Several bowls of clear broth with green onions are arranged on a wooden table, with a white bowl in the foreground

Drink Yourself to a Healthier, Younger Body – The Case for Bone Broth

ByPauline Cox

Drink yourself to a healthier, younger body by incorporating bone broth into your daily routine.

Bone broth packs a punch on the nutrient-density scales! It is bursting with minerals, collagen protein, amino acids (the building blocks of protein) and anti-aging nutrients. Bone broth has healing benefits to the gastrointestinal tract as well as helping to build strong, healthy body tissues such as skin, hair, nails, cartilage and muscle.

Here are some of the body-benefiting nutrients found in this healing broth:

Collagen

Collagen, the most abundant protein in the body, is structurally important for healthy, plump, elastic skin, strong hair, bones, cartilage and nails. Research suggests that supplementing collagen-rich foods enhances the body’s own production of collagen-making cells, fibroblasts. This can result in more youthful appearing skin, stronger nails and thicker hair.

Minerals

Calcium, phosphorous and magnesium all feature heavily in bone broth. These minerals play vital roles in the body, with calcium and magnesium being essential for relaxation of the nervous system and muscles. A diet rich in these essential minerals ensures a good night sleep and a well-rested mind. Low levels of calcium and magnesium are associated with anxiety, muscle tension, cramping and insomnia.

Hyaluronic Acid

Bone broth is a rich source of the compounds hyaluronic acid, glucosamine and chondroitin, the structural components of cartilage that give it its cushioning properties. Little research has been done in the effectiveness of supplementing these individual components in the diet for arthritic pain, however, it’s an exciting area of science that is on-going with some research suggesting an improvement in knee pain with increased intake of hyaluronic acid.

5 Ways to Use Bone Broth

Blending 35-40ml of bone broth into a hot drink is a great way of incorporating all the goodness of bone broth into your daily diet.

Turmeric bone broth

  • 40ml of organic chicken bone broth
  • 1 tablespoon grass-fed ghee (optional)
  • 100ml boiling water
  • 100ml nut milk or coconut milk (I love the Plenish milks!)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt, to taste
  • 1 tsp of Turmeric Latte Mix

Combine all of the ingredients in a pan and heat until warm.

Bone broth hot chocolate

  • 250ml hazelnut milk
  • 1-2 tbsp cacao powder or 40g of dark chocolate squares
  • 2 tbsp unflavoured bone broth powder
  • 4g collagen (optional)

Gently heat the nut milk in a pan before adding the chocolate to slowly melt. Add the bone broth powder and stir until fully combined (blend gently if necessary).

Super smoothie

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 250ml nut milk
  • 1 tbsp cacao powder
  • 1 heaped tbsp chocolate/banana bone broth powder
  • A handful of frozen berries/frozen chopped banana

Add all of the ingredients to a blender and combine on a high speed until smooth.

Scrambled eggs

Enrich scrambled eggs by adding 40ml of bone broth or a tablespoon of bone broth powder into your scrambled eggs – this will add extra nutrients to your super-healthy scrambled eggs.

As a daily tonic

Add 40ml of bone broth with apple cider vinegar, sparkling water, lime juice and mint leaves – or any combination of gut-healing tonics you enjoy!

As an accompaniment

Combine a tablespoon of unflavoured bone broth powder with a dollop of avocado mayonnaise and a little balsamic vinegar for a powerhouse salad dressing – heavenly!

Whichever way you choose to enjoy bone broth, the benefits are abundant!

References

Heaton et al. Selected In-Season Nutritional Strategies to Enhance Recovery for Team Sport Athletes: A Practical Overview. Sports Medicine 47 (11) 2017.

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