The Importance of Bone Broth

[davey72]

I can't seem to edit my last response.

From /http://divinehealthfromtheinsideout.com/2012/05/bone-broth-nutritional-facts-benefits/



Nutritional Facts & Benefits of Bone Broth

Bone broth contains gelatin a colloidal substance that attracts digestive juices to itself and prevents gastrointestinal bugs from attaching themselves to the gut wall and wreaking havoc. The gelatin in bone broth assists digestion.

Bone broth contains minerals such as calcium, silicon, sulphur, magnesium, phosphorous & trace minerals in an easily assimilable form. These minerals are pulled out of the bones in part due to using a vinegar solution prior to cooking. The vinegar helps to draw the mineral salts out of the bone. All of the minerals present in bones used for bone broth, except fluoride, are macro-minerals, which are essential for proper nutrition and are required in greater amounts than 100mg/day. The only macro-mineral not present in bone is chlorine. Minerals have numerous functions in the body beyond the composition of bone, which is why the body will rob the bones and tissues to maintain steady levels of minerals in the blood and other fluids. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in bone, it is also the most abundant mineral in the body. The calcium present in bone broth can be considered for use in the following deficiency signs, symptoms and conditions: pain and inflammation, cramps, muscle spasms, delusions, depression, insomnia, irritability, hyperactivity, anxiety, palpitations, hypertension, high cholesterol, allergies, brittle nails, periodontal and dental disease, pica, rickets, osteomalacia, osteoporosis and any situation that creates bone loss such as aging, immobilization, postmenopause, and caffeine,

Bone broth is helpful in treating digestive disorders such as IBS, colitis and even Chrohn’s disease.

Anemia and other blood disorders respond to gelatin in the diet as well. Gelatin is used to tonify the blood. Glycine, a key ingredient in gelatin, plays a vital role in the blood. (Table II) Also if gelatin is extracted from bone, then marrow, where blood cells are produced is also extracted. Chinese studies have shown gelatin to increase red blood cell and hemoglobin count, increase serum calcium level, increase the absorption and utilization of calcium, and prevent and treat myotonia atrophica (muscle wasting)

Gelatin assists in neutralizing whatever intestinal poison is causing problems during an intestinal bug or flu.

Broth recipes stress the quality that can be obtained from using highly cartilaginous parts of animals. These parts will be joint areas, like chicken feet and beef knuckles, trachea and ribs, or anatomy with a concentration of glycosaminoglycans, like hooves and skin.

Cartilage (aka- broth) can be considered for use in the following conditions: arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), cancer, decreased immune system states, and malnutrition.

Another word for collagen is gelatin. Collagen is a scientific term for a particular protein in the body, while gelatin is a food term referring to extracted collagen.

Gelatin has also been found to improve body weight as well as bone mineral density in states of protein undernutrition.
Gelatin (broth) can be considered for use in the following conditions: food allergies, dairy maldigestion, colic, bean maldigestion, meat maldigestion, grain maldigestion, hypochlorhydria, hyperacidity (gastroesophageal reflux, gastritis, ulcer, hiatal hernia) inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut syndrome, malnutrition, weight loss, muscle wasting, cancer, osteoporosis, calcium deficiency and anemia.

Scurvy is a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C. It results in symptoms such as bleeding gums, bruising, and poor wound healing. These manifestations are actually due to a deficiency of collagen, because vitamin C is needed to synthesize collagen. It converts proline into hydroxy proline. Collagen, along with minerals are needed for the creation and healing of bone. It is also integral to cartilage formation and repair.

Collagen (broth) can be considered for use in the following conditions: poor wound healing, soft tissue injury (including surgery), cartilage and bone injury (including dental degeneration).

Broth could be considered a liver tonic (or liver supportive). Broth helps the body to detoxify during a cleanse, and in fact at any time it is eaten.

