Bring On The Broth

Many of us suffer from inflammation in our gut. Recently I have been getting into bone broth after hearing how beneficial it can be for our gut and skin. Bone broth, when made properly, contains the bone, cartilage and marrow from grass fed bones to form a broth that is easy to assimilate and healing for the gut. The benefits come mostly from the presence of collagen and gelatin in the bone broth. The collagen is broken down to produce gelatin through the cooking process and the gelatin acts as an aid to digestion which has been linked successfully to the treatment of digestive conditions such as Chron’s disease, constipation, IBS, hyperacidity and colitis.

When you think of pro or prebiotics this is a healthy and nutritious option. Broth sooths the GI tract by lining the mucous membranes of the intestines, thus protecting it from ingested materials that may be harmful. The broth is said to be a great way to treat leaky gut syndrome. It’s easy to make – all you do is get a bag of grass fed organic cattle or chicken bones, place them in a stewing pot or slow cooker, cover with cold filtered water, add in a cap full of apple cider vinegar which helps to extract the essential minerals from the bones, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer then let it sit. It needs to simmer anywhere from 6-24 hours, the longer the better. You can then store in your fridge for up to 5 days or freeze to use at a later time.
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I’ve been using broth now for a number of months and can see definite advantages to this simple process. Ensure your bones are from grass fed animal bones for the most nutritionally dense broth.