Bone broth is touted for its amazing health benefits. But it’s more than a trend. It’s healthy!
Our integrative medicine clinic recommends bone health broth as part of many treatment plans. This article will walk you through the steps of buying, preparing and using bone broth as part of your healing journey or in everyday life.
Bone Broth Benefits
Gut Healing
The primary source of food for the cells that line our digestive tract is glutamine, an amino-acid. Having more glutamine in our system means that there is more food available to the cells lining our digestive tract. This is how glutamine promotes healing of the GI tract. Stress causes the body to be unable of producing enough glutamine. Stress (excessive work or training, insufficient sleep, etc.) can cause our glutamine levels to rise. Our glutamine levels are higher when we’re under stress (overworking or overtraining, not sleeping enough, etc.). When we are stressed (overworking or overtraining, not sleeping enough, etc.), our glutamine levels will be higher. ).
Detoxification:
Glycine is an essential amino acid in the production of glutathione. This antioxidant is a master of the body. Glycine is not consumed enough by many people! Bone broth is a good source of glycine, as it can be found in cartilage or bones.
Joint Pain
Bone broth helps to relieve joint pain. Bone broth is rich in minerals, amino acids, and glucosamine, which are all compounds that help to build and strengthen bones and connective tissues.
Additional Nutrients To Note
Potassium
In 2019, I attended a nutrition conference where my colleague gave a presentation on bone broth. The report included a section about the nutritional value of bone soup. The potassium content of this report was the biggest surprise to me. One cup of bone broth contains more potassium than a banana! The magnesium and sodium contents (if present) along with this information led me to believe that bone broth is one of the most electrolyte-rich drinks.
Chromium
My colleague’s report also showed that bone broth is high in chromium. The anti-inflammatory effects of bone broth could be explained by the role played by chromium to maintain blood sugar levels.
Selenium
Selenium is a mineral known to balance thyroid function in hypothyroidism. Brazils nuts, although often recommended as a way to get your daily dose selenium, are not the most common nuts. Bone broth has between 10-20% of the daily recommended intake.
Considerations
Histamine: Broths are usually simmered slowly for several hours. This allows histamine to form. If you are sensitive to histamine, I recommend using a pressure cooker (such as an Instant Pot) to make your broth. Most recipes can be converted using the pressure cooker. Here is a link for a recipe.
FODMAPs: Many broths contain ingredients such as onion, garlic, and other high-FODMAP ingredients. The soup contains FODMAPs which are water soluble. For a low FODMAP soup, we recommend using only the bones and avoiding ingredients that are high in FODMAPs.
During cooking, cartilage also releases GAS (a type of FODMAP). It is beneficial for joints and the gut but may cause symptoms to those who are highly FODMAP-sensitive. We suggest that people with sensitivity start small and monitor their reactions. Even if you’re following low-FODMAP, we don’t want zero FODMAPs!
Caitlin’s Note: Low-FODMAP bone broth is beneficial for most people with SIBO and IBS.
Many vegetables contain oxalates (watch out for spinach!) The body converts the glycine in bone broth into oxalates. Some people have high levels of oxalates which can lead to kidney stones and other symptoms. If you are sensitive to the oxalates found in broths, use small amounts of bone broth.
We do not believe that oxalates are a sign of “sensitivity”, rather they represent “a situation in which the cup overflows”. We do not recommend an oxalate free diet. We recommend a diet low in oxalate that is tailored to your symptoms.
Do you have any doubts about whether these criteria are applicable to you? Schedule a 20-minute free consultation with our practitioners to see if Integrative Medicine is right for you.
Therapuetic Uses
We have listed some of the uses of bone broth under Health Benefits. How can you use it? What is a “dose”?
First-line therapy dose:
8 ounces bone broth, 2 to 3 times per day on a regular basis or for a limited time.
Include one to two cups per day of tea in your daily diet to promote gut healing and mineral replacement. This is an appropriate amount. This is also an ingredient that’s recommended in many therapeutic diets, such as SCD or AIP.
Short-Term Therapeutic Dosing
You can consume 8 ounces bone broth up to 3 times per day.
Consult your doctor for the correct dosage. It is often recommended when you have surgery or a condition which affects your appetite.