Broth also contains, Chondroitin Sulfate, a jellylike substance, now famous as a supplement for joint pain associated with osteoarthritis. It functions to support and provide adhesiveness. It lines blood vessels and plays a role in lowering atherosclerosis, cholesterol and heart attacks.

Broth is not a complete protein, since it only contains three amino acids. A complete protein needs to contain all B essential amino acids. Therefore it is not a meat replacement, but it can be used as a meat extender. Since glycine is used to make other amino acids, it is considered protein sparing. In addition, because glycine is used to make energy in gluconeogenesis, consuming glycine spares your own body protein from being broken down to make energy. Broth is not a meal replacement, which is why it is used as a starting point for soup, or as the first course of a meal.

Broth can be thought of as a protein supplement, and a calcium supplement. The chemical ingredients extracted from broth are glycine and proline (collagen/gelatin), calcium and phosphorus (minerals), hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate (GAGs), and other minerals, amino acids and GAGs in smaller amounts.



I have been using deer bones, and whole chicken lately. Together they are very good. Thing is though i always make a big pot of soup out of it, and use it for lunches all week. It is pretty cheap to eat this way. I have also found that a lot of stores will sell chicken/turkey necks and backs, or other less popular cuts very cheap. U may have to ask the butcher. I wonder if the carbs in the soup will take away from the benefits of the broth, especially if they are not organic?

 

[Palinurus]

I can't seem to edit my last response.

Hi davey72,

The rules have changed. Basically, you can only edit your posts within 30 minutes after posting them. Thereafter this privilege is withdrawn.

See here for more details.

 

[whitecoast]

Agreed about the roasting adding a ton of flavor. The Kid is even liking it better.

That's good, but I'm just wondering about the nutritional benefits of roasting bones prior to boiling them. Flavour is one thing, but as far as I know isn't the browning and flavour just caused by glycation of proteins in the bone? Doesn't that degrade or damage the quality of the protein?

 

[hlat]

Garlic and onions could be bad for me? I put generous amounts in my bone broth.

 

[Gimpy]

Garlic and onions could be bad for me? I put generous amounts in my bone broth.

If you don't have any bad reactions to garlic or onions now, it won't hurt to stop using them a while, then try each one to see if it bothers you, so then you'll know for sure.

When I started making bone broth, I used a 'stone soup' approach: to start, the broth was just meaty bones and water, and I added salt per mugful. For each new ingredient, I did a food test to see if it bothered me, following a protocol for leaky gut the whole time.

At the start? I couldn't tolerate anything but salt and pepper. After treating for leaky gut several months, I can have garlic, and garlic salt, but no onions. The majority of spices (barring nightshades) are fine.

I'd run out of bone broth a few weeks ago, and just finished one of the best batches yet. Just meaty beef bones, bay leaves, water to start. 48 hours later, I added a tablespoon of chopped garlic, let that cook a half hour, removed the bay leaves, bones, blended it up, and it's turned out to be the best batch I've ever made.

 

[hlat]

When I started with bone broth, I did just bones and water, and it was really terrible. Adding meat didn't help much. It was when I added apple vinegar, garlic, and onions that it became good.

I don't think I have any bowel problems, so I'm thinking I don't have leaky gut.

I'm a bit afraid to try again without garlic or onions because of the bad taste when it was just bones and water.

 

[SeekinTruth]

When I started with bone broth, I did just bones and water, and it was really terrible. Adding meat didn't help much. It was when I added apple vinegar, garlic, and onions that it became good.

I don't think I have any bowel problems, so I'm thinking I don't have leaky gut.

I'm a bit afraid to try again without garlic or onions because of the bad taste when it was just bones and water.

As far as I know, leaky gut doesn't necessarily give you any pronounced bowel problems. It's when undigested food particles get through the gut and cause auto immune type problems, or for example skin problems, etc. So it might still be a good idea to test certain things for reactions. It takes a while for the gut to completely heal from all the damaging things eaten throughout life in a typical modern diet. Gluten and casein being two of the worst.

