BONE BROTH - BENEFITS and How to Make It

Bone broth has been touted as having amazing health benefits, but it's not just a fad. It's good for you!

In our integrative medicine clinic, we recommend bone broth often as part of a treatment plan. This post will guide you through the process of preparing, buying, and using broth in your healing journey, or everyday healthy life.

Bone Broth Benefits

Gut Healing

Glutamine, an amino acid, is the primary food source for cells (enterocytes), which line our digestive tract. More glutamine means more food is available for the lining of our digestive tract. In this way, glutamine is shown to promote healing in the GI tract. The body is unable to produce enough glutamine during stressful times. When we are under stress (overworking or overtraining, not sleeping enough, etc. ), our glutamine levels will be higher. We need more glutamine when we are under stress (overworking, overtraining, undersleeping etc. ).

Detoxification:

Glycine is a necessary amino acid for the production of glutathione. This antioxidant is the master in the body. Many people do not consume enough glycine! Glycine is found in cartilage and bones, which makes bone broth a great source of this amino acid.

Joint Pain

Bone broth is popular because it helps with joint pain. Bone broth contains many compounds which help build and strengthen connective tissue and bones, such as minerals, amino acids and glucosamine.

Other Nutrients to Note

Potassium

I attended a conference on nutrition in 2019 where my colleague presented a report about bone broth, which included a section that covered the nutritional content of bone soup. This report surprised me the most with its potassium content. One cup of broth contained more potassium than one banana! This, along with the magnesium and sodium content (if any) taught me that one of the best electrolyte drinks available is bone broth!

Chromium

The report of my colleague also revealed that bone broth contains a large amount of chromium. The role of chromium in maintaining blood sugar levels could explain the anti-inflammatory properties of bone broth.

Selenium

Selenium, a mineral that is known to balance thyroid functions in hypothyroidism patients. Although brazils nuts are often cited as a good way to obtain your daily dose of selenium they are not the most popular nuts. Bone broth contains between 10-20% the recommended daily intake.

Considerations

Histamine: Broth is usually cooked slowly and low over several hours. This allows the histamine to develop. I recommend that if you're sensitive to histamine use a pressure cooker to make your broth (such as the Instant Pot). The pressure cooker can be used to convert most recipes. Below is a link to a recipe!



FODMAPs - Many broths are made with onion, garlic and other ingredients high in FODMAPs. FODMAPs, which are water-soluble, are present in the soup. We recommend that you use only the bones for a low FODMAP broth and skip the ingredients high in FODMAPs.

Also, during cooking, cartilage releases GAS, a type FODMAP. This is good for the joints and gut, but can cause symptoms in those who are very FODMAP sensitive. We recommend that sensitive people start with small doses and see how they react. Even if you're following low-FODMAP, we don't want zero FODMAPs!

Caitlin's note: Most people with SIBO or IBS benefit from Low-FODMAP Bone Broth.

Oxalates are found in many vegetables (look out, spinach!) The glycine found in bone broth is converted to oxalates by the body. Some people may have high levels oxalates, which can cause kidney stones or other symptoms. If you're sensitive to oxalates in broth, try using small amounts of broth made only from bones.

We believe that oxalates do not represent a "sensitivity", but rather a situation where the "cup overflows". We don't recommend an oxalate-free diet. Instead, we recommend a low-oxalate-based diet that can be tailored to your specific symptoms.

Are you unsure if these criteria apply to you or not? You can schedule a free 20-minute consultation with one of our practitioners to determine if Integrative Medicine will be a good match for you.

Therapuetic Uses

Bone broth has a multitude of uses, some of which we have listed under Health Benefits. How do you apply it? What is a 'dose'?

First-line therapeutic dose:

8 ounces of bone broth, 1-2 times a day for a short time or on-going basis

You can include one to two cups of tea per day in your diet to support gut healing and mineral replenishment. This is a healthy amount. This is also a recommended ingredient in many therapeutic diets such as SCD and AIP.

Short-Term Therapeutic Dosing

8 ounces of bone broth can be consumed up to three times per day.

You should consult your doctor to determine your dose. We often recommend it when you are undergoing surgery or have a condition that affects your appetite.

Prenatal therapeutic Dosage

8 ounces of bone broth, one time daily during the third trimester

The belly starts to grow during the third trimester. I often advise patients to start adding more collagen to their diets during this time in order to maintain the elasticity of their belly. This could help prevent stretch marks. Vitamin C is also commonly consumed to help the body produce more collagen.

