Bone broth is all the craze right now, but do its benefits live up to its hype? Let’s take a deep dive into what bone broth is and the potential benefits of bone broth.
What is Bone Broth?
Cooking animal bones and connective tissue in water produces a liquid which we call bone broth. 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. The bones and joints release collagen 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. It has been used for centuries to improve gut health, help speed up recovery from injuries, improve joint pain, improve immune function, and 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. It 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. Its 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 and collagen rich broths, and detoxing from sugar, grains, and other toxins. You can buy her book here.
What is the Difference Between Stock and Broth?
Bone broth is made from boiling animal bones until collagen and gelatin is released. It becomes gelatinous and thick when cooled.
Alternatively, stock is made by cooking bones with meat in water. It is typically not cooked as long, and has a thinner consistency.
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?
There are a few different methods that you can use.
How to Make Bone Broth in the Instant Pot
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 to 8 hours overnight on the Instant Pot’s 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 to 3 days’ worth of cooking to achieve the same consistency.
How to Make Bone Broth on the Stovetop
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, and 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
Bone Broth FAQs
Do You Just Drink Bone Broth?
Yes, you can just drink bone broth as it is! I store my bone broth in glass mason jars in the fridge 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.
However, if you want to fast to maximize gut health, I would avoid having it on a fast due to the collagen and amino acid content, which may spike insulin.
Is Stock or Broth Healthier?
Bone broth is healthier in my opinion, 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 one for the other.
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 Anti-Inflammatory Bone Broth Recipes ebook. It’s FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited, or you can snag it for $2.99 on Amazon!
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