Also, another idea to improve the taste of your bone broth might be to add something like ginger or something else that you've tested and can tolerate IF it turns out that onions and/or garlic are out for a while. Also remember that as the gut heals, some things that you couldn't eat at all without severe reactions after initial elimination and reintroduction, can be eaten later - sometimes if not too often and not too much at each time, and sometimes any negative reactions will be completely gone no matter how often the problem food is consumed. Hope this helps.

 

[Yas]

When I started with bone broth, I did just bones and water, and it was really terrible. Adding meat didn't help much. It was when I added apple vinegar, garlic, and onions that it became good.

I don't think I have any bowel problems, so I'm thinking I don't have leaky gut.

I'm a bit afraid to try again without garlic or onions because of the bad taste when it was just bones and water.

As far as I know, leaky gut doesn't necessarily give you any pronounced bowel problems. It's when undigested food particles get through the gut and cause auto immune type problems, or for example skin problems, etc. So it might still be a good idea to test certain things for reactions. It takes a while for the gut to completely heal from all the damaging things eaten throughout life in a typical modern diet. Gluten and casein being two of the worst.

Yes. As far as I know leaky gut related reactions can be very varied. You can have immune reactions that can differ a lot from person to person and from food to food.

Also, another idea to improve the taste of your bone broth might be to add something like ginger or something else that you've tested and can tolerate IF it turns out that onions and/or garlic are out for a while. Also remember that as the gut heals, some things that you couldn't eat at all without severe reactions after initial elimination and reintroduction, can be eaten later - sometimes if not too often and not too much at each time, and sometimes any negative reactions will be completely gone no matter how often the problem food is consumed. Hope this helps.

This is what I have been experiencing so far. I noticed that I have reactions to most of veggies, including onions, some herbs and spices and nuts. But I noticed that I can eat some macadamia nuts as long as I don't eat too much or during 1 or two days. If I eat them once every two weeks or so it's fine... Other nuts are out of question though, the reaction is quite strong and it comes right after I ate them. Garlic seems to be alright and I haven't eaten onions for a long time now... I guess I can try that out and see how it goes. :)


EDIT: Spelling

 

[davey72]

I am trying to find out if overconsumption of bone broth can be bad for you without much luck so far. I make a pretty rich broth, and eat a lot of it as soup during the day. i did find this though.

_http://chriskresser.com/bone-broth-and-lead-toxicity-should-you-be-concerned

Excerpt: As it turns out, certain nutrients like calcium, iron, vitamin D, vitamin C and thiamin (B1) have a similar protective effect against lead toxicity. These nutrients are abundant in Paleo and GAPS diets, and in the case of calcium, abundant in bone broth itself. Let’s take a closer look at how two of these nutrients, calcium and iron, protect against lead toxicity.
Calcium

Both animal and human studies have shown that low calcium intake increases the risk of lead toxicity. In one rat study, researchers found that rats ingesting a low calcium diet had blood-lead concentrations four times higher than rats on a normal calcium diet, although the quantities of lead ingested were equal. The mechanisms by which calcium protects against lead toxicity involve complex interactions among lead, dietary calcium, intestinal calcium binding proteins and vitamin D, especially 1,25 D (the active form). (2) In fact, the interaction between calcium and lead is quite similar to that of selenium and mercury: one of the ways lead causes harm is by interfering with the beneficial effects of calcium. Lead is known to mimic calcium in biological systems or to alter calcium-mediated cellular responses, compete with calcium in enzyme systems, impair calcium metabolism, or inhibit 1,25-D-mediated regulation of calcium metabolism. (3) Calcium has also been shown to reduce the absorption of lead in the gastrointestinal tract. (4)
Iron

