What’s the most Nourishing Food on Earth? Why Bone Broth Needs To Be On Your Table

• a) Caviar
• b) Gatorade
• c) Cake frosting
• d) Bone broth
• e) Cornflakes

That’s right—cake frosting!

PSYCHE. It’s bone broth. Why why why, you ask? What is the big deal? Why is it such a fad? Why is it so expensive?

Here’s why:

Bone broth is exploding with nutrients, easy to digest, and has a thousand healing properties. Simmering bones and ligaments over long periods causes them to release powerful compounds like collagen, proline, glycine and glutamine that can restore your health. Every traditional culture seems to have its version of stock, but in America it was lost with the convenience craze and is now coming back…

So what’s it Good for?

Good for your Joints:
Who’s feeling old and creaky besides me? As we age, our joints age and our flexibility wanes. And our cartilage breaks down. Bone broth contains natural collagen from all the parts of animals we normally don’t eat and think of as yucky: bones, skin, ligaments, and bone marrow. Well guess what? Consuming this cartilage actually restores our own cartilage. Bone broth also contains gelatin, which is needed to maintain strong bones and good bone density.

Good for your Gut:
Most of us have a gut lining that has been pulverized by bad stuff like: sugar, gluten-containing grains, stress which weakens your immune system, and toxins like antibiotics and pesticides. Holes develop in your intestinal wall and crap like food particles and toxins escape through them into your bloodstream.Your body senses the invaders and attacks them. This is an allergic reaction. The condition that causes this is called leaky gut or, if you want to be technical, “intestinal permeability”. The gelatin in bone broth fosters good bacteria in the gut and helps restore the integrity of your gut lining. A hospitable gut environment can help you overcome food sensitivities and intolerances. Here’s an NIH study with more information.

Good for your Skin:
Who wants supple, youthful skin? Collagen reduces wrinkles, puffiness, and other visible signs of aging. Collagen intake can reduce cellulite since cellulite is the result of losing connective tissue, and connective tissue is needed for a firm tone. Collagen studies have shown an increase in skin elasticity and moisture and a decrease in roughness. Goodbye botox!

Good for Detoxing:
We are all bombarded by toxins in our environment—chemicals, heavy metals, artificial ingredients, and horrible politicians 😱. Our poor liver has to work very hard. Bone broth comes to the rescue by doing some heavy lifting. It:

• helps the digestive system expel waste
• enhances the liver’s ability to remove toxins
• maintains tissue integrity
• improves the body’s use of antioxidants
• increases intake of essential minerals which prevent heavy metals from attaching to mineral receptor sites.

That’s a lot of work. For minimum wage!

Okay, how do I make this Elixir of Life?

It’s not hard, but it’s time consuming. It’s also ugly.😝

1. Get some chicken feet. 1-2 pounds. Okay, if you’re squeamish, like me (and I can’t even look at dismembered feet), it can be a neck. Or its back.
2. Cut up a bunch of veggies like carrots (2), celery (2 stalks), onions (1), parsley (bunch), garlic (2 cloves), turmeric (half a thumb). You can also use good ole parsnips and turnips.
3. Secret ingredient: apple cider vinegar (helps pull the minerals out of the bones)

Ready to go!

1. Rinse off bones
2. Place in a crockpot
3.  Toss in veggies and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
4. Cover with 4 inches of filtered water
5. Cook for 24 hours on low
6. Take out all the big chunks of withered foodstuff and feed to your pet pig.
7. Strain the rest of the liquid and toss the crud. Try using cheesecloth.
8. Drink the broth and be happy. Refrigerate (for up to a week) or freeze the rest (up till forever) .
9. Heat up and consume every morning. The best breakfast ever! Also good for lunch, dinner, dessert, and midnight snack. Take it to work in a thermos. Eat it on the go instead of M&Ms.

I know it seems counterintuitive and wasteful to use a bunch of veggies, throw them out, and then put in new veggies. But you’ve actually “used up” the original veggies by draining every last vitamin and mineral out of them into super concentrated broth, so what’s left is just the carcass of the celery. The soul is gone.

Watch a fun video about it here:

Although it is healthier to eat fresh, you can buy it online, for example here. Better yet, pick up some fresh or frozen at your local (healthy) grocer. Or maybe you can buy some off your neighbor!

Here’s an alternative for extremely lazy people, like me. Amazon will deliver this high quality collagen powder right to your doorstep and you can throw it into a smoothie or your morning oatmeal. No chicken feet! This is not the whole kaboodle, but it’s a really good compromise.

Live Forever! You’re welcome.