written by Chef Kathryn Rogers of Vivacious Dish
Bone broth changed my life. Three years ago I was struggling with chronic abdominal discomfort, leaky gut (meaning that I was having a really hard time digesting things properly and had a number of food sensitivities) and skin eruptions including eczema and acne. I was eating pretty clean – following a mostly low carb diet, steering clear of gluten and avoiding processed foods. My stress levels were high – having recently moved, started a new job, and bought my first home. I was exhausted – emotionally and physically – and my body and brain needed some serious TLC.
photo courtesy of Conscious Chef Kathryn Rogers of Vivacious Dish
I did some research about healing leaky gut and discovered Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride’s Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) Diet. I had tried bone broth a number of years before, while visiting with a friend and holistic health expert, but it wasn’t until my 6-week foray with the GAPS that I made bone broth a staple in my daily routine. Upon further examination, I found that broth’s benefits have been touted by holistic health leaders like Sally Fallon Morell and Louise Hay.
By the end of 6 weeks drinking bone broth every day, my digestion had improved dramatically, my skin looked the most radiant it had been in over a decade, and my inflammation markers had decreased dramatically. Fast forward to today, and my digestive system is strong, my food sensitivities have improved (although I still steer clear of gluten and refined sugars), and my hair is shiny, my nails strong and my skin supple and smooth. My life with broth is good!
While there are limited scientific studies on the proven positive effects of bone broth, many nutritionists and holistic practitioners are strong proponents for its potential benefits.
Top 6 Benefits of Drinking Bone Broth Every Day
- Improved Digestion: Bone broth’s amino acid structure and high gelatin content make it soothing and healing for the gut. Gelatin helps to soothe any fissures in your gut lining and can increase elasticity, making your internal pipes smooth and strong.
- Strong Bones & Joints: Whether you are recovering from an injury or want to prevent osteoporosis later in life, bone broth is here to help! Rich in glucosamine, chondroitin sulphates and other compounds, bone broth lubricates achy joints and tissues and can support regeneration. When I injured my knee two years ago (dislocated my patella), bone broth was an essential ingredient in my rehab program.
- Sustained Energy: Bone broth is rich in healthy fats and other beneficial compounds. An 8 oz. mug in the morning will kick your day off right with easy-to-digest nourishment, help stabilize blood sugar and give you a healthy energy boost (unlike caffeine or sugar) that will sustain you throughout the morning.
- Immunity Boost: Mother knows best! Chicken soup (and other broth-based recipes) are timeless cold busters for good reason. We now know that a strong immune system begins in the gut. With its high gelatin content, bone broth supports gut health and is rich in amino acids that reduce disease-causing inflammation.
- Healthy Hair, Skin and Nails: Beauty from the inside out? Yes please! Bone broth contains collagen, which supports hair, skin and nail health, and it provides the amino acids needed by your body for collagen production. Collagen keeps the skin smooth and firm, and reduces wrinkles.
- Reduced Food Waste: When you make bone broth at home, you create an opportunity to use another part of the animal: the bones. Like so many native cultures knew, animal bones are rich in vitamins and minerals, so instead of throwing them away, re-purpose them into this nourishing elixir.
Speaking of animals, it’s important to use 100% grass-fed beef, pastured pork, wild fish heads/bones or pastured organic chicken bones/feet in your broth. Bones that come from healthy, happy animals have greater nutrient density that in turn impacts our cellular function. Holistic land management is also better for the environment since it regenerates the soil and supports a healthy ecosystem.
You can find bones at your butcher shop or from your local rancher; just ask if you don’t see them in the case. Chicken feet work great too.
