chicken-stock-225x300 The Third of My LOST AND FORGOTTEN SACRED FOOD SERIES: BONE BROTHYour grandma was right and its true homemade soup/broth is one of the best things to strengthen your immune system.  Even my own mom gave me a look of disgrace when I had thrown out the meat bones from a dinner I made.   She said, “if you are not going to use those than I will!”  Now I understand why!

Bone broth is made from scratch from the bones of pastured raised beef or chicken, wild caught fish or other healthy animals.  Using bones from animals raised in CAFO’s (confined animal feeding operations) is not recommended and does not contain the health components of those animals fed on pasture.

Bone broth may be just what you need to add into your diet.  When prepared from scratch it is truly a healing health tonic chock full of nutrients including

  • collagen
  • gelatin
  • hyaluronic acid
  • chondroitin sulfatecup-of-stock-300x198 The Third of My LOST AND FORGOTTEN SACRED FOOD SERIES: BONE BROTH
  • glycosamino glycans
  • proline
  • glycine
  • calcium
  • phosphorus
  • magnesium
  • potassium

These nutrients all help with the development of healthy joints, bones, ligaments, and tendons, as well as hair and skin.

Glycine and proline are two amino acids essential for healing wounds in the body and they also suppress inflammatory activity. The quantity and absorbability of proline and glycine in bone broth are what bump it up to superfood status.

Glycine

  • aids in digestion by helping to regulate the synthesis and of bile salts and secretion of gastric acid
  • aids in detoxification
  • helps regulate blood sugar
  • enhances muscle repair/growth by increasing levels of creatine and regulating human growth hormone

– Glycine is also converted into the neurotransmitter serine, which promotes mental alertness, improves memory, boosts mood, and reduces stress.

Proline

  • plays a role in reversing atherosclerotic deposits.
  • helps your body break down proteins for use in creating new healthy muscle cells.

The combination of all these nutrients in bone broth provides a nutritional fire-300x200 The Third of My LOST AND FORGOTTEN SACRED FOOD SERIES: BONE BROTHsynergy to settle an overactive immune system and chronic inflammation.  Regular consumption of bone broth supplies the body with the essential raw materials to….

  • rebuild stronger healthier cells
  • fight off bacterial or viral infections
  • soothe and heal digestive disorders
  • help in the healing of leaky gut syndrome
  • help heal nervous system conditions like anxiety and depression

Bone broth can be made in large batches and then frozen in ice cube trays or I use large mason jars for storing.  You can keep a jar handy in your fridge for cooking purposes or just to sip from a mug.  All through the winter I give my kids bone broth to sip on cold days.   They love it and I know how much it is helping keep them healthy through the winter months!

So how do you make your own bone broth?

It’s fairly simple and here is how I do it.  I follow this recipe from www.holisticsquid.com

 You will need:

  • 1 whole chicken, including gibletsbroth-blog-300x200 The Third of My LOST AND FORGOTTEN SACRED FOOD SERIES: BONE BROTH
  • 1 T. apple cider vinegar
  • Filtered water
  • A crock pot
  • A fine metal sieve
  • Optional – onion and/or onion peels, carrots, celery
  • Optional – rubber kitchen gloves

 Classic Chicken Bone Broth in a Crock Pot – Method

  1. Remove the (defrosted or fresh) chicken from it’s packaging – taking care to remove any giblet bag inside the cavity, rinse and place the chicken and giblets in the crock pot.
  2. Add filtered water to just cover the chicken.
  3. Turn the crock pot to low and cook for 3-4 hours (depending on the size of the chicken and the heat of your pot) until the chicken is just cooked.
  4. Gently remove the chicken to a bowl and allow to cook slightly. Wearing optional gloves to protect your hands from the hot meat, remove the perfectly cooked chicken and place in a separate bowl. Put the bones, skin, and other ‘bits’ back into the crock pot with the broth.
  5. Add apple cider vinegar to the pot of bones and broth, cover, and continue simmering on low for 6-12 hours or until the bones break easily.
  6. Carefully strain the broth through a fine metal sieve and discard the bones.
  7. Use the broth immediately, store in the fridge for about a week or freeze for future use in ice cube trays for quick defrosting. If saving for later, I prefer to concentrate my broth by  simmering it until it is half of its volume to save on space in my fridge or freezer.

 

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/040493_bone_broth_immune_health_nutrients.html#ixzz2bcNqA4Mx

http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/03/health-benefits-of-bone-broth.html