Studies have also shown that susceptibility to lead toxicity is influenced by nutritional iron status. A study in the early 70s found that rodents fed an iron-deficient diet experienced increased susceptibility to lead toxicity. In humans, low iron status of adults has been reported to increase gastrointestinal absorption of lead. (5) As is the case with the lead-calcium and mercury-selenium interactions, lead has been shown to interfere with iron’s physiological functions. For example, lead inhibits three major enzymes that are involved with the production of heme, the ferrous (iron-based) component of hemoglobin, which is the protein that transports oxygen to the cells and tissues of the body. (Mahaffey) Studies also suggest that insufficient iron intake increases the gastrointestinal absorption and soft tissue concentration of lead. (6)

What about vitamin D, vitamin C and thiamin? Though less is known about how these nutrients protect against lead toxicity, vitamin D appears to modify lead distribution once it has been absorbed, preventing its incorporation into bone. (Cheng). Vitamin C has been shown to have chelating properties which help remove lead from the body. And thiamin (B1) appears to inhibit the uptake of lead into cells and promote lead excretion. (7)
We are what we eat — and animals are no exception

It’s also plausible that the diet and living conditions of the animals we use to make bone broth will significantly influence the levels of lead their bones, and thus the broth, contain. Food, water, soil and dust are the largest sources of exposure to lead in farm animals. It appears that cereal grains contribute most to dietary exposure to lead. (8) Although I have not seen any comparative data on this, it’s thus reasonable to assume that pasture-raised chickens who eat a combination of forage and grain-based feed would have lower lead levels than conventionally-raised chickens that eat only grain-based feed.

I hope to have some data that will help answer this question in the coming weeks. Jessica Prentice, one of the worker-owners of the Three Stone Hearth community-supported kitchen in Berkeley, CA, has sent samples of their bone broth in to get tested for lead. They make their broth with pasture-raised chickens, so we’ll have at least one example of lead levels in pastured chicken broth to draw from.

That said, given that the levels of lead in the chicken broth tested in the Medical Hypotheses study were below the EPA established safe upper limit for drinking water, and given the protective effect of several nutrients abundant in Paleo/GAPS diets (and even in broth itself), it seems to me that it’s quite safe to consume 2-3 cups of bone broth per day. This is likely to be even more true if your broth is made from pasture-raised chickens.

 

[Yas]

Hi bone broth lovers!

I wanted to share a new experiment that I've made.

I called it Chocobony Brownie/Mousse

It consists of bone broth, chocolate, eggs, cinnamon and stevia. I wanted to add vanilla but I didn't have it this time.

I just did my bone broth without any spices or salt this time because I wanted to try if I could make something sweet using the consistency given by the broth.

So... I melted it again because it was a gelatin. I put two spoons of cocoa powder, one teaspoon of cinnamon, some stevia (I guess that if you use xylitol it will be even better, but there's no xylitol in my country). I separated the yolks from 2 eggs and whisked the whites until stiff, and added both the stiff whites and the yolks (I didn't have too many eggs, that's why I used only two, but next time I'll add 2 more, that will make it perfect, I think :D). Then I whisked the whole thing for a minute or so...

I also added too much water (a cup or so) because I thought it would be too stiff if I didn't, but next time I'll add less water, or maybe even no water at all, I guess it will depend on the consistency you're looking for.

I put it on the freezer for a while and then on the fridge.

It was delicious! For me, there was no trace of the broth taste and since I'm very sensitive all dairy and nuts (so I can't use the flours from them) this seems like a very good alternative for a good treat, and certainly a good way of eating bone broth when the temperature is as high as 45°C, as it is now in my country. ;D

The consistency is good, and it can be better if I add more eggs and less water. It stays with something like a creamy 'topping' that I guess is due to the fat and the eggs, but that gives it a very nice appearance and a particular taste.

I liked it so much that I even have a picture for you. :P (As you can see, it is melting because it's very hot here, but that's also because I put too much water in it. Because my broth usually doesn't melt that fast even if it's hot.)

