Home-made bone broth has been used for centuries by many different cultures as a cure-all. Many of us may remember our grandmothers cooking a pot of stock with the leftover bones from the meals we enjoyed the night before. I know I do! I also remembering being confused & annoyed as to why there were so many bones in the chicken “soup”! What I didn’t know was that my Nan was making a loving & healing tonic for her family to thrive on. We can always learn some important lessons about nutrition and health if we look back at how generations past thought about food preparation and what they chose to feed us.

So what are some of the health benefits of bone broth?

Bone broth contains 2 important amino acids, Glycine and Proline. These amino acids are found in the body’s connective tissue like ligaments, tendons and cartilage as well as skin and muscle. When damage occurs to these areas from stress, injury or infection, these amino acids are necessary to help heal & repair our connective tissues. But that is not nearly all. Check out the list below – you might even say the contributions of Glycine and Proline provide the main benefits of bone broth:

• Glycine helps create and repair muscle tissue by boosting the body’s production of creatine, a substance that helps create lean body mass.
• Glycine is glucogenic, meaning it helps supply glucose to the bloodstream for energy. It also helps regulate healthy blood sugar levels by playing a part in glucogenesis as well.
• Glycine aids in digestion by helping to promote healthy levels of gastric & bile acids needed to digest fats.
• Glycine is essential in maintaining a healthy central nervous system, acting as an inhibitor for certain neurotransmitters that may cause seizures & other neurological disorders like depression, ADHD, ADD, and schizophrenia.
• Proline has been shown to help reduce plaque on arterial walls.
• Glycine & Proline are the major ingredients in the collagen in our bodies. Without both Glycine and Proline, our skin would lose its elasticity and not be able to heal from wounds, too much UV exposure or any type of free radical damage.
• Collagen is also known to help heal our gastrointestinal lining in cases of leaky gut syndrome.
• It is also known to reduce the appearance of cellulite, ladies!
• Both Glycine & Proline also work to help the body to synthesize proteins to create healthy cells in the body. Glycine is also used to help build healthy DNA and RNA strands as well, the building blocks of our genetic material.

Bone broth also contains many minerals, because bones are comprised of many minerals; Calcium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, and magnesium, just to name a few. When you make a bone broth, always add an acid, like Apple Cider Vinegar, to help render the minerals out of the bones and into the broth. The minerals are easily absorbed by our bodies from the broth so you will benefit from the nutrients quickly.

Bone broth is indeed a hot, delicious elixir, perfect to drink for comfort and warmth and to boost our healing processes during these cold, harsh winter months. I posted a simple bone broth recipe below that couldn’t be easier to make. Go on and make your Nan proud! Drink to your joint, epidermal, digestive, neurological, and immunological health! (Plus, it’s delicious!)

If you would like to share own your bone broth recipe, please post in comments. I would love to create a little nook of brothy love on the interwebs where people can come and try different broth styles.

Dana’s Bone Broth Love 

(I prefer beef broth made with oxtail and I only use the slow-cooker)

1-2lbs grass-fed beef oxtail

3-4 quarts of filtered water

2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced into thick chunks

2-3 stalks of celery, sliced

1 teaspoon sea salt

1-2 tablespoons of unpasteurized, unfiltered apple cider vinegar

Put everything in a slow cooker. Cook on high until the broth boils, then turn to low and cook for at least 20 more hours – the longer the better! Once time expires, let cool and strain out bones and veggies.  That’s it!  Enjoy!