Bone Broth Recipe & Health Benefits

As I'm working on figuring out just how great my body was designed to feel I've made it a priority to add bone broth to my daily routine for gut and immune support. It sounds like it might be complicated, but that couldn't be further from the truth. This is a really easy recipe that requires very little time from you (assuming you have a crock pot you can use) so the return on your time investment is huge. I highly encourage you to give it a try for two weeks and see how you feel.

Here are 5 reasons to add bone broth to next week's meal plan.

1. One of the keys to a strong a immune system and a healthy life is gut health. The gelatin in bone broth helps protect and heal the mucosal lining of the digestive tract and aids in the digestion of nutrients.

2. The glucosamine in bone broth supports a healthy inflammatory response in the joints. Glucosamine actually stimulates the growth of new collagen enhancing the health of your joints. 

3. The collagen in bone broth supports hair and nail growth making it a natural beauty product.

4. Is it any surprise that bone broth is good for your bones? The calcium, magnesium and phosphorus in bone broth support our bones in growth and repair.

5. Glycine, an amino acid that can be very calming, is also found in bone broth making it a great addition to your evening routine to help you get a restful night's sleep.

Bonus: It's incredibly easy and much cheaper than store bought broths.

Here's the recipe to get you started.

Ingredients:

4 quarts filtered water
2 pounds of grass-fed organic beef bones or organic pasture raised chicken bones. The quality of the bones is very important so make sure you know how the animal was raised.
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (don't skip this ingredient)
2 teaspoons of sea salt
12 cloves of garlic peeled

Feel free to add other vegetables to your broth like celery and carrots, but they aren't mandatory for the health benefits mentioned above.

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a large slow cooker and turn the heat up to high until the water boils. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to low and cook your broth for a minimum of 8 hours, but I like to cook mine overnight (24 hours) to make sure it gels and I get all the good stuff out of the bones. 

When it's done cooking, turn off the slow cooker and let your broth cool to room temperature. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer or a colander lined with a cheesecloth. Store your broth in glass containers in the fridge for up to one week or freeze to use later.

Before I use my refrigerated broth, I like to remove the fat that settles at the top and throw it away. I simply warm up the broth and drink it like tea with a little turmeric sprinkled into it, but you can also use it as the base for just about any soup recipe that calls for stock or broth.

Where do I get good bones? That's a question I get whenever I talk about bone broth. If your grocery store carries pasture raised chicken or grass-fed organic beef and has a butcher you can frequently ask them for bones. Many health focused grocery stores are also starting to carry them in the freezer section near or put them out in the meat department. Local butchers are farmers are another great option. Depending on where you live you may have to do a little searching to find good quality bones, but it's totally worth it. I used to be able to get them for free, but as the popularity of bone broth increases stores and farmers are beginning to charge for them. Another great tip is to buy a whole organic, pasture-raised chicken. Roast it or cook it in your crockpot for the meat then use the bones for your broth. Two meals for the price of one!