Diet: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Low FODMAP, Nut Free, Paleo, Soy Free
Serves: 6
Total Time: 3 hours

There’s a reason that mothers always talk about chicken soup when you’re feeling slightly under the weather...

Description

Bone broth is getting an increasingly good reputation in the natural health community and there’s good reason why.

Bone broth is the number one food you can consume to help with:

• Autoimmune diseases
• Intestinal permeability (leaky gut syndrome)
• Overcoming food intolerances
• Digestive health
• Improving skin health
• Boosting the immune system

There’s a reason that mothers always talk about chicken soup when you’re feeling slightly under the weather, and that’s because bone broths, which you can make from chicken, beef, fish, lamb (and more), are nutrient-dense, easy to digest and can support healing and bodily repair.

Natural Healer

Bone broth was traditionally used by our ancestors to ensure that every part of an animal was made use of. Bones and marrow, skin and feet, tendons and ligaments that you cannot directly eat can be boiled and simmered over a couple of days.

The simmering causes the bones and ligaments to help release healing compounds which include collagen, gelatin, proline, glycine and l-glutamine, amino acids that have a tremendous power to improve health:

• L-glutamine – an amino acid that has been studied for it’s ability to greatly improve digestive health. L-glutamine is a vital nutrient for the intestines to rebuild and repair:

Leaky gut, also known as intestinal permeability, is when tight junctions (the cells within the intestinal wall) become porous and can contribute to widespread inflammation and disease. As a result of the gut lining becoming ‘leaky’, food proteins can leak out of the intestines and contribute to food intolerances, digestive problems, autoimmune conditions, skin problems and a weakened immune function.

A study by Den Hond et al. (1999) looked at the ability of l-glutamine to heal and repair the intestinal lining after a course of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Results of the study concluded that l-glutamine was able to reverse the permeability changes that had been caused by the NSAID drug, showing that glutamine can repair the intestinal lining when the gut becomes permeable.

• Proline – considered to be a non-essential amino acid, because the body can synthesise some proline on its own, unlike certain other amino acids. Proline plays a big role in collagen production, forming healthy skin and also in aiding tissue repair. During times of injury, where there is soft tissue damage, the body has been known to increase production of proline in order to help heal wounds (Barbul, 2008).

• Glycine – an amino acid that helps form two of the most crucial substances that make up the gut lining: collagen and gelatine. Glycine also helps to form glutathione, a valuable antioxidant that helps to prevent our body’s cells from damage (Ruiz-Ramirez et al. 2014).

• Collagen – the most abundant protein in the human body (it forms our connective tissue). Collagen is found in the skin, muscles, teeth, digestive system, organs, joints, bones… pretty much everywhere! As we start to age, collagen production starts to decline, meaning that we need to start consuming more of it in the diet. Luckily bone broth provides plenty of collagen, which is an excellent way to restore your levels. Collagen has been shown to be beneficial for skin health (including anti-ageing), digestive health (particularly in intestinal permeability – as it forms connective tissue, meaning it can help to form a protective film in the digestive tract, supporting the integrity of the gut lining).

• Gelatine – a substance made from collagen (it’s essentially broken-down collagen). Gelatine has been shown to help protect joints and lower join pain. A recent randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on osteoarthritis patients showed that supplementing with gelatine was able to provide benefit to their symptoms and physical activity levels (Schauss et al. 2012).

Not only is bone broth high in these health-supportive amino acids, it is also high in essential trace minerals such as calcium, sulphur and magnesium.

Final Tips:

1. Why not make a big batch and place it in the freezer to use for the week ahead? Preparation is key!
2. Always go for organic – this will have a much higher nutritional value and is sure to be devoid of any antibiotics or hormones.
3. If you suffer with digestive problems, aim to consume at least 300-500ml of bone broth per day.
4. Whilst this recipe is for chicken bone broth, you can switch this out for beef, pork, fish or lamb, which all contain the nutrients and amino acids to support the gut lining.

Ingredients

• 1 organic chicken carcass
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Himalayan salt and black pepper

Optional:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• A few sprigs of rosemary or dill

Method

1. If using an oven, preheat it to 200 degrees.
2. Take the carcass and place in a large saucepan and fill up with filtered water, adding a pinch of Himalayan salt to taste along with a teaspoon of roughly crushed black peppercorns and 2 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar (this helps to draw out the nutrients).
3. If you have decided to add in some additional vegetables (for added flavour and nutrition), place them in the pot now and stir with a spoon.
4. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on a medium-low heat for 3 hours, or overnight if using a slow cooker. If you are using an oven, simmer for 3 hours.
5. After 3 hours, remove the bones from the stock and sieve out the vegetables (if using).
6. Allow the stock to cool and then refrigerate.
7. When you want to drink some broth, simply heat in a pan and enjoy warm in a bowl. The stock will keep for at least 5 days in the fridge or it can be frozen.

 

References:

Barbul, A. (2008). ‘Proline Precursors to Sustain Mammalian Collagen Synthesis’, Journal of Nutrition, 138 (10), pp. 2021-2024, NCBI [Online]. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18806118 (Accessed: 13 August 2018).

Den Hond, E. Peeters, M. Hiele, M. et al. (1999). ‘Effect of Glutamine on the Intestinal Permeability Changes in Induced by Indomethacin in Humans’, Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 13, pp. 679-685, Accurate Clinic [Online]. Available at: http://accurateclinic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Effect-of-glutamine-on-the-intestinal-permeability-changes-induced-by-indomethacin-in-humans-1999.pdf (Accessed: 13 August 2018).

Ruiz-Ramirez, A. Ortiz-Balderas, E. Cardozo-Saldana, G. et al. (2014). ‘Glycine Restores Glutathione and Protects Against Oxidative Stress in Vascular Tissue from Sucrose-fed Rats’, Clinical Science, 126 (1), pp. 19-29, NCBI [Online]. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23742196 (Accessed: 13 August 2018).

Schauss, A.G. Stenehjem, J. Park, J. et al. (2012). ‘Effect of the Novel Low Molecular Weight Hydrolyzed Chicken Sternal Cartilage Extract, BioCell Collagen, on Improving Osteoarthritis-related Symptoms: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial’, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 60 (16), pp. 4096-4101, NCBI [Online]. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22486722 (Accessed: 13 August 2018).