Making Bone Broth and Its Benefits.

Jul 24, 2013 | GAPS, Healing & Herbs, Nutrition, Recipes

“Good broth will resurrect the dead,”

A South American Proverb

With various post talking about meat and homemade broth/stock I thought I would show you how to make some and prove that stock should never come in tiny powdered cubes from the supermarket (accept for when you are camping, stranded on an island with only stock cubes for food or if you are teaching a 18 year old boy/girl how to cook before he leaves for University and there is a high risk of malnutrition).

But First the Benefits of Broth. Why Bother?

1. Its cheap – the recipe below probably cost me around £1 to make and yields 3 litres = lots of soup/lunch/drinks/sauces etc.

2. It helps heal a damaged or ‘leaky’ gut. If you suddenly started developing weird food intolerances chance are your gut is letting in stray food into your blood stream, causing toxicity and immune reaction = intolerance (simply put) .

3. Broth also contains gelatin which naturally binds well to water allowing food to passage well through digestive system and it is a great neutraliser of pathogenic or toxic substance like cold or flu viruses  – hence chicken soup when your ill!

4. Its used in GAPS/SCD to heal conditions like Crohn’s’ , IBD’S, autism, IBS, depression, ADHD and other  psychological issues. See here for more info.

5. Can help with anemia . Now this was news to me so here is a quote from ‘divinehealthfromtheinsideout.com

  • Anemia and other blood disorders respond to gelatin in the diet as well. Gelatin is used to tonify the blood. Glycine, a key ingredient in gelatin, plays a vital role in the blood. (Table II) Also if gelatin is extracted from bone, then marrow, where blood cells are produced is also extracted. Chinese studies have shown gelatin to increase red blood cell and hemoglobin count, increase serum calcium level, increase the absorption and utilization of calcium, and prevent and treat myotonia atrophica (muscle wasting)

 6. I have read that is supposed to help cellulite but haven’t found any studies to back this up – but worth a try? ?

7. It is contains anti inflammatory amino acids like glycine. Diseases like arthritis, Crohn’s, eczema, asthma and many more, are conditions involving inflammation.

8. Although broth is not a complete protein like meat  is, (find out more here)  it is a great source of protein and calcium, meaning you can spend less on meat.

9. It contains minerals such as calcium,sulphur, silicon, phosphorous,  magnesium, and other trace minerals in a form that is easily absorbed by the body.  If our diet is lacking in any minerals, which are essential to health, our bodies will just extract what it needs from our tissues and bones, so it is so important to ensure we are getting all the minerals as well as vitamins each day.

This is just a snap shot of the benefits of a good cup of broth, there is loads more info out there especially in some of the books I recommend at Amazon (my go to book, vitamin, exercise dvd store- can you tell I hate shopping?) But now I have hopefully convinced you to make some broth, here is how.

Tips

  • Begin with chicken stock if you are new to broth as this is a nice easy and gentle way in.
  • If you are very unwell (digestive issues, diarrhea, food poisoning etc) or want a clear broth, don’t blend the broth at the end and just drink the watery, fatty, clear liquid. 
  • Trying to give it to kids? Blend everything until its super smooth as this will hide the bones marrow, fat, skin and other potential yuck factor for kids (and adults!)

 

 

Bone Broth

Kezia Hall
An easy method to making homemade broth/stock.
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 2 chicken carcass's or a whole organic chicken or about 1kg of beef marrow bones
  • 3 onions halved and skins removed
  • 3-4 carrots or a head of broccoli or other vegetables
  • 2 Tbspn Good Quality Salt - optional
  • 2 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Garlic cloves
  • 3 litres filter water

Instructions
 

  • This is really a rough recipe as a lot depend on how big the pot your using is and what veg you have in the house - really anything will do but as I rule I always use onions and carrots.
  • Wash and remove ends of carrots and chop in half - this can be in a very rough way.
  • Put all the ingredients into a pot or slow cooker - add the water last.
  • If you are using a smaller pot just use less water and you will make a more concentrated broth which means you can just add more water at the end- this is helpful if you want to freeze it without using loads of freezer space.
  • Allow the pot to come to boil if using the stove OR if using a slow cooker make sure your 3 litres of filtered water is boiling.
  • If you are using the stove/oven you can leave the pot on the hob on a very low heat for 12-24 hours or you can transfer it to an oven (safer option) on a low heat of 120c for 12-24 hours.
  • If you are using the slow cooker just put a lid on it and leave it for 12-24 hours.
  • After 24 hours remove the bones carefully - draining it all into a colander helps.
  • If using marrow bones (beef/lamb) make sure you get all the marrow , ie the central part of the tubular bone, that will be brown, soft and gooey - this is a really beneficial part ,
  • Then you can blend it all up and add any fresh herbs or seasoning you like.
  • Will store in fridge for up to a week.

Notes

Really any boned meat will make good stock - but chicken is the best to start with.
I always add salt to my broth as I have a lower end of blood pressure, but with saltier bones like beef you can probably do without.
The general principle is to shove water in with bones and cook for as long as you can bear it. It is totally fine cook the bones for up to 72 hours.
If you cook chicken why not try eating the bones after to ensure you get all the nutritious marrow!
When money is tight i just make chicken stock from lots (10-12) of free range chicken wings.
If you are new to stock - go with chicken stock first its a more gentle introduction!
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