The Healing Benefits of Bone Broth

The foundation of good health is a nourishing diet. Using food as medicine can offer powerful results, and bone broth is one of those healing foods. Making bone broth part of your daily routine can help support your body’s healing process in a variety of ways.

If you need help with a healing diet, click here

The foundation of good health is a nourishing diet. Using food as medicine can offer powerful results, and bone broth is one of those healing foods.

When you reduce chronic inflammation, heal your gut, and train your body to be a natural fat burner you will get the results and healing you want. You will feel better and have more energy. Making bone broth part of your daily routine can help support your body’s healing process.

What is bone broth?

Bone broth is made using the bones of chicken, beef, or fish. You take the bones and put them in a stockpot, slow cooker, or pressure cooker with water, veggies, and spices, and simmer for an extended period of time. All of the nutrients (collagen, minerals, amino acids, etc) from the bones come out into the broth to offer an incredibly nutrient-dense drink.

Bone broth offers numerous health benefits. It’s great for your skin, hair, nails, gut, and immune system. The glycine in bone broth is helpful if you struggle with insomnia. The glucosamine in bone broth is wonderful if you have achy joints. It’s a powerful antioxidant and is very detoxifying.

Bone broth contains gelatin, collagen, and an abundance of nutrients that have gut healing properties. So, if you’re suffering from autoimmunity, IBD, or inflammation, implementing bone broth is a very effective healing tool.

For purposes of weight loss, doing a bone broth mini-fast is very effective. As you fast on broth, you burn toxic fat that is stored in your body. Doing a mini-fast with bone broth is wonderful for metabolism and it’s healing to the gut. It really helps your insulin levels plummet. Excess insulin is the biggest driver to excess weight.

Mini-fasting also helps clean up your cells and reduce inflammation. Anything that increases inflammation will add weight, promote aging, and make you feel unwell.

Bone broth is known to increase BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is a protein that improves your insulin sensitivity. This is important because it accelerates weight loss. Another benefit of a bone broth fast is that your levels of growth hormone increase. This is your youth hormone. It helps you burn fat faster and look younger.

Best way to use bone broth

If you want to consume bone broth for general health and wellness, then incorporate 2 cups of bone broth into your diet every day.

If you want to heal a condition or lose weight, then do two non-consecutive days a week on a bone broth mini-fast. Sip on broth during the day. If you want, you can have a small meal (protein, fat, carb) around 7pm.

Is it better to use cooked bones or bones that haven’t been cooked?

Either is fine. You will get a bit more nutrients from clean bones that haven’t been cooked, but not enough to make a huge difference. So, if it’s more convenient for you to buy a rotisserie chicken from the store to make your broth, then do that. You will still get great results. In general, bigger bones are better because they have more nutrients.

Is bone broth right for you?

Hypoglycemia

Bone broth fasting is actually a great option if you are hypoglycemic. While other methods of fasting may not work for you, when you fast on bone broth, you don’t get the cravings and crashes because you’re being supplied with amino acids and nutrients to keep you stable.

Glutamate and histamine sensitivity

If you feel nauseous, light-headed, or foggy after consuming bone broth, it may be that you are sensitive to glutamate or histamine. This doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from broth. To avoid the negative side effects, simply cook the broth for a shorter period of time or use a pressure cooker. Simmer the broth for 6 hours. Or if you use a pressure cooker, cook for 1.5-2 hours. You will still get the benefits. Don’t store the broth for a long period of time. Consume the broth within 24 hours.

If you have a glutamate sensitivity, you may have more reactivity making beef bone broth with the meat included. Instead, just use the beef bones. This has not been observed with other meat like chicken, turkey, and fish.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of bone broth, check out our podcast with Dr. KellyAnn Petrucci.

If you need help with a healing diet, click here

What do you think? I would like to hear your thoughts or experience with this.

Dr. Ruscio is your leading functional and integrative doctor specializing in gut related disorders such as SIBO, leaky gut, Celiac, IBS and in thyroid disorders such as hypothyroid and hyperthyroid. For more information on how to become a patient, please contact our office. Serving the San Francisco bay area and distance patients via phone and Skype.