Broth is an incredible super food that you can easily make right in your own kitchen. It is also highly versatile as it can be used to cook beans, rice, thrown into casseroles and crockpot meals and of course soups. We love to make soup at least once a week, and often start or finish the day with a cup of broth. Here are five reasons to incorporate bone broth:
1. Digestive Support:
Broth stimulates the production of gastric juices such as hydrochloric acid, necessary to break down proteins appropriately and absorb vitamins and minerals; it also helps in the production of bile salts, necessary to emulsify your fats. The gelatin in broth is a hydrophilic colloid, meaning it attracts and holds liquids, facilitating digestion by attracting digestive juices to the food in the gut.
Most importantly, broth is wonderful for gut healing and sealing. Gelatin in broth has shown benefits in healing chronic conditions such as Crohn’s and colitis as well as resolving food allergies.
2. Liver support:
Broth is loaded with glycine, which is an amino acid that is critical for the liver’s capacity to detoxify.
3. Joint Health:
Broth is full of collagen, specifically a family of molecules called the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) including glucosamine. Glucosamine is a protein that resists digestion and passes through the intestinal wall intact and goes directly to your cartilage. Glucosamine can actually stimulate the production of new, healthy collagen and help repair damaged joints.
4. Hair, skin and nails:
Broth also has the amino acid proline which supports good skin health, particularly when paired with vitamin C. Collagen is also very important for healthy skin, hair and nails and we make less collagen as we age, so adding broth to your diet is a good way to provide yourself with a little fountain of youth.
5. Minerals:
Broth contains minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and other trace minerals, that are all easily absorbed and utilized by the body. Broth made with fishheads provides iodine and other thyroid strengthening substances.
To see just how easy it is to make a batch of bone broth, watch one of the videos below:
How to Make Chicken Stock in the Slow Cooker with Heather Dessinger
Or Beef Stock with Cate & Luke Shanahan and Sean Croxton