I’m sure we all know someone who has been talking up the benefits of bone broth recently and with good reason. Bone broth has become extremely popular over the past few years because of its many health benefits.

Bone broth is a nutrient dense stock which is created by cooking up animal bones and connective tissue. This broth is generally made from the bones and connective tissue of animals such as chicken, fish or beef. Making it is pretty easy. Just add 2kg animal bones, 5 litres water, 40ml apple cider vinegar and simmer for 12 hours or longer if you wish. Then after cooling, strain leaving only a clear broth to drink. To add flavour, you can add herbs and spices and vegetables when cooking. Note the apple cider vinegar is helpful in extracting the nutrients out of the bones.

For convenience bone broth is also available in a powdered form and also a paste which can then be added to soups and other foods or you can simply use the broth as a nutritious warm drink. We do also sell pure bone broth in a jar.

This highly nutritious broth is both rich in minerals and vitamins, plus essential fatty acids and amino acids. If we are using animal bones, we may benefit from the high content of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and other trace minerals. The benefit of using fish bones means we will also gain the benefit of extra iodine which we know may be helpful for our thyroid health.

The marrow which is extracted during cooking contains other minerals such as iron, boron, manganese, selenium and zinc. It also contains omegas 3 and 6 plus vitamin A and K2.

Fortuitously, all these animal parts contain collagen which is extracted when cooking and becomes gelatin. It is now well-known gelatin has many health benefits especially when it comes to gut health. Not only is bone broth easily digested so that we are able to more readily obtain all of these nutrients, the gelatin contained in bone broth may help to shield and heal our gut lining. The bonus is the amino acid glutamine which is contained in gelatin is also extremely helpful in preserving the function of our intestinal wall thereby assisting in maintaining good gut health. Drinking bone broth regularly may also be helpful for IBS and other inflammatory bowel diseases.

The gelatin found in bone broth is also believed to be helpful for our joint health and drinking bone broth regularly may assist in treating and preventing arthritis. When it comes to treating arthritis, I’m sure we’ve all heard of glucosamine and chondroitin which are the compounds contained in cartilage. Bone broth contains glucosamine and chondroitin. The amino acids known as proline and glycine are also contained in gelatin. These amino acids are used by our body to form connective tissue including our ligaments and tendons.

Even if you don’t suffer from gut problems or you have no issues with joint health, it makes sense to regularly drink bone broth because it is so nutritious.

Below are several bone both recipes which you may find helpful in kicking off your path to better health.

Chicken Broth Bowl

Ingredients:

1 litre water;1 tablespoon butter; 1 large chopped onion; 1 carrot and 1 stick celery finely chopped, 2 zucchini spiralised or sliced; 1 chicken breast cooked and shredded, 1 bunch broccolini; 2 tablespoons Nutraorganics Chicken Bone broth Garden Herb.

Method:

Melt butter in medium sized pot, add onion, carrot and celery and cook until translucent. Add water and Chicken Bone Broth Powder, bring to boil. Add other ingredients allowing to warm through before serving.

Tuscan Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 leek sliced; 2 large carrots diced; 2 pieces of celery sliced (reserve baby leaves); 3 cloves garlic diced; 1 bunch parsley, stems thinly diced (reserve leaves) ; 1 tablespoon thyme leaves; 1 zucchini -lengths quartered and chopped; 2 cooked chicken breasts shredded; 4 kale leaves chopped; 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 can organic cannellini beans (drained), 1.5 litres boiling water; 1tsp pepper; 2 heaped tablespoons Nutraorganics Chicken Bone Broth powder original; 2 tablespoons savoury yeast flakes; 2 teaspoons Himalayan salt.

Method:

Gently fry in deep pot leeks, carrots, celery, garlic, parsley stems and thyme in olive oil until softened. Add shredded chicken, zucchini, broth powder and water and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in savoury flakes, cannellini beans, kale and simmer for further 5 minutes. Season to taste then add parsley leaves and serve.