Bone broth is an old recipe that could be your new wellness tool for blood sugars and so much more.

Making bone broth is not a new concept. Home cooks have been using the bones from beef, poultry and wild game for hundreds of years as a way to make use of the whole animal and make their own soup broth. 

We often don’t think about where our food comes from unless we have learned how to raise animals for food or grown a garden or gone hunting or gathering for food. 

Even though I myself grew up exposed to farming, gardening, fruit trees and having wild game on a regular basis, I got away from that as I went off to college. Now I am trying to get back to some gardening and buying local meats and hoping we get fish and venison in the freezer each year!

I have this discussion with almost all my clients – our health problems have a lot to do with all the processed foods we eat today. If we could get back to cooking and growing and hunting more of our food we could save ourselves health problems and maybe save a few dollars as well! But I know . . . that’s easier said than done right?

Bone broth appears to have made a comeback in recent years due to some weight loss programs promoting it. And it’s definitely a great part of a weight loss plan because it’s low calorie and low carb! But it has so many more health benefits!

Why is bone broth good for us? 

Bones are about 20% collagen and simmering bones over time in liquid causes the collagen to release and form a gelatin. That collagen is good for our joints, skin, hair, teeth and nails. Collagen is also good for our digestive system. 

Bone broth has several minerals our body needs such as potassium (good for blood pressure), and chromium , molybdenum, selenium, and magnesium –  all good for blood sugar control. 

The glycine in the broth also helps blood sugars because it helps our body’s insulin response.

Amino acids such as arginine also help fight infection and support our immune system.

How to make your own:

Bone broth is very easy to make at home. It’s basically bones, vegetables, and water. 

Recipes vary a little as far as added vinegar or herbs but that really comes down to your taste preference. I recently made chicken bone broth using this recipe from Better Homes & Gardens. It turned out great and made some tasty chicken noodle soup also! 

A few tips I want to share with you about making your own bone broth. 

Planning is key in my opinion. I actually roasted a chicken for a meal one day, made bone broth from the carcass the next day, and soup on day 3.

Pick a day where you can be home all day. Getting everything in the pot doesn’t take long but you want to be around to check it occasionally and make sure it simmers but doesn’t boil all day.

Farm-raised, free-range chickens give the best results and you will hopefully be avoiding contaminants in your broth.

Freeze extra broth for later use. You can freeze up to 6 months so be sure to date your container. 

Never stir the broth.

Don’t have the time or desire to make your own?

You can buy it but you want to be sure to find a good quality organic bone broth. It will be a bit spendy but will have the nutrition you want without contaminants.  

More resources and recipes for bone broth: 

Here’s an article from a company called Fire & Kettle on the benefits of bone broth. They are just one of the brands you can check out if you are looking to buy pre-made bone broth.  I found it in my grocery store and it was spendy but good!

This article is from the Weston A. Price foundation and has some great insight on the history and details of making bone broth.

Another site that has some great blog articles to learn more about making your own, including this one on soup bone recipes is Bluebird Provisions.   There’s even information on bone broth for your pet! If you want to try it just search pet on their site and you will get several articles!

I hope these resources and ideas have given you a new appreciation for an old recipe.

Please share in the comments your thoughts and experience with bone broth for wellness!