Bone broth is all the craze right now…but does it live up to it’s hype? Let’s take a deep dive into what bone broth is and the potential benefits of bone broth.

What is bone broth?

Bone broth is a liquid that is produced by cooking animal bones and connective tissue in water. The water is typically seasoned with vegetables and herbs to provide additional flavor, vitamins and minerals. 

Depending on the method of cooking and length of cooking, the viscosity may vary. Collagen is released out of the bones and joints during the cooking process which makes the liquid thicker and possibly gelatin like when cooled.

What are bone broth benefits?

Bone broth is an anti-inflammatory drink and is packed full of vitamins, minerals, type II collagen, and amino acids. Bone broth has been used for centuries to improve gut health, help speed up recovery from injuries, improve join pain, improve immune function, aid in sleep.

What is Type II Collagen?

Type II collagen is the main component of cartilage. It is a fibrillar collagen and makes up about 95% of all collagens. Mutations in type II collagen can lead to premature osteoarthritis. 

What is bone broth protein?

Bone broth protein is a protein that is made from bone broth. It’s packed full of collagen, gelatin, glucosamine, chondroitin, amino acids and minerals. Bone broth protein is great for joint health, gut health, skin health, brain health and healthy aging.

What is the Bone Broth Diet?

The Bone Broth Diet is a book by Dr. Kellyann Petrucci. It’s focus is on “Improving gut health and reducing inflammation through balanced nutrition and intermittent fasting.” It is a 21 day diet that focuses on eating whole foods, collagen rich broths and detoxing from sugar, grains and other toxins. You can pick up her book here 

What is the difference between stock and broth?

Bone broth is made from boiling the bones from animals until collagen and gelatin is released. It becomes gelatinous and thick when cooled. Stock is made by cooking bones with meat in water. It is typically not cooked as long and has a thinner consistency than bone broth.

How to Make Bone Broth

How long do you cook bone broth?

The cooking time for bone broth varies depending on the cooking method and desired consistency. 

How do I make my own bone broth? 

My personal favorite way to cook bone broth is by cooking it for 2 hours on manual high pressure in my Instant Pot, and then cooking for 6-8 hours over night on the slow cooker function. 

This method provides me with a super thick, gelatin like consistency of bone broth when cooled. If you cook bone broth in a slow cooker alone, it may take 2-3 days worth of cooking to arrive at the same consistency. 

You can cook bone broth on the stove top as well, but you need to be careful. It takes a long time to cook (all day long), and I would not leave the house or sleep while the broth is cooking on the stove. It is very hard to get a thick, gelatinous bone broth by cooking on the stove top.

Bone Broth Recipes

We have a bunch of recipes in our Anti-Inflammatory Bone Broth ebook, but here are some recipes we have on our blog which use gut healing bone broth.

Creamy Sausage and Spinach Soup

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Indian Butter Chicken

Do you just drink bone broth?

Sure! I store my bone broth in glass mason jars so I can easily reheat them in the microwave for a few minutes. Sipping on bone broth is great for gut health and is a delicious way to warm up in the winter months.

Can I drink bone broth on a fast?

Drinking bone broth on a fast is a controversial topic. If you purely want to fast to reduce calories, bone broth is a tasty low calorie drink so go head. If you’re wanting to fast to maximize gut health, I would avoid having bone broth on a fast due to the collagen and amino acid content which may spike insulin.

Which is healthier stock or broth?

Bone broth in my opinion is healthier due to the anti-inflammatory nature of bone broth. Stock, depending on whether it is store bought or homemade, lacks the collagen, minerals and amino acids that are found in bone broth.

Can I use stock instead of bone broth?

If a recipe calls for bone broth or stock, you can use the two interchangeably. Just note that the nutritional information will change when you substitute the two for one another. 

Bone broth nutrition (per cup)

Bone broth typically provides 43 calories, 0.5g fat, 0.5g carbohydrates, and 9g of protein per cup. 

Different types of bone broth:

• beef bone broth
• chicken bone broth
• pork bone broth
• turkey bone broth
• fish bone broth

Types of bone broth you can buy

• Dr Axe bone broth powder
• Kettle and Fire bone broth
• Epic bone broth
• Pacific bone broth
• Osso Good bone broth
• Kitchen Basics bone broth
• LonoLife bone broth powder

Where to buy bone broth

• Publix
• Trader Joe’s
• Whole Foods
• Amazon
• Vitacost
• Thrive Market

Are you ready to make your own homemade bone broth or use store bought bone broth in a recipe? Perfect! Check out our ebook, Anti-Inflammatory Bone Broth Recipes. It’s FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited, or you can snag it for $2.99 on amazon.