Bone Broth Benefits

by Henri Roca, MD, Clinical Functional Medicine Specialist

Bone broth has been used throughout human history. Remember chicken soup heals the cold (and the soul). Let’s look at a few key benefits:

Minerals

“Good broth will resurrect the dead” is a South American proverb.  The reason is that animal bones are full of minerals especially calcium, magnesium, boron, and selenium. These minerals help our thyroid and adrenals function, assist in balancing our response to stress, help with sleep, and help resolve fatigue.

Gelatin

When broth cools, the liquid congeals into gelatin. Gelatin contains the amino acids glycine and arginine.  Glycine is helpful for achieving deep, restful sleep as well as for making glutathione, the body’s master antioxidant.  Arginine helps heal coronary blood vessels, keeps the plaque off of arteries and minimizes clotting.

Gelatin also contains glucosaminoglycans which can both help heal the lining of the gut and provide building blocks to help strengthen the cartilage in your joints. It’s great for building up hair and nails and because it contains collagen, it’s great for keeping your skin from sagging.

Making Bone Broth

Be sure to use bones from pasture-raised or grass-fed land animals or from wild-caught (not farm-raised) fish.  When I buy meat, I buy it with the bone in and skin on.  Fat from the skin is full of fat-soluble vitamins and gives dishes another depth of flavor that’s impossible to duplicate with store- or restaurant-bought food. 

Here are some easy recipes for you to incorporate into your daily routine so that you, too, can realize bone broth benefits. Drinking 4 ounces twice a day is a great place to start.

Easy Beef Bone Broth

Ingredients

2 pounds grass-fed beef marrow and/or joint bones

1 teaspoon ghee or animal fat, melted

1 teaspoon white or apple cider vinegar

1 Strip kombu (kelp)

Rub ghee/fat onto beef bones. Bake at 250 degrees F for one hour; turn, and bake for another hour. Add vinegar, kombu and bones to a large crock pot; fill with filtered water. Cook for at least 24 hours on low. 

Easy Chicken Broth

Ingredients

Bones of 1 chicken or 10-12 bones ((tubular bones should be chopped in half to allow marrow to come out))

1 large onion (roughly chopped)

1 large carrot (roughly chopped)

1 large celery stalk (roughly chopped)

1 teaspoon ghee, pastured butter, coconut oil or other saturated fat (if you want a dairy-free version, use either ghee or coconut oil)

1 teaspoon white or apple cider vinegar

1 strip kombu (kelp)

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker (e.g Crock-Pot). Fill to top with filtered water. Let cook for at least 24 hours at low.

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