Bone broth is simple to make and very powerful medicine in the form of delicious food. It has been dubbed “liquid gold” by some in the wellness community because it bestows so many health benefits. First, bone broth provides a bio-available form of collagen. Collagen helps keep the skin smooth and supports the growth of hair and nails. Collagen also aids in building connective tissues which are important for supporting muscles, healthy joints, and preventing injury.
Bone broth contains numerous amino acids that are both essential and non-essential. Amino acids are vitally important for health because they are the building blocks of proteins. Obtaining amino acids in delicious broth is much more beneficial than trying to get them through pills or powders. This is because the nutrients in bone broth are easily recognized and readily absorbed by the body.
The nutrients in bone broth improve gut health and boost the immune system. The high gelatin and collagen content soothes the gut and the amino acids help decrease inflammation. Some doctors have found bone broth to be helpful for patients suffering from leaky gut and digestive problems.
It appears that mom really knew what she was doing when she made us chicken soup when we were sick! As it turns out, drinking bone broth when we are well is even better. It can help keep us healthy in a variety of ways and provides warm comfort for the soul.
I tried my hand at making chicken bone broth today and was pleased with how it turned out. It was simple, economical, and made me feel pretty darn good about what’s for dinner tonight. I have included a recipe here. Give it a try. You are going to feel pretty good inside and out. Enjoy.
Chicken Bone Broth
Ingredients:
· Chicken carcass
· 3 celery stalks
· 3 carrots
· 4 cloves garlic
· 2 shallots (or could do 1 small onion)
· ½ cup white wine (could substitute 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar)
· 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
· 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
· Sea salt to taste
· Handful chopped parsely (add in last 30 minutes of simmering)
· Water to cover carcass
Directions:
Place carcass in pot. Add wine or vinegar and fill pot with water to cover chicken. Let stand for 30 to 40 minutes (this step is important to help extract maximum nutrients!). Next, rough chop and add vegetables (except parsley). Add seasoning. Simmer for a long ass time. You will need to add water occasionally to maintain volume of broth. Add parsley last 30 minutes before finished cooking. Let cool then strain with a wire strainer or cheesecloth. Generally a bone broth simmers 8 plus hours to maximize the nutrient density. You can get great taste and health benefits from4 hours which is what I did. Use it as a soup, gravy base, or drink it straight up in a mug.