6 Reasons You Should Consider Using Bone Broth
Bone broth is recently gaining a lot of popularity among health-conscious individuals. This liquid gold has enormous health benefits, making it a perfect dietary supplement for many people looking to take their health and nutrition to new heights.
Let’s take a closer look at what exactly bone broth is, see what makes it so remarkable, and the reasons why you should consider using it.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. It is recommended that you speak with your doctor before starting any exercise program, changing your daily nutrition, or adding any supplements to your regimen.
Table of contents
What is Bone Broth?
Bone broth is a nutrient-rich liquid made by simmering animal bones and connective tissues for an extended period, typically 12-24 hours or even longer. This process extracts a variety of beneficial nutrients, minerals, and proteins from the bones and tissues into the broth.
Essentially, it is a liquid that is prepared by simmering the bones and connective tissues of animals (primarily cattle, chicken, or fish) for over 24 hours. It is packed with nutrition and is mainly used in gravies, sauces, and soups.
Here are the key components and benefits of bone broth:
Key Components:
- Bones and Connective Tissues: These are usually beef, chicken, pork, or fish bones. Including connective tissues, such as cartilage, adds collagen and gelatin to the broth.
- Water: The base liquid for the broth.
- Acid: Vinegar or lemon juice is often added to help draw out nutrients from the bones.
- Vegetables and Herbs: Commonly added for flavor and additional nutrients. Typical ingredients include onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and various herbs like parsley, thyme, and bay leaves.
Nutritional Benefits:
- Collagen and Gelatin: These proteins are abundant in bone broth and are known for supporting joint health, skin elasticity, and gut health.
- Amino Acids: Bone broth contains several essential amino acids, such as glycine, proline, and glutamine, which are important for various bodily functions.
- Minerals: The broth is rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus, which are essential for bone health.
- Vitamins: Depending on the ingredients used, it can provide vitamins like A and K2.
Most recently, it’s now gaining popularity in the healthy beverage segment. Additionally, many various forms of powders are also being sold at retail locations as well as online.
What’s the Difference Between Regular Stock and Bone Broth?
But wait! Isn’t regular stock the same as bone broth? Nope! Though these two terms are mostly used interchangeably, there are a lot of differences. The two main differences are the simmering time and the part of the animal that is used to prepare.
Related Article: Bone Broth Protein — Yah or Nah?
Stock uses roasted bones with things like vegetables, while broth is made with meaty bones and vegetables. What sets bone broth apart from both versions is that it’s made with only bones — no vegetables or meat is added to it.
The Health Benefits of Bone Broth
Have you been hearing how great this stuff is for you, but no one could really explain what it can help improve? Well, let’s answer that question and take a deeper dive into the benefits.
1. Highly Nutritious
Bone broth is packed with nutrients, and the content depends on the ingredients you use to prepare it. For instance, animal bones are rich in magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and other various minerals. Fish bones are rich in iodine and help boost the metabolism.
Connective tissues contain glucosamine and chondroitin that support joint health. Bone marrow is rich in various nutrients like vitamin A and K, iron, fatty acids, zinc, magnesium, and selenium. So, the nutrient content in bone broth entirely depends upon the bones and tissues used to prepare it.
2. It Aids in Digestion
Bone broth is super easy to digest and aids the digestive process. The gelatin found in bone broth helps to bind water that allows food to move properly throughout the digestive tract.
Bone broth contains glutamine (an amino acid) that helps in the process of digestion as well as muscle recovery. As per a study, glutamine helps to heal the intestinal barrier. So, bone broth acts as a magical drink for people with leaky guts and bowel diseases.
In another study, nutritionists say that people who have inflammatory bowel diseases tend to have lower levels of amino acids. Bone broth helps to supplement their nutrition by providing additional amino acids.
3. It Helps Improve Joint Health
Bones, tendons, and ligaments contain collagen, a protein source. During cooking, collagen is broken down into another protein called gelatin. Gelatin also contains an important amino acid called glycine.
A 2017 review by Sports Medicine shows that gelatin supplementation helps to increase the amount of collagen present in the tissues, which in turn protects the joints from unnecessary stress.
4. It Supports Weight Loss
Though bone broth is low in calories, it can satisfy hunger and promote weight loss. A 2017 study in The Journal of Renal Nutrition says that a cup of chicken bone broth contains more protein than a cup of basic chicken broth.
Gelatin is also shown to promote the feeling of fullness and satiety. So, consuming bone broth can not only add more protein to your diet but also help keep you full for longer so that you are less likely to overconsume on calories throughout the day.
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