I first read about Bone Broth in an article about a European model who said that drinking a cup of bone broth a day was her entire beauty routine! And when I mentioned it to a nutritionist friend she got really excited and encouraged me to drink, drink, drink up!
Then I read this article about how basketball star Kobe Bryant's joints were saved when the team nutritionist Dr.Cate Shanahan began feeding the team bone broth.
And then I couldn't find bones and quickly learned that everyone in my neighborhood was apparently making bone broth and I was advised by the butcher at our Whole Foods to come on Wednesday mornings when they put the bones out because by Wednesday evening they're all sold out!
It's important that the bones are good quality and come from pasture raised and non gmo meat. The better the quality the more pricey. You can buy a package of bones at your local market for about $3.00 and a package from Whole Foods for $13.00 but you will see there is a huge difference in the amount of bone marrow you will be getting, and that's what you want, lots of marrow. It's totally worth it if you can afford good quality bones. And it makes so much broth, from one package I usually can fill about 7-8 ounce mason jars.
Before I get to how easy this broth is to make, here are the basic reasons it's so amazing;
- It's extraordinarily rich in protein and minerals.
- It's a Super Food for your immune system.
- A cup a day is said to repair Leaky Gut Syndrome and other stomach issues.
- It contains Glucosamine and Chondroiton to help with and ward off arthritis and osteoporosis.
- It's full of Collagen for your skin and hair (remember the model.)
- It's full of Gelatin supporting bones, skin, hair and nails.
- In Chinese Medicine it's considered to strengthen our essence, qi, as well as build blood, nourish the kidneys, liver, lungs and spleen.
- Rich in Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Phosphorus, Sulpher and other trace minerals.
- It also contains Marrow, Cartilage, Glycine, and Proline.
What you will need to make your bone broth;
- A big pot.
- A package of good quality bones - you can use beef, chicken, turkey or fish.
- Filtered water.
- Optional - vegetables and/or spices of your choice.
- A big colander/strainer.
- Storage containers - I like using mason jars so it's already in portions.
- Time - it's best to let it cook on a low flame for about 8 hours.
See, so easy! You can use this broth as a base in any kind of soup or drink it plain, it's really good! I like to cook beef bones with an onion and some stalks of celery and a couple of carrots. When it's done, just strain the veggies out, it's delicious, like the best chicken soup you've ever had, (even though it's beef bones!) It needs salt though. You'll see hunks of marrow and gelatin which look like the 'fat' my mother used to skim off soup and throw away, who knew? You'll want to leave that in the broth. It freezes well and should look like gelatin.
Easy, nutritious and delicious!
