December 17, 2019
(updated March 23, 2023)
You may have heard about bone broth, or LIQUID GOLD, and how it’s all a rage for healing your gut. If something’s wrong, pour the bone broth on it and it’ll be fixed (kind of like the My Big Fat Greek Wedding’s Windex cure-all solution…). Yup, it’s pretty spot on. Bone broth is incredibly beneficial in healing and sealing our gut lining, tightening the junctions in our small intestine (where my leaky gut peeps, at??), boosting digestion, supplying us with glowing collagen, and much more. So all of that is great, but it doesn’t solve the HOW of getting it into our diets regularly. Of course, drinking a cup a day is a no-brainer… but there are even more creative ways to sub or include bone broth into our regular meals, so you don’t even have to think about it and still get to enjoy all the magical benefits it will provide you with!
Ya dig?
It’s basically just water, bones, and apple cider vinegar simmered low and slow for approx. 20-48hrs. This cooking process allows the nutrients in the bones to release– collagen, glucosamine, chondroitin, other amino acids, and minerals– creating a nutrient-dense broth that becomes thick, and even gelatinous when cooled (reference). Many cultures have long included versions of bone broth for years and years as a part of their diets. Dr. Weston A. Price learned this on his quest around the world studying indigenous people and noting how they were all thriving and much healthier than “people of commerce”… AKA… US, the people who have been exposed to processed foods. One of the commonalities he found from these groups of people who had never been exposed to processed foods, was that they all had a version of bone broth in their diets (reference).
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Ever hear “Chicken soup heals all”? It’s something likely your grandmother, great-grandmother or earlier are VERY familiar with. Yet, something we lost in our more modern, processed, quick…fast-food type of culture. But we all reach for that chicken soup when we are sick almost instinctively! Luckily, we are circling back to the even more nutrient-dense version it!
Ideally, 1-2 cups of bone broth per day are amazing for healing the gut. But, any little bit you get is going to be great for you. Drinking it alone or loaded with toppings like ghee, spices, or avocado is a favorite for sure and always a great go-to. Here are some more ideas and I’ve got a lot more recipes here on the blog and in my book, The Paleo Gut Healing Cookbook. As a holistic nutritionist who loves food… I’m always here to bring the delish flavors to healthier cooking.
This might seem like a no-brainer, but honestly, the possibilities are endless here! Use it to sauté your greens, pour it in ground meat hash, throw it at the bottom of your whole turkey or chicken… and whatever else you can dream up. I also love using it in my Instant Pot stew.
Stick with me here, because YOU WON’T TASTE IT. Nope! Using 3/4-1 cup or so of bone broth (frozen or fresh) is a great way to use up bone broth. You can even freeze it as ice cubes if you’d like. Get my favorite bone broth smoothie recipe right here – people LOVE it!
Use bone broth as your stock or water ALWAYS! Not only is it a no-brainer, but honestly, it will taste way more flavorful too. It’s also an easy way to make a quick, clean out the fridge type of meal vs. waiting hours for stovetop soup to develop flavor. That part is already done for you. Simply add your veggies, protein, and SPOON! Here’s an example of how I do this for a 15 min. dinner solution. And another idea for bone broth ramen here!
The rule still applies… you have liquid in a recipe, try it with bone broth. Why the heck not? Try my mushroom gravy with bone broth for a richer, nutrient-dense situation.
YUP. Once again… a liquid swap rule! And since cocoa is so flavorful, you just won’t taste it. Try the recipe in my Paleo Gut Healing Cookbook that I make all winter long.
As for what bone broth to use… I have a tried and true slow cooker recipe you can use here and as for brands to buy, my absolute favorite is Bonafide Provisions which you can find in the freezer aisle at Whole Foods or order online! They’re sourcing and production quality is the best.
I hope these ideas were helpful for you and get you drinking more bone broth on the regular!
References
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6 comments
Thanks for all the valuable information and recipe tips. I’ll try some of these to get more beef broth in my everyday meals.
awesome, hope it helps!
Thanks for all these great tips and ideas to use bone broth!
Smoothie is one way I would never thought of as a means to get more bone broth – awesome tips – thanks so much.
I keep hearing about all the benefits of bone broth and I really need to try it.
Very nice tips! I’ll definitely be using more broth on my meals!