EDIT: Spelling

 

[davey72]

Hi bone broth lovers!

I wanted to share a new experiment that I've made.

I called it Chocobony Brownie/Mousse

It consists of bone broth, chocolate, eggs, cinnamon and stevia. I wanted to add vanilla but I didn't have it this time.

I just did my bone broth without any spices or salt this time because I wanted to try if I could make something sweet using the consistency given by the broth.

So... I melted it again because it was a gelatin. I put two spoons of cocoa powder, one teaspoon of cinnamon, some stevia (I guess that if you use xylitol it will be even better, but there's no xylitol in my country). I separated the yolks from 2 eggs and whisked the whites until stiff, and added both the stiff whites and the yolks (I didn't have too many eggs, that's why I used only two, but next time I'll add 2 more, that will make it perfect, I think :D). Then I whisked the whole thing for a minute or so...

I also added too much water (a cup or so) because I thought it would be too stiff if I didn't, but next time I'll add less water, or maybe even no water at all, I guess it will depend on the consistency you're looking for.

I put it on the freezer for a while and then on the fridge.

It was delicious! For me, there was no trace of the broth taste and since I'm very sensitive all dairy and nuts (so I can't use the flours from them) this seems like a very good alternative for a good treat, and certainly a good way of eating bone broth when the temperature is as high as 45°C, as it is now in my country. ;D

The consistency is good, and it can be better if I add more eggs and less water. It stays with something like a creamy 'topping' that I guess is due to the fat and the eggs, but that gives it a very nice appearance and a particular taste.

I liked it so much that I even have a picture for you. :P (As you can see, it is melting because it's very hot here, but that's also because I put too much water in it. Because my broth usually doesn't melt that fast even if it's hot.)

EDIT: Spelling

Interesting. What did you use for crust? maybe i'll start posting my successful experiments as well.

 

[Yas]

Hi bone broth lovers!

I wanted to share a new experiment that I've made.

I called it Chocobony Brownie/Mousse

It consists of bone broth, chocolate, eggs, cinnamon and stevia. I wanted to add vanilla but I didn't have it this time.

[...]

Interesting. What did you use for crust? maybe i'll start posting my successful experiments as well.

It's not crusty, it's creamy. :)

 

[hlat]

Garlic and onions could be bad for me? I put generous amounts in my bone broth.

If you don't have any bad reactions to garlic or onions now, it won't hurt to stop using them a while, then try each one to see if it bothers you, so then you'll know for sure.

When I started making bone broth, I used a 'stone soup' approach: to start, the broth was just meaty bones and water, and I added salt per mugful. For each new ingredient, I did a food test to see if it bothered me, following a protocol for leaky gut the whole time.

At the start? I couldn't tolerate anything but salt and pepper. After treating for leaky gut several months, I can have garlic, and garlic salt, but no onions. The majority of spices (barring nightshades) are fine.

I'd run out of bone broth a few weeks ago, and just finished one of the best batches yet. Just meaty beef bones, bay leaves, water to start. 48 hours later, I added a tablespoon of chopped garlic, let that cook a half hour, removed the bay leaves, bones, blended it up, and it's turned out to be the best batch I've ever made.

I made the last batch with just bones, 1/4 cup vinegar, and water. I was surprised how good it was, almost as good as with garlic and onions. So I will not be using garlic and onions anymore. Next batch I will blend up everything together. I have been straining and only using the strained broth.

 

[hlat]

I removed the bones and blended everything. Then I had a bowl of this broth with salt, and it was very good. So leg marrow bones and 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar is all I need to make the broth.

I didn't get to blend as much as I wanted, because the blender had a vent on top and hot broth kept spraying out. Maybe I need another blended with no vents.

 

[Anthony]

I tried to make my first bone broth today, using turkey bones, lemon and some salt.
It tastes fine. What's the minimum amount of simmering/cooking needed? Is 6-7 hours ok?