Add it to soups, grains, beans, desserts or braised greens.

Bone Broth Recipes

Bone broth can be made in its simplest form by simmering bones and water together for about 12-24 hours. This can be done on the stovetop, in a slow-cooker, or with a pressure cooker. Some people add vegetables, herbs and collagenous meat to their broth.

PIM's basic bone broth recipe

This is a tried-and-true recipe that uses chicken feet and bones.

Caitlin's Low FODMAP Chicken Bone Broth: Slow Cooker or Stove Top.

This recipe is made with leftover chicken bones and water. This is a Low FODMAP recipe that requires no effort. This recipe is also low-oxalate, as it does not contain any vegetables that are high in oxalate.

Bone Broth Using Fresh Bones:

Find bones for broth at affordable prices by checking with your local butchers or farms in the area. In the past, you could get free bones from butchers and farms, but now they're often sold for $1 to $2 a pound. It is much cheaper and more affordable than buying them in the store! You can pre-cook the bones if you wish. You can either roast them first to get a richer flavor or blanch them to give them a cleaner, smoother taste. You can also cook them as you normally would in water without pre-cooking.

Order bones online at US Wellness Meats, or search EatWild to find local farms that produce high-quality grassfed and pastured animal product.

Meaty Bone Soup:

You can get a similar outcome if you do not have the time to make broth using leftover bones. Use pieces of meat that are rich in collagen and attached to the bone. The most affordable and accessible option is chicken drumsticks and wings. You can also try chicken feet, but be sure to clean them before you cook them.

It will be dry and tasteless but still have protein. You can use it in soups, stews and other tasty dishes.

Low Histamine: Dr. Becky Campbells's Making bone stock in a pressure cook is the easiest and most effective way to reduce histamines. This recipe only takes two hours!

Options available in stores

I've tried many cartons of store-bought broth and stock. These products are usually bland, sometimes acidic and lack the therapeutic properties of homemade broth. With the recent popularity of bone stock, I am happy to share some brands which are nutrient dense, delicious and convenient.

Bone broth purchased in the store is more expensive than making it yourself, but is a good way to ensure that your family is stocked up with this gut-friendly product. It is also a good option for people who do not have time, energy or capacity to make homemade broth.

Many of these brands can be purchased online while others are sold in health food shops across the country. In our integrative practice in Philadelphia we refer many of these brands to Kimberton Whole Foods and MOM's Organic Market.

Brodo Broth

It's my favorite. The flavor is comforting and rich. Brodo began as a pop-up broth shop in NYC, and now delivers and offers subscriptions via their online store. They ship frozen. There are a number of broths available, including vegan mushroom broth. I often send a combo pack to friends and family after a surgery, a birth or a serious illness like coronavirus.

Bonafide Provisions

This is my second favorite. It's sold in the frozen section of most stores. It is flavorful and gelatinous when it's thawed. I've tried both their beef and chicken broths.



Kettle & Fire

Some of the options offered by this company are better than others. The Regenerative Chicken Broth is my favorite, but there are also a variety of Organic options.

FOND

This company offers a wide range of organic and regeneratively-raised broths. It is also my favorite brand when it comes to Low FODMAP options for patients. There is also AIP-friendly broth that does not contain peppercorns or nightshades. This brand is available only online, as far as I am aware.

Substitutes to Bone Broth

You can still get the many benefits of bone broth if you don't have access to it.

Collagen Powder

The most popular collagen products are Designs for Health Whole Body Collagen, Great Lakes Collagen Hydroxylysate and Further Foods Collagen Powder. However, all forms of Grass Fed Collagen are excellent. These products do not provide "complete" protein as they lack adequate levels of essential amino acids, specifically tryptophan. They should not be the only source of proteins in your diet. It could be due to the fact most collagen products available commercially are made from cow hides rather than bones. Whole Body Collagen, however, may be made from a mixture of different sources such as cartilage, tendons and hides.

Bone Broth Protein

Ancient Nutrition makes a powdered protein made from bone broth. This product is a concentrated powdered bone broth. It may also be low in tryptophan, and not be a complete source of protein.

Vegan Broth Option:

We also recommend Rebecca Katz Magic Mineral Broth for vegetarians and vegans as a concentrated mineral source. It will contain a different range of micronutrients, and have different health benefits. This is a nutrient dense option that soothes and contains bioavailable forms important nutrients.