5 BENEFITS OF BONE BROTH

abril 01, 2020

Broths made with bones are not new at all, in fact our ancestors already made them in prehistoric times.

However, in recent years they are gaining incredible popularity among the public who cares in some way about their health.

This is because there is a lot of evidence that it can have a long list of very important health benefits. Although there are no concrete studies on this type of broth yet, research is being carried out.

This article is a basic guide to what bone broth is, how it is made and what its best-known benefits are.

BENEFITS OF BROTH MADE WITH BONES:

1.- It contains many vitamins and minerals: broth made with bones is rich in minerals and helps regenerate and strengthen your bones. It also contains many other nutrients such as vitamins, amino acids and essential fatty acids.

2.- It could benefit our digestive system: our state of health depends enormously on the health of our digestive system. The gelatin in bone broths promotes healthier digestion. This drink can be beneficial for people with intestinal permeability problems.

3.- It could help reverse inflammation: the amino acids in these broths help against inflammation, so consuming them could help protect against diseases.

4.- Helps improve joints: the amino acids present in bone broth help improve joint health and its consumption could help reduce arthritis symptoms.

5.- Helps with weight loss: broth made with bones is generally very low in calories, and the gelatin it contains increases the feeling of satiety. Drinking broth regularly can be helpful in reducing calorie intake.

WHAT IS A BROTH MADE WITH BONES?

Broths are the liquid resulting from cooking mainly bones and other animal parts over very low heat (sometimes more than 10 hours).

In cooking they are called stocks because they are the basis for sauces, stews, rice, soups and endless preparations.

In recent years, these broths (bone broth) have gained a lot of strength in the world of health due to all the properties described above and have turned this simple and traditional drink into one of the trendy foods.

It is generally a highly nutritious drink, yet its properties depend greatly on the ingredients used.

Bones are rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus, as well as other minerals.

The tendons or more nervous parts provide glucosamine.

Marrow provides vitamin A and K2, zinc, iron, omega-6 and omega-3 among other nutrients.

All these parts contain a protein that you surely know: it is called collagen, this collagen turns into gelatin and passes into the water of the broth when it simmers.

HOW DO YOU MAKE BONE BROTH?

It is one of the simplest preparations, the only drawback is the cooking time.

Broths can be made with chicken, beef, lamb, pork, fish... In addition, different vegetables and spices can also be used to give it aroma and flavor, although the most common are onion, carrot and garlic.

TIP: To give the broth more flavor, toast the bones and chopped vegetables in the oven before cooking them.

As always, we recommend using ingredients of the highest quality possible, ideally organic to increase their nutritional properties, avoid the use of chemicals and contribute to more sustainable production. Click to learn more about organic farming.

A good base to make your broth is the following:

4l of water
1.5 - 2 kg of bones
30 ml of vinegar
salt and pepper

The preparation is very simple, you just have to put all the ingredients (toasted or not) in a pot and when it starts to boil, lower the heat to minimum, just enough so that it cooks minimally and let it cook.

Cooking times:

Beef broth: it should be cooked for 8 to 12 hours to extract the most nutrients from the broth.
Chicken broth: 3-4 hours should be enough.
Fish broth: should not cook more than 20 minutes

TIP 1: let it cool with all the ingredients without straining, this will give it an extra point of flavor.

TIP 2: to defat, let it cool in the refrigerator and strain, this way you will remove most of the fat without effort.

TIP 3: make as much as you can at once and freeze it to always have it available.

How can you see a broth, despite being a simple and cheap preparation, has very important benefits for your health. You can drink it alone or use it for cooking and give your dishes much more personality.