Hi friend! I hope you’ve been having a spectacular week! As I mentioned in my post on Monday I have made a commitment to fully immerse myself in healing my body and my mind. I must say, since I made this promise to myself things have been on the up and up. Skin is clearing up, digestion is feeling much better, more energy, less crankiness, and no more nail biting! It’s not always easy to make changes in your life, even when you know how and why, but the payoffs in the short and long term are pretty amazing, which makes every decision totally worth it!

Anyhoo, as the title suggests, today’s post is going to be all about the magic of bone broth, one of my top superfoods for healing. I’ve been drinking at least 1-2 cups every day for the past couple of weeks and the results have been stupendous. In fact, as I research and type up this article I’m sipping on a bowl of miso soup with green onions made with my very own chicken broth. Briefly some of the benefits of a good homemade stock include:

• Improved digestion and assimilation
• Healthier skin
• Stronger, more flexible joints
• Stronger bones
• Increased immune function
• Improved wound healing

I find homemade bone broths and stocks to be some of the most nourishing and inexpensive foods on the planet. When you simmer bones with veggies and vinegar in a pot full of water magic happens! Depending on how long you simmer it for you come away with a broth chock-full of nutrients to support our bodies and heal our digestive tracts. If you want to get into the nitty gritty you can read my about some of the nutrients in more detail below. If not, skip ahead to the recipe at the bottom.

Gelatin

• This nutrient comes from the breakdown of collagen in bone marrow, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments and is great for healing the digestive tract. It is called a hydrophilic colloid and it loves to attract and hold liquids, including your digestive juices. This function helps attract the juices to the foods you’re eating, thereby helping improve overall digestive function. And you know what they say: You are not what you eat, you are what you absorb! With the help of delicious and nutritious bone broth, you’ll be absorbing your food like a champ and having the glowing skin and boundless energy to show it!

Minerals

• Bone broth contains calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, sulfur, potassium, and other important trace minerals, all of which are necessary for the growth and maintenance of healthy bones and muscles. Bonus: because these minerals are super easy to absorb, each bowl of bone broth is like taking a multi-mineral supplement!

Glycine and Proline

• These are amino acids that are not commonly found in abundance in muscle meats and which help with digestion, immunity, muscle growth and repair, and balancing the nervous system. Among their more specific functions is their role in the production of collagen, which is responsible for keeping our skin firm, supple, and wrinkle-free. They are also an important component of cartilage, which is necessary for healthy joints and mobility. They are not considered essential amino acids because theoretically people have the capacity to synthesize them from other AAs. However, I would hazard a guess and say that if you’re not already in the peak of optimal health it might be hard to synthesize the quantities needed to prevent stiff and achy joints or squishy, wrinkly skin.
• Another quick kudos I’d like to give to glycine is its role in enhancing the secretion of stomach acid. In my practice one of the most common imbalances I see in my clients is low stomach acid secretion that leads to a whole host of digestive issues down the road. If we’re not producing enough SA to break down our food properly we tend to get very burpy, suffer from heartburn, we don’t digest and absorb our nutrients as well, and we will likely suffer from a whole host of deficiency symptoms, the least of which is flagging energy.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin

• Some of you may have heard of these nutrients in their supplement form. They’re recommended for a helping alleviate arthritis aches and pains. Well, when you make your own bone broth the cartilage and tendons break down and you get these very same nutrients in an easily absorbable and delicious form.

Print

Healing Bone Broth Recipes

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

4 hrs

Total Time

4 hrs 5 mins

 

This simple & easy process for making healing bone broth is loaded with flavour & nutrition using veggie scraps & your favourite animal bone- chicken, beef, lamb, duck, etc.!

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easy Bone Broth Recipe, Healing Bone Broth Recipe

Servings: 3 litres

Author: Caitlin Iles

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. animal bones* See notes chicken, beef, lamb, etc.
• 3 litres water
• 1/4 cup apple cider or balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. sea salt

Optional Add Ins

• 2 strips kombu- a type of seaweed to add extra minerals
• 1 carrot, rough chopped* see notes
• 2 celery stalks, rough chopped
• 1 onion, quartered with skins
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed with skins
• 4 stalks fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried her)
• 2 stalks fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp. dried herb)
• 6 bay leaves

Instructions

For Instant Pot

1. Add all ingredients to your Instant Pot.

2. Put on the lid and move the valve to the sealed position.

3. Hit the manual button and set it to 120 minutes.

4. Let pressurize and cook for 120 minutes. You can let it release automatically or if you want to use it right away, move the valve from the sealed to released position.

5. Strain out the veggies and bones, pour into glass jars, let cool, then store in the fridge. If you are going to freeze some jars, make sure you leave at least 1 inch of space at the top of the jar for expansion.

For Crockpot

1. Add all ingredients to a crock-pot and turn to high until it starts to boil.

2. Turn to low and let simmer 6-24 hours. You may need to add some more water if it evaporates. I find chicken bones need about 6 hours and heartier bones like beef need 12+.

3. Strain out the veggies and bones, pour into glass jars, let cool, then store in the fridge. If you are going to freeze some jars, make sure you leave at least 1 inch of space at the top of the jar for expansion.

For Stovetop

1. Add all ingredients to a large saucepan and turn to medium/high heat.

2. Bring to a boil.

3. Once boiled, turn to low and let simmer 6-24 hours. You may need to add some more water if it evaporates. I find chicken bones need about 6 hours and heartier bones like beef need 12+.

4. Strain out the veggies and bones, pour into glass jars, let cool, then store in the fridge. If you are going to freeze some jars, make sure you leave at least 1 inch of space at the top of the jar for expansion.

Recipe Notes

*I like to use the knuckles/soup bones from cows, chicken feet/backs, or any leftover bones from roasts. Store them in the freezer until you have a couple pounds worth.

* Instead of using whole carrots, onions, celery, and garlic I like to save my scraps from cooking and store them in a ziplock baggie in the freezer until it's full. I save everything from the ends of carrots, celery, and onions to the skin off my garlic and the stalks of my cilantro and kale. A great way to prevent waste and add a cheap, nutrient-dense punch to your broths!