Nourishing Bone Broth

The interweb has been buzzing lately with posts and articles about bone broth. What the heck is this stuff? Well…to be honest, it is extra sexy broth brimming with nutritional goodness. This post is definitely not for my vegan and vegetarian friends (sorry!!) but today I’m diving into why you should incorporate this broth into your life and how to do it.  This super nourishing liquid is amazing forpregnant mamas and as one of baby’s first foods. I wish I knew this with my first pregnancy! Making this broth is super easy and extremely inexpensive and can be used in soups, stews or any recipe that calls for broth. You can even just drink the broth straight up! My mom has been drinking it a lot lately (she is calling her house a brothel, haha!) and adding in some anti-inflammatory turmeric and black pepper (the pepper helps your body better absorb the benefits of the turmeric). 

The nutrients are in an easy to absorb and highly digestible form, making it super supportive to your digestive system.  

So what exactly are the benefits of bone broth?

• It helps to support and strengthen the integrity of your gut lining – this is incredibly helpful if you suffer from allergies
• It supports joints, bones and connective tissue
• Helps with inflammation in the body
• Beneficial to hair and nails
• Immune boosting

Some of the nutritional superstars include:

• Minerals such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus
• Gelatin and collagen – amazing for your skin, joints and connective tissue
• Glucosamine and chondroitin 
• Amino acids – which are the building blocks of protein. Your protein needs while pregnant go up significantly so this is so fabulous to support your body while building a human in utero. Amino acids also help reduce inflammation.

A few tips and tricks to get the most from your bone broth:

• Adding apple cider vinegar helps to leach the beneficial minerals from the bones, into the broth
• Unlike regular broth or stock, bone broth is simmered for 24-48 hours, allowing for a more nutrient dense liquid. Aim for about 24 hours for poultry and about 48 for beef or bison
• If using raw bones, roasting before simmering improves the flavor of your broth
• Try to include a few bones that have cartilage (like joints or knuckles) which will result in a thicker more gelatinous broth (a clear indication of all the goodness in there!) 
  

  Nourishing Bone Broth

  2016-04-03 13:39:27

  

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  Ingredients

  1. 1.5-2lbs bones*
  2. 2 carrots
  3. 2 stalks celery
  4. 1 onion, quartered, skin on
  5. 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  6. Water to just cover bones

  Instructions

  1. Throw all ingredients into a slow cooker. Turn on low and cook 24 hours for chicken or 48 for beef or bison

  Notes

  1. *One chicken carcass, or bones from your local farmers market work great

  Melanie Robinson | Holistic Nutrition http://melanierobinson.net/
   Have you tried bone broth? How do you like to use it? Let me know in the comments below! And don’t forget to pin and share this post!