Whether you are making bone broth at home or picking up some ready-made at the store, this simple, traditional food is packed to the brim with health benefits. It is conveniently versatile as well, and can be enjoyed in your favorite mug, as a delicious soup base, and as an ingredient in a long list of daily fare.
Dr. Kellyann Petrucci, author of The Bone Broth Diet, says she looks at everything from the cellular level, “…our cells literally communicate and talk to one another. And it’s really important that you get your cells talking to one another in a really positive manner because your cells can work for you or against you.”
While she says that she frames everything in terms of how cells are affected, foods are a fundamental approach to positively influence those cells. She began using bone broth to address some of her own health concerns and fatigue, and when she experienced its benefits, she began to share it with her patients as well.
How does it help? Not only do regular users of bone broth feel better, but their skin improves, and they tend to lose some weight. Bone broth is beneficial because people tend to be very demineralized, and bone broth supplements minerals in addition to being a solid source of protein, “The big wow is the fact that it’s got collagen in there, and collagen is cooked gelatin.”
When looking for a bone broth to purchase, it is important to remember that bone broth is not canned soups, she explains, “You want to look for bone broth that gels.” You also want to make sure it is organic, Petrucci continues, “The health of the animal transfers over to you, we know that as an indisputable fact. So you want to get really clean food in general. Particularly, your meat products should be clean.”
You can tell a bone broth is a good one if it gels in the fridge, a sign that it is packed with gut-healing gelatin. Fortunately, she adds, there are a lot of good bone broths on the market now.
Another tip is to make sure that your bone broth has the right kind of salt, “salt can kill you or make you well,” Petrucci warns. Look for mineralized salts on the label – light gray or pink salts are the best, and avoid caking agents. Avoid any broth that contains monosodium glutamate (MSG).
Bone broth is especially popular with people doing intermittent fasting because it is a way to nourish the body and fast comfortably. People who try this approach find that their inflammation is improved, blood sugars stabilize, and that they can also lose weight while keeping their skin plumped up and healthy.
As we age, we need as much in our health arsenal as possible. Bone broth is the rock-solid foundation that Dr. Petrucci recommends for everyone. Additionally, GMOs are harming our guts, and bone broth is a healing solution. She has had doctors, including gastroenterologists and dermatologists, recommend her book and bone broth to patients. One dermatologist even puts every patient on a 10-day bone broth protocol.
The bottom line, she emphasizes, is that “we are about nutrient sufficiency. We are about putting the nutrients back into your body that people have no idea that they’re even missing. We just walk around more, and more, and more nutrient deficient… If bone broth can get that level up, get those minerals up, fantastic – do it! It really is a matter of what is best for you?”
Dr. Petrucci recommends that you begin a bone broth regimen by drinking 2 cups per day. Most people do best when beginning with chicken, and then move on to other broths as the taste is acquired. Most people enjoy it piping hot, and this is fine, as heat does not destroy the nutrients.
While dehydrated bone broth has some benefits, it is not as beneficial, “There is nothing that is the same as bone broth. There’s nothing as good as that… Nothing is going to serve you as well as that hot cup of bone broth.”