Bone Broth: the Why

While wild animals and grandma know best, now there’s science to back up their wisdom. Scientific studies now provide clear evidence that the gut microbiome is key to ultimate health. Why? Without getting too technical, there is a gut/brain axis and when we have a healthy gut, we have a healthy brain. And when the brain is affected by trauma, it can affect the gut. It goes both ways.

When the gut is compromised, we have what’s called a leaky gut, and you can read a bit more about that here later.  What’s important to know is that the single lining of epithelial cells in both the gut (and now we’re learning, the brain too) is actually fairly easily breached. When that happens, particles leave the intestines and actually enter the bloodstream, wreaking havoc. Leaky gut is now believed to be one of the keys to autoimmune disease, irritable bowel, joint diseases, mood disorders like anxiety and depression, arthritis, and even Alzheimer’s.

Bone broths help both the cause and the symptom, something Western pharmaceuticals tend not to be able to do (see, food IS medicine!). In other words, the “medicines” within the broth ease our joint pain, and go to the root of the problem: a leaky gut and less than stellar performance of the gut-brain axis.

When made properly, bone broths produce amazing health results. Bones can be up to 50% protein by volume, and when you add in the connective tissue that binds them, that number only increases. Bonus prize: that bone protein? It’s anti-inflammatory!

Another key component of bones, as well as skin, nails, joints, and all cartilage and connective tissue, is collagen. During the cooking process, that collagen is broken down into gelatin, another protein. While gelatin doesn’t contain all essential amino acids to form a complete protein, it contains something very important: non-essential amino acids like glycine, proline, and arginine, all of which have very special functions in the body.

I want to talk about glycine because of its importance in decreasing inflammation, improving gut health, and detoxifying. Glycine has been shown to help with colitis and other inflammatory conditions. Importantly, glutamine, which is synthetized from glycine, (and glutamic acid and cysteine), is necessary for a healthy gut lining, lymphocyte production, and cell-mediated immunity. It also helps produce the “mother of all antioxidants,” glutathione.

There’s more. Glycine helps stimulate stomach acid—and that’s a GOOD thing! Here’s why— there’s a lot of evidence that shows that reflux, GERD, and other acid problems actually come from lack of stomach acid (so taking proton pump inhibitors actually serves to worsen the very problem it is supposed to treat!). Glycine also helps produce bile acid, which helps you break down your fats, and helps the liver’s detoxification function. BTW, as if all that is not enough, glycine also helps you relax and has been shown to improve sleep.

Besides helping the gut lining, bone broths are also incredibly healing for joint-related diseases like rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. For one thing, it contains GAGs (glycosaminoglycans) like glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. While a lot of people take these as supplements, the medical literature is not showing consistent results. However, when you get these things from food sources (like collagen extracted in a bone broth), the improvement seems to be better and more consistent.

One of the lessons we always seem to be relearning is that taking as much of our nutrition from nature—from the whole plant or animal—is always best!

Bone Broth: the How

You can use any animal bones, but the most beneficial are marrow bones (there’s a whole lot of information on the benefits of marrow in the paleo blogs). I tend to use whole chickens, because I love the flavor and as an ex-vegetarian, it’s more palatable.

RECIPE

Ingredients:

4 lbs of beef bones (with marrow and a little meat on them) or a whole roasted chicken.

2 onions quartered

1-2 leeks cut into 2-inch chunks

2-4 celery stalks, cut into 2 inch chunks

2-4 unpeeled carrots and/or parsnips cut into 2 inch chunks

garlic to taste. (I like a lot of roasted garlic, at least half a head!)

2 TB peppercorns

1 TB oregano or other favorite herbs

2-3 bay leaves

1 TB apple cider vinegar

salt to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400-450 degrees

Toss bones or chicken, half of the carrots, parsnips (if using), and celery and all of the garlic into a baking pan. Roast for 20 minutes. Toss after 15-20 minutes and let cook for another 10-15 minutes. Using roasted bones provides a much richer broth in terms of flavor and nutrients.

If using chicken, remove meat from bones (or you can leave it on if you don’t want to eat it). Place bones (with some meat) and all vegetables, pan drippings and fat into a large stockpot, with approximately 12 cups of water. Add more if needed. Add chopped leeks, second onion, a couple of freshly chopped carrots and celery. (This second addition of veggies is not necessary. I think it adds another layer of flavor.) Add the apple cider vinegar (which helps draw nutrients out of the bones).

Cover the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low, and cook with lid ajar. You can skim the foam off the top, but it does contain a fair amount of protein if it doesn’t bother you. You can skim excess fat if you must, as well. Let it simmer for at least 8 hours, but 24 would be ideal. The longer you simmer it, the fuller the flavor. Add water as necessary to keep the bones submerged. Feel free to add more garlic toward the end of the cooking, as well.

Let cool slightly, then strain into a bowl.

You can drink as is, or use it as a base for soups, sauces, or even smoothies. (You can scoop a couple of tablespoons of gelatin out of the chilled broth.)

Keeps for about 5 days, 6 months if frozen.

NOTES:

For beef bone broth, you might want to cook it even longer – up to 48 hours.
Fish bone broth can also be made but in less time – approximately 8 hours.

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