Out with green juice and in with bone broth. Lately, the benefits of drinking bone broth have been popping up all over the Internet, leading me to want to delve in deeper. What exactly is bone broth, and how do you make it? Is this something that you have to make at home or are premade versions equally beneficial? Is this new health trend here to stay? Let’s take a look!
What is bone broth?
Bones are not a part of the animal that gets utilized very often in the modern Western society diet. However, bones actually contain important proteins and minerals, as well as healthy fats. While many animals, such as vultures, prioritize eating the bones of their prey first, humans are not equipped to break open bones with just their teeth.1 This is where the broth comes in! By throwing bones into a slow cooker, or just a low-simmering pot, with some wa.ter and seasoning (if you would like), 8-48 hours later you with have bone broth.
After 8 hours of cooking on simmer.
Some recipes will tell you to soak your mixture with a couple of tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar for 20-30 minutes before boiling. Also, you should be available to stir occasionally and if using a pot on the stovetop you should monitor to make sure the simmer is not too high. I only have experience with using the backs and necks of chickens, but the mixture should boil down by about half of what you put into the pot over the entire 24 hours—at least this is how long I cooked my broth for—so that the mixture should boil down quite slowly. Otherwise, you may return to your pot with a bunch of burnt bones ☹ The color will vary depending on the type of animal bones you used; for example, fish bones will yield a translucent broth, chicken bones will create a golden-yellow broth, and ruminant (e.g. cows, sheep, etc.) bone broth will be dark brown. When bones are boiled for long enough, they start to disintegrate and release essential proteins and minerals.2 After a few hours in the refrigerator, the liquid broth should transform into a Jell-O consistency and a layer of fat will rise to the top. You can use bone broth in soups and stews, or you can drink the broth straight.3
History of Bone Broth
While our Paleolithic ancestors did not exactly use bones to make bone broth, they did eat the bone marrow, thus getting the same nutritional benefits.4 It has also been suggested that our ancestors used to drop fire-heated rocks into the stomachs of their killed prey, which simulated making broth in a pot.5 Bone broth is also featured prominently in traditional Chinese medicine and diet. In this form of medicine, it is believed that consuming bone tissue supports healthy kidney function, builds blood, and bolsters our chi, which is our essence.6
Recently, the conversation around bone broth has taken off in the United States. It gained popularity through people following the paleo diet , which eschews caffeinated beverages like coffee and tea. However, bone broth has now become a commercially sold commodity. In New York City, chef Marco Canora recently opened Brodo, a bone broth storefront window featuring three flavors of bone broth. Customers can also choose from a list of add-ins, such as turmeric and chile oil, to customize their broth drink. Canora states, “Every chef knows how to make stock, everyone uses it as an ingredient, but it would never occur to anyone that you could sell it.” The average price for a cup of bone broth seems to be between $3.50 – $4.7 You can also purchase bone broth at select meat companies and some Whole Foods Markets. As long as you are purchasing freshly made broth, i.e. not broth in a package on a store shelf, you should receive the same health benefits as if you made it yourself at home. Making it at home will save you lots of money of course, so that’s a health benefit!
Yield about 8 cups of broth from 3.35 lbs of chicken backs and necks. Cooking time 24 hours.
Benefits of Bone Broth
The old adage “eat what ails you” rings true for drinking bone broth. One of the primary benefits is that it improves joint health. Bones are over 50% protein by volume, including the connective body tissues attached to them. Drinking bone broth and ingesting these proteins helps your body rebuild its own connective tissues, such as tendons and ligaments. A study published in 1993 showed that drinking chicken bone broth dramatically improved patients’ rheumatoid arthritis.8
Drinking bone broth also aids digestion. Bone broth contains glycine, which stimulates the production of stomach acid. While those with acid reflux may think they have too much acid in their stomach, the problem is really the reverse. When your stomach is deficient in acid, food sits in your stomach half-digested, which then forces acid up your esophagus. Glycine helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels, as well. Bone broth also contains glutamine, which is an amino acid that strengthens the function of the intestinal wall and therefore prevents the occurrence of “leaky gut.”9
The minerals essential to our health are abundant in bone broth. Animal bones contain high levels of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus, while fish bones also contain iodine. However, the mineral content of the broth depends on many factors, such as what the animal’s diet was, how many bones were used, whether any meat was left on the bones, what part of the animal the bones were from, how long the bones were cooked for, etc. To maximize the mineral content of the bones, add a few tablespoons of something acidic (e.g. apple cider vinegar) before heating up the broth. You can also grind up the bones and eat them straight.10
Potential Bone Broth Craze Drawbacks
There are two potential drawbacks to be aware of before hopping on the bone broth bandwagon. The first of which has not yet proven, but it is theorized that microwaving bone broth will denature the amino acid L-proline to D-proline, which is toxic. This is easily avoidable by simply always reheating your bone broth on the stove.11 Second, one study found that there were high levels of lead in the chicken bone broth tested. Upon further review of the study, the Weston A. Price Foundation found that the high lead levels were most likely due to the chickens being from a very polluted environment. When they conducted the study again using chicken and beef bones from a local farm, they found no lead in the broth. However, this is an issue to keep an eye on as studies are published in the future.12
It will be interesting to see if we get to a time when asking, “what is bone broth?” is deemed a silly question ☺
