Bone broth has become very popular in recent times due to its benefits to the health of the human body.
In fact, the evidence has confirmed its potential beneficial effects.
Below you will find the top 6 bone broth benefits and the recipe for preparing a homemade broth.
What is Bone Broth?
Bone broth is a traditional soup made with animal bones. It is enjoyed by many people in the U.S. and around the world for its taste, its health benefits, and its ability to help heal injuries or recover from illness.
It is obtained from water boiled with bones and connective tissues of animals.
While it has gained popularity recently, bone broth has been used since prehistoric times.
It is noteworthy that you can make bone broth with the bones and tissues of any animal: pork, chicken, fish, beef, etc.
How To Make Bone Broth
Bone broth is very easy to prepare. You only need a pot, water, vinegar, and animal bones.
Below, you will find a recipe so you can prepare it at home.
Ingredients
- About 1–2 kg of animal bones.
- 4 liters of water.
- Salt and pepper.
- 30 mL of apple cider vinegar.
Directions
- Place all the ingredients in a large pot.
- Cook until the water boils.
- Reduce to medium heat and cook for 12 to 24 hours (the long cooking time improves its flavor and nutritional benefits).
- Once it is cold, strain and transfer to a container. Discard solids.
To make it more nutritious, it is preferable to use different types of bones.
You can even add vegetables, spices, and herbs to enhance its flavor and nutritional value.
In the first step, you can incorporate garlic, thyme, onion, carrot, parsley, celery, among others.
Bone Broth: Health Benefits
Here are the top six reasons why bone broth is beneficial.
1. Contains Many Important Vitamins and Minerals
While bone broth is nutritious, its nutritional value varies depending on the ingredients used.
First, animal bones contain phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, among other minerals.
Fishbones also contains iodine, which is essential for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland.
As for cartilage, they provide glucosamine and chondroitin, two compounds that improve joint health.
Finally, the marrow provides us with vitamin A, K2, iron, zinc, boron, manganese, and selenium.
Also, all these parts of animals are rich in collagen, which provides a large number of amino acids.
2. May Benefit The Digestive System
According to research, the gelatin contained in bone broth attracts and holds the liquids.
This gelatin turns into water within the digestive system, and this facilitates the digestion process.
According to studies carried out in rats, bone broth protects and heals the mucosa of the digestive tract.
In addition, the amino acid called glutamine maintains the liver wall and reduces the risk of a leaky gut.
3. May Help Fight Inflammation
Bone broth contains amino acids like glycine and arginine that help reduce inflammation.
According to a study carried out in rats with asthma, arginine is used to reduce inflammation of the airways and reduce the effects of asthma.
Another study in rodents showed that arginine could help relieve inflammation caused by obesity.
This benefit is important since chronic inflammation can lead to the development of diseases such as:
- Diabetes,
- Arthritis,
- Aertain types of cancer
4. May Improve Joint Health
The collagen in the bones turns into gelatin during the cooking process.
This gelatin provides us with amino acids such as proline and glycine. They help the body build its own connective tissues.
Bone broth also contains glucosamine and chondroitin. According to studies, these serve to reduce joint pain and alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
5. May Aid With Weight Loss
Studies have shown that consuming bone broth regularly can help you lose weight. This is so because it helps increase the feeling of fullness.
In addition, bone broth provides us with proteins that reduce appetite and increase muscle mass.
In fact, a study showed that collagen helps increase muscle mass and lose weight when combined with resistance training.
6. May Improve Sleep And Brain Function
According to various studies, bone broth provides us with amino acid (glycine) that promotes relaxation.
Even research showed that consuming 3 grams of glycine before sleeping improves sleep quality in people with insomnia.
Additionally, this study found that glycine helps reduce daytime sleepiness and improves memory.
Tips For Using Bone Broth
These are some tips for consuming bone broth:
Where To Get Bones
If you normally eat meat, you can save the bones until the moment of preparing the broth.
However, if that is not your case, you can ask at butchers markets and farms.
The best thing is that they are very cheap and they can even give them to you for free.
How To Store It
The bone broth only lasts for five days in the fridge.
In this way, you can store them in the freezer in small portions and thaw them little by little.
How Often To Drink It
There is no exact dose, but it is recommended to drink at least one cup per day.
If you don’t enjoy its taste, you can mix it with other foods.
