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Would you drink a mug of chicken bone broth? I never drank it before last week.
In that week, my toddler got pneumonia, my second grader threw up, my
preschooler coughed for days on end, my husband coughed…and I would get
a tickle of a sore throat now and then. It always went away.
Let me also explain that
I do not have the perfect diet – I eat too much late at night while blogging and get into the Halloween candy and random Costco chocolates far too often.
I do not get enough sleep. Some nights I only get
three hours of sleep, and even that is interrupted at least once by my
nursling. The day before Thanksgiving I was up until 3:30 a.m. baking
pies and writing a post for Attune, and then I saw my little guy once or
twice (maybe three times), my daughter had a nightmare and cuddled in
my bed for a few minutes, and by 6 or 6:30, my oldest son was throwing
up.
My husband, who slept through me getting out of bed at least six times plus Leah getting into our bed, received the
“state of the family’ address at 7:30 a.m., otherwise known as, “Honey, let me catch you up on what has happened while you were sleeping.”
That part has nothing to do with my story except that
it’s amazing the man slept through all that, and
woefully ironic that he pops out of bed the second his alarm goes off
while I have no idea anything happened. He’ll wake me up for a third
time and I think it’s only the first.
I digress.
I never promised to be right in mind, just
able to fend off illness with a mighty hand…I mean, cup of bone broth.
I wrote the intro to this post in December, hence the
Thanksgiving reference, but ironically, in the last two weeks we’ve had
two kids with ear infections, three kids with fever, one toddler with
pneumonia (again!), lots of coughing, (all of which we fended off
without antibiotics) and no bone broth
in the house for the last month. Coincidence? Maybe. But I bought a
chicken not-on-sale yesterday and have been drinking mugs of it this
morning. It’s broth week at Kitchen Stewardship, after all!
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10 Reasons to Drink Bone Broth
1. Immunity Boosting Fat
The yellow fat from pastured chickens holds
immune boosting powers that are only the tip of the iceberg in the power of a properly prepared
chicken stock to keep you from getting the next cold or other bug that flies through your house.
2. Warm Liquid is Soothing
It’s okay to mention the obvious. There are plenty of other immune-boosting strategies, like
apple cider vinegar water, using lots of raw garlic, and taking
fermented cod liver oil, but the soothing feel of a warm liquid on a cold day can’t be beat. (You’ll still want FCLO from
Green Pasture for the Vitamins A and D and omega 3s, but you might not want to sip it as you sit at the computer!)
3. Super Mineral Boost
Bone broth contains minerals from the bones that are not only
abundant but easy to assimilate into our bodies (unlike the whole mess
with whole grains and phytic acid and such – see the
soaking grains series for more info on that). Minerals that will help you stay in optimal health include:
- calcium
- magnesium
- phosphorus
- other trace minerals
- (source)
4. Better Carrier for Garlic and Cayenne than Tea
Fresh garlic, ginger, and cayenne pepper are great immunity boosting
foods to eat as well, and while ginger makes a decent tea, it’s just
weird to sip tea with garlic and cayenne. They taste awesome in broth
though…
5. Gelatin for Joint Health
One of the incredible benefits of real bone broth made with the
vinegar soak, all the cartilage from the animal and the actual bones is
that your finished stock should have a good amount of gelatin. Gelatin
is the cooked form of collagen, which makes up about
half the protein in our bodies, so you’re truly “body building” when you consume it.
Gelatin provide glycine, an amino acid that promotes healthy
cartilage and ultimately aids in avoiding joint pain. Could a cup a day
keep the acetaminophen away?
6. Improves Bone Density
The calcium that leaches out of the bones into the stock is ready to
be absorbed into your body, the perfect weapon against osteoporosis or
weak bones in any way. (
source)
7. Aids Digestion
Yet another benefit of gelatin, bone broth helps your system digest
more efficiently, especially milk, meat, beans, and grains. That’s
likely why it’s used in
GAPS and other gut healing diets. Who doesn’t need a little help digesting everything in our day and age?
