With crisp, autumn weather moving in soon, it’s the perfect time to add a healthy dose of bone broth to your diet. You may have heard about bone broth as it’s gained more popularity in the states, but did you know it’s been a source of healing and great nutritional benefits for eons? Seriously, Chinese Traditional Medicine dates way back. In fact, there’s documentation from as early as the third century B.C./B.C.E. where broth was made from chicken feet or jelled soup from calves feet in Russia.

So, before we dig into the details and benefits of bone broth, let’s take a quick look at the difference between bone broth and stock.

Stock is your basic broth most people make for soup. The only difference is that bone broth uses animal bones in the stock you’re creating. Fish and chicken broth, made as the Chinese do,  contains whole fish or chicken, complete   with the bones cooked until it gels. What? Really? Yep. Let me explain.

The thing is, bones that are used in the cooking of your stock have things like marrow and cartilage, too, and are rich with nutrients. We’re talking amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and so much more. Whether you use beef bones or pork bones, chicken bones or venison bones, or even fish bones or bison bones, or deer antler like the Chinese do, you’re able to add a large dose of goodness to your diet.

Nutrients Found in Bone Broth

Here are some nutrients worth noting: 

• Animal bones: Animal bones contain minerals like magnesium, potassium and phosphorus while fish bones  contain iodine. Don’t overcook bone broth as bones intrinsically have large loads of lead.  Nutrition expert Chris Kresser believes that  this should not disqualify bone broth, but it does require care in timing and dosage.
• Marrow: Marrow is chock full of vitamins and minerals that your body needs. We’re talking things like zinc and iron, Vitamins A and K2, along with boron, Omegas 3 and 6, and manganese.
• Connective Tissue: Connective tissue is loaded with glucosamine which is great for your joints, along with chondroitin. Connective tissue may be the most useful part of the bone broth.and accounts for gelling.

Did you know?

Licensed Acupuncturist, Renee Klorman, “Bone broth nourishes and warms the vital physiological functions that are the foundation for human health in Chinese medicine: Jing (essence/DNA), Wei qi (your protection from external pathogens), Qi (propels all body functions), and Xue (makes, carries, and stores nutrients).” This is why deer antler jelly is a primary cure for yqng deficiency and asa tonic for growth.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Strength of Bone Broth for Healing

Bone broth can help those who suffer with gut issues and auto-immune conditions due to particular amino acid called glycine, which is important in the detoxification process. How does it do it? It has to do with oxidation.

Oxidation is the fancy way of saying, oxygen is causing deterioration. Think about taking a bite of an apple, then putting it on the counter. It will start to brown. That’s because oxygen caused a reaction. So, in the case of our glycine we spoke of a minute ago, this amino acid helps slow down oxidation.

This in turn helps reduce inflammation. There’s a chemical reaction that’s going on, but the end result is good stuff. This means when you have bad bacteria in the gut, this glycine helps chip away at the bad bacteria, protects your stomach, and helps your digestive system.

Lastly, the bone broth also includes gelatin from the breakdown of cooking the bones. The gelatin helps keep water and fluids in the digestive tract. This is important, so your intestines stay hydrated.

Bone broth is a great choice to keep in mind if you’re having digestive issues that have you losing too many fluids. Think about when you’re ill and dehydrating. Some people reach for electrolyte beverages, but bone broth just might be a smarter choice.

But, Does it Work?

The thing with some methods of medicine like Chinese Traditional Medicine or Eastern Medicine is that much of it is based on holistic methods. These methods were created centuries ago, but because traditional scientific medicine hadn’t arrived, they had to try things, observe what worked, and notate it how they were able. They used what is called empirical science. In other words, they based their findings on evidence. They tried it, it worked or didn’t work, and recorded what did to pass on to others. They seek out patterns to find the things that help. Even today, scientists rely on empirical evidence.

As defined by Live Science, “Empirical evidence is information acquired by observation or experimentation. Scientists record and analyze this data. The process is a central part of the scientific method.”

According to Sara Haas, R.D.N., a dietitian, chef, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, she states in a fitness magazine,  “Doctors of Chinese medicine have turned to it to strengthen kidneys and support the digestive system.” Bone broth is also suggested for leaky gut syndrome.

Bone Broth Nutritional Information: You can find a full list of nutritional data based on different brands via the U.S Department of Agricultural’ s Nutrient Database.

Takeaways:

• Traditional Chinese and Eastern Medicines have used bone broth for ages and relied on empirical science data to record benefits.
• There are vast amounts of nutritional benefits such as amino acids, vitamins, along with other nutrients.
• Bone broth is good for your entire body, but especially helpful for digestive issues and for those with weak immune systems due to the nutrient packed quality of the broth.
• You can use multiple types of animal bones, and it isn’t reliant on only one kind, though each will provide different values.
• Glycine helps reduce oxidation and offers added benefits like reducing inflammation, while gelatin helps draw water to your digestive tract and is also good for joint health.

With all these great bits and pieces, it all adds up to an easy solution. It’s time to add bone broth to your diet and enjoy the enhanced benefits along with healing properties. It’s inexpensive to make, and easy to find bones whether at your local grocery or a farmers’ market. Why not try it today? With the cooler weather upon us, it’s a great time to add bone broth to your diet.