Bone Broth

Over the past few years, I've had a number of clients experience dramatic improvement with a wide spectrum of health challenges by adding bone broth to their customized regimens. Osteoporosis, digestive challenges, intermittent muscle cramping, systemic nerve dysfunction, chronic joint pain, and weak hair and nails are just a few of the many ailments that I have found to respond well to regular intake of properly made bone broth.

Bone broth is abundant in easily absorbed minerals - calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and a number of trace minerals, all of which help ensure optimal nourishment and function of your musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Gelatin that is abundant in properly made bone broth nourishes the structural matrix of all of your bones and teeth, which allows for optimal strength and flexibility.

Bone broth provides glucosamine and chondroitin sulphates that give substantial help to joints that are suffering from deteriorated ligaments.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of regular intake of bone broth is improved gut health and protection against leaky gut syndrome. Components of cartilage found in bone broth support immune system function by activating different types of white blood cells and promoting proliferation of white blood cells as needed.

Here's a look at how simple it is to make nutrient-rich bone broth:

Ingredients:

About two handfuls of bone, preferably from an organically-raised animal
3 ribs celery, roughly chopped
3 large carrots, roughly chopped
4 medium yellow onions, outer skins peeled off and halved
1 large bunch of parsley
1 large bunch of cilantro
1 large piece of dah shi ma seaweed (optional)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Fill a large stock pot with cold water - about 4 liters is what works well with the quantities noted above. Add all ingredients and bring to a boil.

No need to peel your carrots, just give them a good scrub under running water and a rough chop into bite-size pieces.

This is what dah shi ma seaweed looks like. It's also called kombu kelp. It's rich in a number of minerals, including calcium and iodine. If you don't have easy access to dah shi ma, it's fine to go without.

Two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to promote optimal extraction of nutrients:

2. Within the first 15 to 20 minutes, you'll notice some impurities float to the surface of your water. You can remove these bits of matter with a fine mesh strainer.

3. Let your broth simmer for 3 to 8 hours and then cool for an hour. The thicker your bones, the longer you want to simmer. Fish bones only require about 3 hours of simmer time; chicken bones about 5 hours, and beef bones around 8 hours for optimal extraction of nutrients.

4. Use a strainer to scoop the solids out of your broth and use a slotted spoon or spatula to squeeze as much liquid goodness as you can out of your overcooked vegetables.

5. Transfer your nutrient-rich bone broth to air-tight containers and store in the refrigerator.

You can use your bone broth for soups, stews, and even heat up a mugful at a time to sip like you would tea to continuously infuse your body with the many health-enhancing nutrients in homemade bone broth.

Please note: If you follow a vegan diet, you can find a similar mineral-rich broth recipe that calls for vegetables only here:

Winter Cleanse

But please keep in mind that bone broth is more nutrient-dense than vegetable broth. And it's the gelatin in bone broth that makes it uniquely beneficial to gut, joint, and bone health. The more gelatinous your bone broth is, the more nourishing it is to all of your organ systems.