Bone Broth, It’s A Nutrient-Rich Superfood
When broth comes to mind, people think of boxed chicken or beef stock commonly found on your local supermarket shelves.
These conventional broths are often produced in mass quantities, are laden with salt, MSG, and other preservatives, and ultimately contain few nutrients.
In recent years, numerous Paleo followers have praised the consumption of home-cooked bone broth regularly for its beneficial healing properties.
Specifically, bone broth contains key nutrients such as collagen, glucosamine, and gelatin that are relatively non-existent in the modern Western diet.
These nutrients are essential for maintaining a healthy gut. Individuals suffering from digestive problems such as leaky gut, IBS, SIBO, or flora imbalance can aid in their healing by regularly consuming bone broth.
Bones are quite easy to come by and are generally inexpensive, thus making the addition of bone broth to your diet a no-brainer.
As you would other foods, source your bones.
Ideally, you want to search for bones from grass-fed cattle or bison, pastured poultry, or wild-caught fish.
If your local butcher does not carry grass-fed bones, U.S. Wellness Meats and Tropical Traditions are excellent companies for sourcing quality bones.
Best yet, preparing bone broth is simple and requires only a few ingredients and cookware.
Bone Broth, The Nutrient-Rich Superfood
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs bones
- 1 T Apple Cider Vinegar
- Choice Vegetables
Instructions
- Place one to two pounds of bones into a crock-pot or large stock-pot and cover with cold water. Optional: Roast bones beforehand at 375° F to make a darker stock.
- Add 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar. The apple cider vinegar assists in extracting the nutrients from the bones.
- For taste, add your choice of vegetables. I often add fresh chopped herbs, pepper, garlic, and onions.
- Place a lid over the pot and set to low or simmer. Feel free to skim any particles from the stock’s surface while it is cooking.
- For chicken and fish bone stock a minimum 4 hour cook time is necessary. Beef and bison bone stock will be ready in a minimum of 6 hours. I let my stock cook for 24 hours, and many others will often let their stock cook for 48 hours Storage
- To prevent your stock from going bad, it is important to cool the stock as soon as you are done cooking it.
- Pour the stock into multiple airtight containers and store what you are going to consume over the next three days in your refrigerator.
- The rest of your storage containers should be transferred to the freezer and thawed when needed to prevent rancidity.
- Heat the refrigerated stock on your stovetop before consuming.
Enjoy! Your gut will thank you!
Kyle Cordain, The Paleo Diet Team
