My last few posts were about Adrenal Fatigue and the power of hair mineral analysis. Today’s blog follows in line with the healing power of minerals.
Making your own bone broth is an easy way to boost the mineral content in your diet and add something hot to the cold days of winter. Bone broth is made and consumed for its many health giving properties, but if the idea of making your own broth is new to you, you might be surprised to know that in the past it was very common practice.
Because traditional societies did not enjoy the surpluses of food that we do, they learned not to waste anything. Parts of the animal which we might consider unusable, like the bones, hooves, knuckles, feet and necks were thrown into a pot and cooked down.
Stock made from boiled bones contains minerals which are leached from the bone over time. Nutrients like collagen and amino acids come from the joints, and infuse the broth and are readily available to your body when you drink or cook with these broths.
According to Sally Fallon, co-author of Nourishing Traditions:
Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons–stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain.¹
Making a bone broth is much easier than you might imagine and I urge you to try it. Beef and chicken bones are used most commonly and I recommend organic grass fed animals. Chicken necks and feet are also available from online sources if you wish to increase the gelatin content of your broth. Sally Fallon states that the broth should gel in the refrigerator but if yours does not, don’t worry. You will still get many high quality nutrients from your broth.
Here is how I make Chicken Broth at home:
Easy Chicken Stock
bony chicken parts, such as neck, back, breastbone and wings
gizzards from one chicken (optional)
2-4 chicken feet (optional)
4 quarts cold filtered water
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
If you are starting with the whole chicken, you may boil it or roast it and pull the meat from the bone. To pull more nutrients out, chop the bones and cartilage into small parts. This will also add more gelatin to your broth. You can place the bones in a large stainless steel stock pot or use your crock pot. Cover the bones with cold water and add the vinegar. Let sit for a half hour, then bring to a boil and remove the scum/foam that rises to the top with a spoon. No need to remove the floating fat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for at least 6 hours, up to 24 hours. The longer you cook the stock, the more rich and flavorful it will be.
Strain the liquid into large bowl and ladle into mason jars.
Stock can be made without the vegetables, but do not omit the vinegar as that is what helps leach the minerals from the bones.
I use my crock pot and usually start at night. The next morning I add the vegetables and a few cloves of garlic. I like having backs and wings in my pot and leave small bits of chicken attached. The reason I wait to add the veggies is because I have the luxury of coming home for lunch and when I am making broth I take a small batch of ‘chicken stock/soup’ for my lunch. If I add the vegetables earlier they turn to mush, but after only a few hours they are soft but still flavorful.
This broth can be eaten as is, added to soups and used in place of water or canned chicken stock in any recipe. I use it when cooking greens, like mustard greens or kale, which I essentially stir fry until they wilt and then add liquid to soften them up. Last week I made a roast chicken, made the broth, then used the broth to make a chicken soup.
Bone broths have been used to heal leaky gut, which is a common part of adrenal fatigue. The collagen and amino acids help heal the damaged cells. Collagen is also a part of our hair and skin. Minerals have a plethora of uses in our body and due to depleted soil, most of us are deficient at one time or another.
Let me know when you try it.
Happy cooking!
1. http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/broth-is-beautiful/