Are you throwing some of your most nutritional foods out in the garbage?
When it comes to Christmas and family gatherings, I am not only excited about the main feast but also the leftovers...
Especially the stuff that most people toss in the garbage... The bones!
Creating bone broth from your leftover fish, poultry, lamb, pork or turkey bones is easy and nutritious.
But what's so great about bone broth?
After cooking bones in water for an extended period of time the nutrients from the the bones infuse into the water.
Bone broth nutrients are natural (not synthetically made in a lab like many supplements are), nutrient dense, easily absorbed by our bodies and have the power to transform our health.
The reason I love bone broth is because it is fantastic for our gut health!
It is rich in minerals and healing compounds like collagen, proline, glycine and glutamine that help to:
-Soothe and heal the digestive tract lining
-Ease acid reflux
-Help digestive symptoms like leaky gut, food intolerances and allergy symptoms
-Improve joint health
-Reduce inflammation
-Boost the immune system
-Detoxify our cells from chemicals
-Improve brain function
-Improve skin and regeneration
So how can you make this nutritious broth?
My first suggestion when consuming any meat is to buy animal products that are organic, are pasture-fed, free of antibiotics and hormones and hopefully have had a nice, non-caged life.
For a classic bone broth recipe, you're going to need the essentials; bones, fat, meat, vegetables, ACV and water.
The mixture of animal products and vegetables has synergistic effects for our bodies, meaning they work together to be more beneficial than when eaten alone.
This is due to minerals and vitamins working together for absorption.
For a quality bone broth recipe, it is also tradition to use body parts that aren’t commonly used, things like the chicken feet and neck. Eating from nose to tail has slipped away in manly cultures in the modern world.
Making homemade bone broth:
Place the leftover meat and bones into a large stock pot and cover with water.
Add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to water as this helps to draw out important nutrients from the bones.
Fill stock pot with filtered water.
Heat slowly. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for at least 6 hours.
Cook slow and at low heat. Chicken bones can cook for 24 hours. Beef bones can cook for 48 hours. A low and slow cook time is necessary in order to fully extract the nutrients in and around the bone.
Then add your vegetables for added nutrient value. Vegetables you may like to include are onions, garlic, carrots, celery, pumpkin, beetroot, kale, spinach, fennel etc
I like to add lemon, more ACV, herbs and spices for not only taste but for extra nutrients.
After cooking, the broth will cool and a layer of fat will harden on top. This layer protects the broth beneath. You can reheat this to enjoy altogether again or discard this layer only when you are about to eat the broth but this fat contains lots of nutrients!
Since studying Nutritional Medicine- Bone Broth has become one of my favourite superfoods and multi-nutrient supplements!
As well as having it straight up, I add my broth to other soups, smoothies, vegetable juices and it can be turned nicely into a gravy.
So with the naughty season upon us, why not give bone broth a go :)
Enjoy and Merry Christmas! X
Maddy King
@bellyhealing
