HEALTH &
Wellness
Mmmm, Good… to the Bone The health benefits of bone broth BY RIC COGGINS
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There were two exceptions which kept my restorative “whole food, plant-based” diet from becoming all-out vegan—they were my inclusion of ghee (clarified butter) and bone broth.
As you may recall, the purpose of my avoiding animal proteins and fats was to lighten the load on my immune system, so that all of its energy could be directed towards the cancer cells in my body. In the case of ghee and bone broth, my research seemed to indicate that the overwhelming benefit of these two foods far outweighed any “animal drag” they might place on my immune system.
collagen and gelatin in bone broth also promotes joint health, and has even been touted by athletes for aiding in faster joint injury recovery. Skin, hair, and nails are benefited from the inside out by the collagen in bone broth.
Ghee is rich in butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid that nourishes the cells of the gut. Its effects on cancer cells—colon cancer in particular—have been noted in numerous studies for their impact on inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis. It is, however, the latter topic of bone broth which we will take up today.
DIFFERENT TYPES Unless the water will be discarded (as in boiling pasta), I pretty much use bone broth to replace water in all recipes that call for it. After dried beans are soaked, I use bone broth to cook the beans soft. I cook rice with bone broth instead of water. Again, as long as the “water” would be absorbed or retained in the food, I replace it with bone broth.
THE HEALTH BENEFITS Like ghee, the reason for my inclusion of bone broth was for its known effect on the gut. Bone broth has a long history of being served as a digestive aid. It is documented in traditional cultures as far back as 2,500 years. What science knows so far is that bone broth’s benefit to the gut stems mainly from the collagen it contains—and by the way, one cannot get collagen from plants.
Bone broth is commercially available, but I’ve always made my own. It’s so easy! Typically you will find poultry and beef “flavors” available. Besides taste, each type offers unique benefits. Chicken bones (especially feet bones) add extra collagen to your broth. A University of Nebraska study found that the amino acids that were rendered when making chicken bone broth reduced inflammation in the respiratory system. This is perhaps of interest in these COVID-19 times.
When bones are boiled down even further, gelatin is formed. Both collagen and gelatin contain amino acids such as glutamine, which supports a healthy gut biome. Other elements in bone broths can include hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, chondroitin, calcium, and magnesium. The
Mammal bones (beef, lamb, etc.), when simmered over long cook times, release nutrients from the bone marrow. It’s said that the marrow contains more nutrients than the respective animal meat itself.
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GREEN LIVING
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greenlivingmag.com
Bone broth is one place where I believe organic is extremely
