Bone broth

Boiling your bones is right in trend at the moment. However bone broth is far from new. Since the Stone Age soups were made by adding hot stones to the abdominal pouches of butchered animals to simmer up a nourishing feast of meat, fat, bones and herbs. Through the years most households would have a stock pot on the go for stews and soups. The arrival of the stock or bouillon cube heralded the end of this tradition in many cases however.

Convenience food

This new convenience gave busy housewives an inexpensive way to add flavour without tending the stockpot. However, most of this flavour comes from the monosodium glutamate rather than from the small amount of dried stock it actually contained. To illustrate further, traditional homemade beef stock or bone broth would contain bones, vegetables, herbs, and spices, nothing else.   A well-known supermarket beef stock cube contains :

Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Salt, Maize Starch, Yeast Extract, Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium Guanylate), Colour (Ammonia Caramel), Beef Fat (4.5%), Autolysed Yeast Extract, Dried Beef Bonestock, Flavourings, Sugar, Acidity Regulator (Lactic Acid), Onion Powder. That’s quite a difference.

Bone broth is a really cheap, easy and effective health enhancing measure to incorporate into your family’s diet. Use it as a base for stews, for soups, add to bolognaise, cook your rice or quinoa in it. What a way to supercharge your meals.

Some good reasons to make broth

• Heal your gut – The gelatin in bone broth protects and heals the mucosal lining of the digestive tract and helps aid in nutrient digestion. Broth is also a fantastic source of glutamine which is the preferred food source for the cells of the intestine.
• Declining stores of glutamine are  associated with increased rate of infection among athletes so bone broth is a fantastic post training food. It also helps stimulate muscle building and repair.
• Bone broth is an excellent source of glucosamine and chondroitin, two supplements many people take for joint pain relief. Chondroitin is a gel-forming molecule that cushions cartilage and protects it from compression. Glucosamine is used by the body to help repair cartilage and decrease inflammation.

And some more …

• Broth provides a robust amount of minerals in very easily digestible and bioavailable form. These minerals are also present in nature’s perfect ratios for building bone. Broth also contains rich amounts of proline and glycine which contribute to strong collagen and cartilage.
• Glycine is also a heavy hitter in the synthesis of haemoglobin, bile salts (for digesting fats) and the master anti-oxidant, glutathione.
• Bones not botox – bone broth is a natural source of gelatin, which helps with maintaining stronger hair and nails, and youthful skin. Broth feeds the epidermis, dermis and connective tissue layers of the skin from the inside out with the collagen, elastin and other nutrients in needs to plump out.

To make your broth

Take the carcass and bones from your Sunday roast chicken or some beef or lamb bones and put them in your slow cooker. Add a couple of handfuls of roughly chopped robust veg like onions, carrots or celery. Add some bay leaves, black peppercorns and good glug of apple cider vinegar.  The vinegar helps leech the minerals from the bones. Cover with water and let it simmer away for 6-24 hours.

There are several excellent pre-made broths on the market too. We love Sadie’s Kitchen, Carols Stock Market and Gut Instinct

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