The Value of Broth and Stocks
Are you ready for the taste of good health?
Using traditional food knowledge to solve contemporary health problems is one of the best skills you can incorporate into daily life. You have probably heard about Bone Broth, yet don’t know where to start.
Google the soup du jour, “bone broth”; once humble food made by traditional cultures for centuries, it is now all the craze. From coast to coast, bone broth is taking over our palates. And that’s a good thing! It is hip to sip, and vegans are joining in with a vegetable broth. An authentic bone broth is slowly simmered over 24-48 hours to maximize the nutrient content by releasing the gelatin from collagen-rich joints and extracting minerals from the bones. Grandma knew stocks are an inexpensive way to nourish their families in a warming, easy-to-digest, comforting bowl, and many health advocates and foodies alike are realizing there is merit to their wisdom!
“Bone” Broths are also called “Meat” Stocks. The difference is in the methodology and cooking times. In the culinary world, the terms are used interchangeably by trained chefs. For the Weston A. Price followers, health practitioners, and for the GAPS Diet by Dr. Natasha Campbell – McBride, author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome, or anyone enjoying bone broth to eat more healthfully- there is a significant difference between the two.
Taste the Good Health
If I leave one lasting impression on you, I hope it is the health benefits and ease of making broth from scratch. Granted, I have always loved to cook, but the missing ingredient before I became a Nutritional Therapist was an awareness of the nutritional deficiencies we face today. Providing delicious broth that is easy to prepare and digest is the antidote for my family and clients. Learning how to make broth at home is a gateway habit that will lead you back to your kitchen and better health. Once you prepare broths and stocks, it will become the foundation for enhancing the flavor and nutrition in many other recipes.
Think of meat stocks as Grandma’s old remedy of chicken soup when you weren’t feeling well. “Meat” stock is made from meat that has some bones.
Meat stock, rather than bone broth, is used in the beginning stages of the GAPS protocol to heal the gut.
The simmer is for a relatively short time. 3 to 12 hours.
There are some advantages to meat stock in time-saving meal prep for home cooks: Meat stock gives you meat to use for salads, tacos, etc., while providing you with a gelatinous broth to drink. It also gives you bones to make bone broth in the future. Nice!
Is just that – a broth that is made with bony bones like marrow and knuckle; with a combination of meaty bones such as chuck ribs or neck bones. Bony bones yield gelatin and minerals, while the meaty bones ensure a rich color and a tasty umami flavor.
Bone broth is cooked for a very long time, 12 to 24 hours, and sometimes up to 72 hours!
This longer cooking time is advantageous for its superior mineral extraction while retaining the same excellent benefits from amino acids found in meat stock.
Bone broth, for the GAPS diet, is only introduced after the gut is healed and sealed. Some individuals with longstanding gut issues find that consuming bone broth too early before sealing the gut leads to reactions (ex., migraines) to the concentration of free glutamates or histamine allergies that result from the longer cooked gelatin. Transitioning from “meat stock” to ‘bone broth” is an essential step towards awareness in your healing.
Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions is a beautiful reference guide and a cookbook on your bookshelf for other recipes and support.
When you are sipping on something as delicious as bone broth, it’s not only soothing for the soul, but you are also getting the nutrition that’s hard to come by in the typical American diet. The low, slow cooking method draws out the minerals for the vegetables, collagen, and gelatin that have been shown to heal the gut and fight inflammation.
The magic of broth is in the elusive nutrients it renders.
A ton of minerals (calcium, magnesium, and potassium) are in ionized form in bone broth; this means they are easy to assimilate into our bodies – a proper electrolyte solution. When you add in all your dark green leafy veggies or kombu for superior mineral content, bone broth can outrun any Gatorade, making it the best choice for weekend warriors and athletes.
It is estimated that 70 to 80 percent of our immune system resides in our gut. This makes bone broth the ideal food when healing the body. Bone broth contains gut-healing amino acids proline and glycine that are beneficial to improving our immunity. Glycine supports detoxification and helps the body assimilate collagen; collagen is the most abundant protein in our body; it makes up our bones, joints, connective tissues, veins, arteries, and gut cells. Proline is essential to cell structures by strengthening their walls. This benefits people looking to heal the gut from digestive disorders or those seeking skin and cardiovascular support. It is also why many believe it is the “fountain of youth” with the more superficial ailments like reducing cellulite or improving lackluster skin.
The superhero nutrient gelatin acts as a hydrocolloid (attracts and holds liquid), improving gut health by increasing gastric acid secretion. According to Jonathon Wright, Md., author of Why Stomach Acid is Good for You, about 90% of Americans produce too little stomach acid. Low stomach acid impairs digestion and leads to various health problems, from heartburn to nutrient deficiencies that impact overall health. From a holistic health perspective, bringing the body back into balance often starts with addressing the foundation of digestion. The best intentions of eating well are ineffectual unless you can digest and absorb your food; correcting low stomach acid production is vital to better health. Sipping on bone broth is the ideal starter pre-meal practice for better digestion.
Healthy, enjoyable, quality-tasting broth and stocks must come from healthy, happy, quality animals. Sourcing your raw ingredients is critical to the healing qualities of your broth and stocks. Don’t worry; finding quality bones and meats is easier than ever, thanks partly to the “better meat, but less” movement. An organization called slowfoodusa.com is leading the way by highlighting the support of ethically sound and sustainable farming practices while reducing our environmental impact. Please read at your leisure @SlowFoodUSA to learn more about the meaning and best practices of grass-fed and quality pastured poultry.
It is easier than ever to find pastured chickens in your local supermarkets and health food stores like Whole Foods. Chicken stock is perfect for the beginner in all of us, with some of the most inexpensive parts, such as the feet and necks, wings, and thighs. Making broth from scratch is easy when it comes to chicken. Its mild umami flavor, perfect food for babies and toddlers, makes it a staple in your kitchen. Check your local farmer’s markets, health food stores, or the online resources below. It is always best to support your local farmers. Please remember: the best skill when choosing ingredients is to read labels and ask questions; to ensure you get what you paid for.
Bone broths are best when using a mix of different nutrient-rich bones, beef or pork bone, and marrow with more minor meaty cuts. Using bones from your roasts and grass-fed steaks is the best example of “letting nothing go to waste.” Lately, Whole Foods carry marrow bones in the freezer section.
Two excellent online resources, eatwild.com, and uswellnessmeats.com, can also help you hunt for quality ingredients and best practices.
Whole fish is easy to prepare for a weekday dinner. Stuff the cavity with fresh herbs, butter, and seasoning of choice, and bake in the oven for as little as 20 minutes. Enjoy the sweet taste of the fillet, then assemble the fish carcass into pure filtered water with some veggies and herbs. Cook time is even less (1 to 1/2 hours) for a healthy broth, saving you time and money.
Fish broth happens to be delicious and the most nutritious soup out there. Sally Fallon’s cookbook, Nourishing Traditions, celebrates fish stock for many reasons. Fish Broth made from carcasses and heads of fish include not only the critical mineral iodine for the thyroid gland but also replenishes many of the nutrients that are depleted in our Western eating habits.
Landlocked? Visit vitalchoicefarms.com for your resource for healthy, sustainable fish.
Once you’ve got the 101 on bone broth, the internet is your playground for recipes and inspiration. A reminder to print your free Hello Palate PDFflyer to get you started! Enjoy.
