I wanted to share the wonders of ‘Bone Broth’ and how to easily make this using leftover bones, so you are not wasting precious useful parts!
One of the issues many of us have is an impairment to the gut lining, known as ‘leaky gut‘. This is a bit like having a sieve as your intestinal wall (or the mortar between the brings of your wall to disintegrate). This then results in food particles and bacteria, parasites etc can leak through into the bloodstream, that would not normally be found there. If this exposure goes on for a long time (i.e. chronic) the immune system reaction starts to go wrong (i.e. malfunction). This then causes chronic inflammation and results in food sensitivities.
So what can you do? Well maintaining a good intestinal wall lining is the first thing. Or if you do suffer from leaky gut, then you need to fix the ‘holes’.
How Do You Know If You Have 'Leaky Gut'?
This can be difficult, some people have digestive symptoms and some people do not, such as constipation, gas and bloating after you eat. Other people may have other symptoms such as brain fog after eating certain foods, swollen hands and feet after you eat, tight and stiff muscles in the morning. This happens as the food is being taken all around your body and inflammation can occur anywhere!
So How Does Bone Broth Help?
There are many modern studies that have found that bone broth improves your immunity. This is something that has been believed for centuries all around the world by many cultures.
Bone broth is typically rich Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Silicon, Phosphorus, Sulphur and other trace minerals. The other unique and powerful substances found in bone broth are Marrow, Cartilage, Glycine, Proline, Collagen and Gelatin.
Gelatin, which contains ‘glutamine‘ is the food for the cells that line the intestines. Glutamine is an amino acid that is critical to healing leaky gut syndrome and thus improve your immunity. Do note if you are a vegetarian or vegan that glutamine (not gelatin) can be found in all animal protein, but also beans, cabbage, beets, spinach and parsley. So why am I recommending bone broth then?
Well, it has so many other benefits. For example, the gelatin present is good for many other reasons:
- It increases water retention in the digestive tract – which improves intestinal and healthy bowel movements.
- It is fantastic for skin and hair health, as there are amino acids that help the body create collagen – so no need for all those expensive lotions and creams that are rich in toxins!
- It is good for your joints, as it reduces inflammation and helps the body create collagen needed for supple joints.
- Helps improve your sleep, as it contains the amino acid glycine.
Basically, the top three ways that bone broth helps us is:
- Heals gut issues – which is so important for our immunity and in the balance of hormones, as if you cannot properly absorb the nutrients you need you cannot make the hormones you need – which if you are wanting to get pregnant is critical!
- Assists in the detoxing of estrogen – the amino acids proline and glycine are essential in the detoxification pathways in the liver – this is essential for women with endometriosis
- Supports the adrenals – bone broth detoxes and conditions the kidneys, part of the adrenal system.
There is so much to say about bone broth, and as this recipe post is already turning into a full-on blog post! I wanted to point you in the direction of a detailed article on the benefits of bone broth by Chris Kresser.
Sourcing Bone Broth
- Make your own bone broth – it really is easy and can be made in batches. It is easier if you have a slow cooker or pressure cooker. You simply use organic (this is a must) bones, filtered water, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, an onion (halved), a carrot or two, couple of celery sticks, handful of greens / herbs e.g. carrot tops, parsley, oregano / thyme, bay leaf and ca, 8-10 peppercorns. If in a slow cooker, cook for 24 hours for chicken bones, up to 48 hours for beef bones. You want the bones to disintegrate.
- Buy from a reputable source, that is from organic and grass-fed stock.
I used to use a slow cooker, but then it broke and I bought an amazing new toy, an Instant Pot, which means I can make broth in 4 hours now!
Do You Need Help With Your Gut?
If I were working with you one to one to improve your endometriosis this is one of the first things we deal with. I would ask you a series of questions to determine if you had any food sensitivities, what life stressors you had, if you had dysbiosis and what you medical history is. We would then work together through a ‘Gut Healing Program‘ using:
- Food as medicine,
- Nutritional supplements
- Laboratory testing (if affordable) and a functional medicine evaluation.
Wholesome Chicken Bone Broth
Delicious, warming and hugely nutritious bone broth. Easy to make, so versatile, as you can use it to make soups and stews, and even freeze in ice-cubes to use a little to add quickly and easily. This recipe provides a step-by-step guide you will never forget!
Servings: 1 litres
Equipment
- Instant Pot / Slow Cooker / Casserole Dish
- Knife and Chopping Board
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring jug / cups
Ingredients
- 2-3 kg chicken bones organic and grass-fed
- 1 onion
- 2 sticks celery
- 2 carrots medium
- 1 handful carrot tops optional
- 1 handful herbs parsley, thyme, oregano
- 1-2 bayleaf
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 3 inch kombu
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar with the 'Mother'
- 2-3 L filtered water
- 1 pinch sea / rock salt
Instructions
Preparation
- Add the organic and grass-fed chicken bones of 1 or more chickens (preferably left-overs from your Sunday Roast!) to your Instant Pot, slow cooker or large casserole dish.
- Peel and chop the onion in quarters and add into the pot.
- Peel the carrot (if not organic - if organic, then just scrub) and chop into a few large pieces.
- Chop the celery in half and add to the pot.
- Wash the large handfuls of carrot tops and fresh herbs and add to the pot (no need to chop).
- Add the apple cider vinegar, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt and kombu (you may need to break off a bit).
- Cover with filtered water - this is likely to be about 2-3 litres.
Cooking Methods
- If you are using the Instant Pot, turn on for 4 hours - the longer the better but I find this is just fine.
- If you are using a slow cooker turn it onto the low setting for 8-12 hours (i.e. overnight).
- If you are using a lidded casserole dish/pan, then bring to the boil, and reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 10-12 hours, or until it has reduced by about 1/3 to 1/2, so you have about 1.5 l (6-8 cups) of stock. The longer you cook it, the more collagen is extracted.
- Once cooked, strain and throw away the bones (though you can get a second slightly weaker batch out of it).
Bone Broth Storage
- Your best option is to use the bone broth straight away in a soup or stew.
- It is best to store it in glass jars or glass Tupperware. You can either store in the fridge for up to 2-3 days (make sure to bring to the boil before you consume it) or freeze it for 1 to 2 months. You can freeze it in glass jars (make sure not to fill - leave a few inches to allow for expansion) or in an ice cube tray and then put into a bag in the freezer for quick access.
Notes
- When Bone Broth is cold, it should go jelly-like (i.e. gelatinises) because of the collagen content. The more 'jelly-like' it is the better!