I don’t know about you, but as the weather starts to turn a bit cooler my belly starts to crave
healthy, hearty soups and stews. A great base or stock is a necessity for both. I tend to gravitate to a bone broth-based stock.
So, what makes bone broth so stellar? Here are just a few of its benefits:
Known to be nourishing for the skin and hair, which is vital in a dry and cold climate.
Contains a variety of vital vitamins and minerals such as, calcium, magnesium, copper,
aluminum, vitamin A, vitamin K2, zinc, iron, manganese, selenium and more!
Recent studies in rats have found that bone broth contributed to the healing and
continued protection of the mucosal lining in the gut (woah!). Read more about it here
Is attributed to being an anti-inflammatory food as it contains both amino acids glycine and arginine.
Aids in the building and repair of connective tissue via the ingestion of amino acids proline and glycine.
Is a low calorie food that is high in protein and incredibly satiating.
There are more benefits of course, but these are the major ones that have big impact on why
bone broth-based stock can be so nutritionally valuable. However, bone broth takes time to
make which can be considered a deterrent to cook; ideally, 2-4 hours to it make properly.
The use of a crockpot is incredibly handy in making both broth as you can set it and forget it for multiple hours. If you find that you may not have time to simmer the broth for the required time, this is a great alternative. I suggest always buying organic and low to no sodium when possible.
If you choose to make your bone broth, another important note is you must buy organic bones to ensure minimal toxic metals, such as lead and cadmium, leech into the broth. Varying studies found that these amounts are miniscule but buying organic will lessen the risk even more. You can read about this in depth here.
Bone broth can be made to be quite bland to hearty with little to a wide variety of ingredients and spices added. Either way, you can expect a more robust stock packed with flavor. I especially like the vegetable base recipe posted by Cordial Organics. It combines an assortment of flavors together and several traditional Chinese herbs such as lemongrass, ginger, turmeric, astralagus and cordyceps within the base recipe.
Simply add your bones of choice to the recipe above for a very satisfying base for your next
hearty stew or soup. You can use bones from a chicken, turkey, cow, pig or even fish.
For more details on which bones work best, check out Nourished Kitchens tips.
Be sure to note when the author suggests adding leafy herbs for the last 20-30 minutes of cooking so they don’t lose their flavor and add deeper richness to the broth.
Experiment and enjoy!
-Vanessa @ Flow Acupuncture