To learn how to make simple bone broth at home, watch this video from Chef Kathryn Rogers of Vivacious Dish:
photo courtesy of Conscious Chef Kathryn Rogers of Vivacious Dish
Chef Kathryn Rogers has more than 15 years’ experience creating colorful dishes from locally sourced ingredients. She believes that food has the power to change the world – both in our own bodies through nourishing, clean ingredients that fuel whole health and in our larger community by supporting sustainable and regenerative farmers committed to improving the environment and treating workers and livestock ethically and humanely. She splits her time between San Diego, CA and Carson City, NV, where she teaches cooking classes and offers catering and private chef services. When’s she’s not in the kitchen, she volunteers as Co-Chair and Food Justice Chair for Slow Food Urban San Diego.
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Adelene is a resident of Arkansas and loves exploring the state’s natural trails. Her passion for education and technology led her to earn a master’s in learning systems technology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. With her professional experience managing student/client databases and instructional design, Adelene will bring skill and understanding to her role as Office Manager & Instructional Designer at HMI. Her focus on making education more accessible to diverse communities is evident through her volunteer work as an board member for a scholarship program. Adelene is devoted to creating educational opportunities that align with HMI’s mission to promote healthy, resilient lands and thriving communities.
Seth Wilner has been a Holistic Management International Certified Educator since 2005. For 22 years he has worked as an agent educator with University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension where he specializes in farm business management with an emphasis on whole farm planning.
Dana was first introduced to Holistic Management in the 1990s while working in the Texas Hill Country. She strongly believes that Holistic Management can positively impact families that are on the land, the communities they are a part of, and larger landscape resource regeneration efforts.
Sarah Robertson grew up in Taos, New Mexico and has always been passionate about land stewardship, growing things, and nurturing others. After completing a BA in Communication from the University of New Mexico and working with local non-profits, she started her journey as a first-generation farmer. Since 2015, she has been learning and growing alongside her husband on various leased properties in Albuquerque, NM and running a small market farm with goats, chickens, and a CSA. In her role as Programs Assistant at HMI, Sarah brings her enthusiasm for regenerative agriculture, devotion to supporting others, and drive for lifelong learning and growing.
Jozua Lambrecht is from South Africa and divides his time between their home in Somerset West and their family farm in Sutherland, one of the coldest places in South Africa, where they farm with sheep. He is married to his wife Therese and they have two daughters.
Alejandro Carrillo is a fourth-generation rancher, and he is quite familiar with the challenges of running a profitable cattle ranch in the Chihuahuan desert. Because annual precipitation seldom exceeds nine inches, every drop counts when it comes to growing more grasses. Grazing year-round with only sea salt as an input, he is not willing to waste any water in such a brittle environment.
Jared L Talley was born and raised in Southwestern Idaho and now seeks to help rural communities adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world. He is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Service at Boise State University, earning his PhD in Philosophy from Michigan State University and his MPA in Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management from Boise State University. An environmental philosopher by training and an interdisciplinary scholar in practice, he seeks to better understand how communities relate to the land and how this relationship poses obstacles and opportunities for collaboration and governance. In doing so, he studies the role of science in collaborative policy, the role of place in environmental identity, and the role of the imagination in mediating both. Specifically, he studies grazing management and public land permitting, community-led conservation programs, rural education and entrepreneurship, place-based environmental governance, and the imaginative experience of our natural and built environments — all in the contexts of the intermountain American West.
Amazing post. This is my first time I visit here. I found such countless interesting stuff in your blog especially its trade. Really its phenomenal article. Keep it up.
Do you remove the fat that collects when you place in the fridge?
You are a wonderful person to share this information. Thank you for taking your time to do this. I cook with a lot of veggies and meats from scratch and have wasted the peelings and unused portions. When I had my own garden, I would put the extra in the gardens for compost. Now, I will use the excess in a bone soup or veggie broth. You are amazing. Thank you, again. I will be back to tell you my results.
Hello,
I am healing from Chronic Lyme and found from another website that Lyme feeds on collagen in our bodies. I am experiencing painful feet now and want to get my health back and the pain to go away. This website caught my eye and I will definitely try the chicken bone broth this week end. Thank you so much for you informative video.
Great post on how to make bone broth.