The Healing Benefits of Delicious Bone Broth (for gut health and joint health) by Mike Geary

The Healing Benefits of Delicious Bone Broth (for gut health and joint health)

by Mike Geary, aka – The Nutrition Watchdog
Certified Nutrition Specialist, Best-Selling Author
You may have heard the news recently… I’m actually shocked that the mainstream media finally picked up a story on REAL nutrition, instead of the typical propaganda… but the word is out, and us Paleo followers have known about it for years — Bone Broth is officially all the rage!
So why is bone broth so healthy, and how can it help improve your health?
Well, bone broth is one of the richest sources of these nutrients:

• Vitally important variety of minerals in an easily absorbed form (Most people have mineral imbalances and deficiencies due to today’s processed food supply and degraded soils, so bone broth can help dramatically in this department)
• Collagen and other anti-aging, joint-healing nutrients, including glucosamine and chondroitin (yes, actually a MORE powerful source of glucosamine and chondroitin than most supplements)

Collagen was much higher in ancestral diets than it is today.  This is because humans used to eat the whole animal, including cartilage, skin, bone marrow, and other collagenous proteins.  Unfortunately, modern-day humans have foolishly ignored the bones, organs, and cartilage in our normal meals and mostly just eat the slightly less nutritious muscle meat.  That’s a shame because collagen is very important for maintaining the health of your joints, skin, hair, and lots more as you age.

There’s even some research showing that collagen protein offsets any carcinogenic effects of muscle meat… yet another example of how our ancestors had it right, and us modern humans have strayed away from the healthiest method of eating meat.
Heck, even famed NBA star Kobe Bryant was recently ordered by his doctors and the team Nutritionist to increase his intake of bone broth to help protect his joints as he ages.  It’s really that powerful.
Bone broth is also known to help HEAL your gut lining.  And let’s face it, with the modern inflammatory diet that most people eat these days, there’s a lot of guts out there that need healing.  After all, you probably have heard that excessive gluten intake can cause damage to the gut lining, and not just in people that are Celiac.  So if you want to heal years of gluten-damaged gut lining, bone broth will be your healing friend.
Can bone broth have any benefits to autoimmune problems?
The science hasn’t caught up on this one yet, but many health experts believe bone broth can be helpful for some autoimmune problems.  Here’s why… You may know that many autoimmune problems start with problems in the gut, and Leaky Gut is one of the common causes of an autoimmune attack in the body due to foreign substances leaking out of the gut and into the blood stream.
Since bone broth has gut healing properties due to the natural collagen content and other nutrients, bone broth is known to “seal and heal” the gut lining, which over time, can possibly reduce or heal certain autoimmune problems.
Bone broth is also generally great for your immune system.  And I forgot to mention the nutrient dense bone marrow that you get in bone broth too!
Enjoy this recipe below!  I’ve made several batches of bone broth in recent months, and I LOVE sipping this nutritious and delicious liquid gold in the mornings right after I wake up.  I’ve personally found the best taste by mixing beef bones and chicken bones.
Ingredients:

• 3-4 pounds of beef marrow bones and knuckle bones (you can also use leftover chicken bones or turkey bones from a whole bird.  Other useful additions are collagen-rich oxtail, and chicken feet are one of the richest sources of beneficial collagen, but hard to find)
• 1/2 c of organic apple cider vinegar (the vinegar helps extract minerals from the bones)
• 4 to 5 quarts of water
• 4 stalks of celery – rough chop
• 4 carrots – do not have to peel – rough chop
• 3 onions  – do not have to peel – rough chop
• Parsley
• Garlic
• Sea Salt to taste (at the end)
• Whole black peppercorns

Instructions:

• Add all the bones to a large stock pot
• Add water and vinegar to pot till bones are completely submerged.  Let sit for 1 hour to allow vinegar to start working on the bones.
• Add in carrot, onion and celery to pot.
• Bring pot to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.
• Once you are at a simmer you will want to skim any scum off the top of the pot (scum does not always form).
• You will want the mixture to simmer for at least 24 hours (long simmer time is essential for a good bone broth!), adding water as needed to cover the bones.
• During the last 30 minutes to an hour add in the parsley, garlic, handful of salt and whole black peppercorns.
• Once the broth is finished, let it cool then drain it, making sure that any vegetables or bone have been removed.
• Add sea salt to taste and drink both as is, or store in fridge for a week or in a freezer up to 6 months.

Enjoy the healing benefits of nutrient-dense bone broth!  Use your bone broth as a base for any soups or recipes that call for stock or broth.  Or just sip on it out of a mug!