2016

5 Reasons You Should Drink Bone Broth

5 Reasons You Should Drink Bone Broth
Despite media driven hype machine, bone broth is not a fad. I see it as a sustainable addition to your life and this article will explain why you might want to consider doing so.

Why We Need to Drink Bone Broth Daily


Not only are bone broths deliciously soothing, they pack a nutritional punch like no other beverages. The unique balance of vitamins and minerals in bone broth can help reverse aging by rehydrating your skin and hair, improving digestion by restoring your gut lining and building strong and supple joints .

[tweet_box design="box_9"]If you are prone to eating too much and in a chaotic way, bone broth is your cure. - Greg Cleland[/tweet_box]


Also, since there is no processing or preservatives, broth has highly bioavailable nutrients in the right ratios to make sure that your body absorbs every drop. No expensive pee here.

So, why the hype?

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Bone broths are made from simmering animal bones with herbs and vegetables. This means you can't get the same nutritional benefits from bouillon cubes or Campbell's broth.

It is important to note that not all bone broths are created equal. The quality of your ingredients dictates the quality of your finished broth.

For example, grass-fed beef has more Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) and Vitamin E than their grain fed companions.

Omega 3s benefits are well documented, as are the benefits of antioxidants like Vitamin E, which protects your cells from free radicals. CLA is used to treat cancer, atherosclerosis, among other things by reducing body fat deposits and improving immune function.

Omega 3s benefits are well documented, as are the benefits of antioxidants like Vitamin E, which protects your cells from free radicals. CLA is used to treat cancer, atherosclerosis, among other things by reducing body fat deposits and improving immune function.

[box type="info" align="aligncenter" class="" width=""]"The best bones for broth are knuckle bones and feet (thanks to their large quantities of gelatin) as well as marrow bones (for their minerals and other nutrients)." โ€• Greg Cleland, Bone Broth Power: Reverse Grey Hair and Bring Back Morning Wood [/box]

Moreover, pasture raised cows and chickens live a less stressful life than their cage-bound brethren. The effect this has on the quality of meat and bones cannot be understated. Here are five reasons why you should add bone broth daily routine.

5 Reasons Why Bone Broth will make you Super Human


yummy-bone-broth 1. Bone broth gives you naturally radiant skin


Collagen is proteins found in the connective tissue in your body. It is what holds your skin together. As you age, your natural collagen production slows leading to a deterioration of your hair, skin, teeth and nails.

This manifests in wrinkled skin, osteoporosis and other skin maladies.

Thanks to the of the lengthy simmering process, bone broth is the highest natural source of collagen. This stuff is gold.

Consuming collagen is like reversing the aging process. You develop more connective tissue making your skin more smooth and supple, and your hair and nails fuller.

One recent study at the University of Kiel (Germany) showed an increase in skin elasticity from collagen supplementation after just eight weeks.

Another from Penn State University showed a decrease in joint pain and deterioration in athletes. So ditch the botox and try bone broth.

[box type="note" align="aligncenter" class="" width=""] "If you are prone to eating too much and in a chaotic way, bone broth is your cure. It will literally feed your body with many nutrients while making you feel less hunger when you shouldn’t crave food." - Greg Cleland, Bone Broth Power: Reverse Grey Hair and Bring Back Morning Wood  [/box]

2. Bone Broth fixes your digestive issues (and you might lose weight)


I’m going to hazard a guess that you’ve experienced bloating, constipation, aches or diarrhea at some point. If you’re really lucky, you may even have food sensitivities or autoimmune issues.

The above are the result of stress from lifestyle factors that cause your intestinal lining to become permeable. Intestinal permeability (or leaky gut) means that poorly digested food and bacteria leaks through your gut into your bloodstream.

Your body sees these food particles as a threat and attacks them. This is how food sensitivities, inflammatory diseases, and autoimmune conditions develop.

Now it’s being suggested that a leaky gut directly contributes to metabolic diseases like obesity , cardiovascular disease, diabetes and fatty liver disease. For a more detailed look at what leaky gut is and how to fix it, read this article.

A healthy gut is the cornerstone of health. If you can restore proper gut function, your digestive tract is better equipped to efficiently handle food.

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There is even research to suggest that collagen helps control food cravings by increasing satiety after meals to improve diet adherence in obese people.

Bone broth’s balance of amino acids aids digestion, allowing for the proper absorption of nutrients into you stomach lining.

The protein in properly made bone broth is mostly collagen. Collagen is made up of amino acids that are deficient in our western diet. We tend to eat mostly muscle meats as our protein sources. Meat is a great source of essential amino acids but lacks glycine and proline.

