The benefits of bone broth
Bone broth and its benefits have been on our radar for years now, with celebrities such as Kylie Jenner and Gwyneth Paltrow singing its praises.
Devotees claim this magical brew can help with everything from digestion and joint pain to better hair and nails. While the broth has also caused a stir on social media - with over 100m views on TikTok, with everything from bone broth recipes to the benefits of bone broth.
But is bone broth all it’s cracked up to be?
Okay, but what is bone broth?
Bone broth is a soup-like drink which is created from boiling the bones of healthy animals, to absorb the bone's of their nutrients, while adding in other ingredients like vegetables, herbs and spices.
The idea is to boil the bones long enough (at least four hours) so that they begin to disintegrate and release all their nutrients.
Why do people keep talking about bone broth?
Good question! Bone broth isn’t exactly new - most cultures have cooked a form of it for hundreds of years. Hey, even your grandma’s eight-hour chicken soup is probably a not so distant cousin of today’s bone broth.
'Thanks to its nutrient density, there are loads of health benefits to drinking bone broth regularly,' explains Sarah-Jane Hall, in-house Nutritionist at Doctor Seaweed.
'From improved digestion to immune boosting, the benefits can span many areas of health. Due to its collagen content, many people consume bone broth to keep skin looking youthful.'
What are the benefits of bone broth?
Animal bones are rich in nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and potassium — the same minerals that we need for our own bone health, explains Hall.
'If you use fish to make your bone broth, this will provide a good source of iodine which is essential for healthy thyroid function and metabolism,' says Hall.
'This is particularly beneficial, as it can be really hard to get enough iodine in your diet otherwise, since the only good sources are white fish, dairy and seaweed. Bones also contain the protein collagen – an ingredient well known for improving skin health.'
Got the flu? 'Bone broth generally contains vitamin B12 and vitamin D – these nutrients are essential for immunity and can be hard to come by elsewhere in the diet. It’s also a great way to rehydrate and ensure you’re getting enough fluids if you are unwell, which may help you to feel better, quicker,' explains Hall
Is it okay to drink bone broth every day?
If you enjoy bone broth, there’s no reason why you can’t include it as part of your daily diet, explains Hall. 'It’s highly unlikely that consuming bone broth every day would cause any harm, unless you were drinking it in excessive amounts.'
Rhiannon Lambert, registered nutritionist and founder of Rhitrition says you shouldn't be relying on bone broth for all your nutrition needs, however: 'Variety in our diet is key so it is really important to have different foods and meals during the week but variations of favourite dishes is a good way to mix things up.'
'Why not include bone broth in your diet as part of your main meal or even a comforting hot drink between mealtimes,' she adds.
How do I make bone broth?
Ingredients
500g of bones from freshwater fish (e.g. trout), grass fed organic beef, organic chicken or turkey
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1-2 onions, chopped
Handful of fresh herbs, e.g. coriander, parsley, basil
2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
Method
Add the bones, vinegar and vegetables to a large saucepan and add enough water to cover. Cover with a lid and simmer for 4 hours. When finished, make sure you cool the broth down as quickly as possible, store 3 days supply in the fridge, and freeze remaining portions (this helps to stop them from going rancid). Enjoy!
Can you get vegan or vegetarian bone broth?
As you're technically boiling the bones of animals you may not think that a vegan or vegetarian broth would be possible - but if you're either and want to add it to your diet, Hall explains.
'Vegetarian and vegan bone broths are available – although, of course, these are not bone broths in the traditional sense. Plant-based foods are packed with goodness, so these broths can still be really beneficial for health. The only downside is that there are certain nutrients that we simply can’t get in the amounts that we need from plant sources.
'For example, the only plant-based source of essential iodine is seaweed – so including this as part of a vegan or vegetarian broth is a really good idea. Whether you’re vegan or not, emptying the contents of a seaweed supplement into your broth is an amazing way to boost the nutritional content,' adds Hall.
So, to broth or not to broth...what do you think?
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