ginger, and garlic.
Celery & carrots or any other greens or herbs (optional for taste)
1-2 spoons of Apple cider vinegar. I can use a splash of lemon instead.
Glass jars for storage
For slow cooking, you can use an Instant Pot or a slow cooker
How do I make Bone Broth?
Bone Broth Recipe:
Place all ingredients in the slow cooker
Fill up with water
Slow cook for 12-24 hours.
When cooking is complete and cooled a bit, remove the bones by straining them through a filter.
Store the liquid bone broth in glass jars and keep them in the refrigerator and consume for up to 7 days.
Super easy to make and very beneficial for your body to consume.