Glycine and proline are the two main amino acids found in collagen. They're known promote gastric acid secretion in your gut to aid the digestion of fats and proteins.

3. Bone Broth heals your achy joints


[caption id="attachment_24380" align="alignright" width="167"] Additional reading... Additional reading...[/caption]

Along with collagen, bone broth is also high in glucosamine and chondroitin: two strong remedies in most cocktails you see for managing arthritis , inflammation, and joint pain.

Glucosamine is found in our bones and the exoskeleton of shellfish. I’ll be honest, the research is mixed as to whether it does anything on it’s own. But when combined with chondroitin, there are some powerful effects worth noting.

Chondroitin is found mostly in cartilage. It helps increase the elasticity of our own cartilage by drawing more water to the tissue.

Combining chondroitin with glucosamine is where the magic happens. It directly stimulates cartilage production in your joints. This cocktail has garnered tons of positive research suggesting it can stop the process of cartilage breakdown that causes joint pain.

In addition to glucosamine and chondroitin, the hyaluronic acid found in bone broth aids achy joints and was shown to improve symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Finally, bone broth has large amounts of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus which helps our bones grow and repair.

4. Bone Broth helps your liver detoxify


Your liver takes a beating. Between drinking alcohol and our daily exposure to and consumption of heavy metals, the poor thing doesn't stand a chance.

The liver is designed to detoxify itself but the toxic nature our western lifestyle makes this difficult. Contrary to popular belief, juice cleanses do not help the cause. So save your money and your bowel.

5-reasons-to-drink-bone-broth

The liver’s ability to detoxify chemicals and toxins efficiently is limited to your bodies availability of glycine, which we discussed above.

In addition to glycine’s digestive powers, it is also a potent detoxifier manufactured by your liver which literally pumps chemicals out of your body.

It also helps produce the hormones responsible for a resilient immune system and the neurotransmitters in your brain that help with memory and cognition.

In a perfect world, you’d have a glycine IV connected to your liver. But that is not the case. So just drink bone broth instead.

I’m not saying that broth will undo last night’s bender, but it may help your liver play catch up. And I can say anecdotally that chicken broth is the ultimate hangover cure.

5. Bone Broth strengthens your immune system


As we discussed above, bone broth supplies the body with a ton of amino acids and minerals to build healthier cells. Without listing all of them, bone broth has highly absorbable forms of phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, potassium and sulfur.

Aside from proline and glycine, bone broth has two other amino acids our diets lack. Arginine and glutamine. Together, these four play key roles in supporting our immune system, nervous system, digestion, gut health and muscle repair.

Research from The University of Nebraska Medical Centre shows that glycine and proline reduce inflammation in the respiratory system thus boosting the immune system.

Arginine is a vasodilator and the main precursor to nitric oxide: meaning that it dilates your blood vessels. This allows for a more efficient delivery of nutrients to your muscles, promoting a strong immune system.

There’s other research on arginine showing that it does everything from decreasing anxiety levels and helping wounds heal better to increasing sexual performance. Score!

While Glutamine’s joint healing capabilities are spotty, it has other impressive applications. Glutamine is used as a supplement to treat critically ill patients in ICU.

Athletes also routinely supplement with glutamine to decrease muscle soreness and boost their immune systems to fight off infections or oncoming illnesses due to high training volumes.

bone broth infographic


One last fun fact for you: glutamine molecules are what gives the broth a soothing umami-like flavor.


So there you have it, five benefits that regular consumption of bone broth can give you. For best results, I typically recommend people drink one cup or mug per day.

Bone broth is the perfect afternoon substitute for coffee or tea. Or you use it to cook just about anything. I cook my grains in it, use it to steam vegetables or stir fry’s and of course, soup, like this killer superfood chili recipe.

[caption id="attachment_24393" align="aligncenter" width="618"] Super-food chili is super good! Super-food chili is super good![/caption]

I’d encourage you to make your own broth at least once. It is a fun and rewarding process. Just make sure you are using organic, grass-fed and pasture raised bones from local farms.

It is best to buy direct from farms if possible or ask your local butcher to source some bones for you.

If you’re too lazy or sick of making your own, I’d encourage you to consider trying the broth my company ( Pure Bone Broth ) makes.

Regardless of the source, high-quality bone broths should be a part of your diet for life. It is cheap health insurance.

quote-about-never-giving-up

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connor-meakin-bone-brothAuthor Bio: Connor Meakin

Connor is the founder of Pure Bone Broth. He spends most of his free time running and skiing in the mountains or cooking and eating to fuel his mountain activities. Be sure to connect with him on Facebook and Instagram too!

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