Prenatal Therapeutic Dosage
Eight ounces of broth daily, during the third trimester
During the third trimester, the belly begins to grow. During this time, I advise my patients to add more collagen to their diets to maintain their abdominal elasticity. This may help to prevent stretch marks. Vitamin C can also be consumed to increase collagen production.
Add it to soups and grains, beans or desserts.
Bone Broth Recipes
In its simplest form, bone broth is made by simmering water and bones together for 12-24 hours. You can do this on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. Some people add herbs, vegetables and collagenous meats to their broth.
PIM’s basic Bone Broth Recipe
This recipe uses chicken bones and feet.
Caitlin’s Low FODMAP chicken bone broth: Slow cooker or stove top
This recipe uses leftover chicken bones, water and a little bit of salt. This recipe is low FODMAP and requires no effort. This recipe contains no vegetables high in oxalate.
Bone Broth Using Fresh Bones:
Check with local butchers and farms to find bones for broth that are affordable. You could once get bones for free from local butchers or farms. Now, they are often sold at $1 to $2 per pound. This is a much more affordable and cheaper alternative to buying them at the store. If you want, you can cook the bones in advance. You can roast the bones first for a more flavorful taste or blanch them for a smoother, cleaner taste. You can cook them in water as normal without precooking.
You can order bones online from US Wellness Meats or by searching EatWild for local farms that produce high quality grassfed and pastured animal products.
Meaty Bones Soup
If you don’t have time to make a broth, you can still get the same result by using leftover bones. You can use pieces of meat with a high collagen content and that are still attached to the bones. Drumsticks and chicken wings are the most accessible and affordable option. Chicken feet can be cooked, but make sure you clean them first.
You can still use it in soups, stews and other tasty dishes. Use it to make soups, stews, and other delicious dishes.
Low Histamine – Dr. Becky Campbells’s Making Bone Stock in a Pressure Cooker is the easiest and most efficient way to reduce histamines. This recipe takes only two hours!
Shops offer a variety of options
I have tried many different brands of broth and stock. These products tend to be bland, acidic at times and lacking in the therapeutic qualities of homemade broth. In light of the growing popularity of bone broth, I’m happy to recommend some brands that are delicious, nutritious and convenient.
It is more expensive to buy bone broth in the store than make it yourself. However, this is a great way to stock up on this gut-friendly product for your family. This is a great option for those who don’t have the time, energy, or capacity to make their own broth.
Some of these brands are available online, while others can be found in health food stores across the nation. We refer our Philadelphia integrative practice to Kimberton Whole Foods, MOM’s Organic Market and other brands.
Brodo Broth
My favorite. The flavor is rich and comforting. Brodo started as a pop up broth shop in NYC and now offers subscriptions and delivers via their online store. They ship frozen. You can choose from a variety of broths, including vegan mushrooms broth. I send combo packs to family and friends after a major surgery, birth or illness such as coronavirus.
Bonafide Provisions
This is my second favourite. Most stores sell it in their frozen section. When it is thawed, the broth becomes flavorful and gelatinous. I’ve tried their chicken and beef broths.
Kettle & Fire
Some of the products offered by this company have better quality than others. My favorite is the Regenerative Chicken Broth, but you can also choose from a range of Organic options.
FOND
This company offers a wide range of organic and regeneratively-raised broths. This is my favorite brand for Low FODMAP options. There are also broths that are AIP-friendly and do not contain peppercorns, nightshades or nightshades. As far as I know, this brand is only available online.
Bone Broth substitutes
If you can’t get bone broth, there are still many benefits.
Collagen Powder
Most popular collagen products include Designs for Health Whole Body Collagen and Further Foods Collagen Powder. All forms of Grass Fed Collagen, however, are excellent. These products are not “complete” proteins as they do not contain enough essential amino acids. Tryptophan is one of them. You should not rely on them as your only source of protein. This could be because most commercial collagen products are made of cow hides, not bones. Whole Body Collagen can be made using a variety of sources, including cartilage, tendons, and hides.
Bone Broth Protein
Ancient Nutrition produces a powdered bone broth protein. This is a powdered concentrated bone broth. This product may be low in tryptophan and not be an entire source of protein.
Vegan Broth Option:
As a concentrated source of minerals, we also recommend Rebecca Katz Magic Mineral Broth to vegetarians and vegans. This will have a variety of micronutrients and different health benefits. This is a nutrient-dense option that contains important nutrients in bioavailable form.
