Bone broth: A tasty, nutrition powerhouse
| By Dr. David Perlmutter
Food & Health
One of my core messages has always been that the dietary choices you make on a daily basis have a profound impact on your overall health and well-being.
Our best peer reviewed research continues to indicate that, by far, the best diet for human health is one that favors whole foods that maintain blood sugar, keep the gut lining intact, are devoid of pesticides and provide optimal nutrients for the body.
One food item in particular meets all of these criteria and adding it to your diet – or, I should say, adding it back – can benefit your health in a number of ways.
Adding Bone Broth Back In
As I’ve previously discussed, a number of factors, including poor diet, stress and environmental triggers, can lead to leakiness of the gut which increases the overall level of inflammation in the body. This in turn has far reaching negative effects on your health that include some of our most feared brain disorders
One effective way to improve and heal the gut is to provide your body with nutrients that ensure the integrity of the intestinal wall. One of the simplest and easiest foods in which you can find such nutrients is bone broth.
Bone broth has become increasingly popular in the last few years. While it might strike some of you as strange, bone broth is quite normal in some cultures, but here in the West our taste preferences are such that we really only consume the muscle meat. These other parts of the animal are much higher in certain nutrients that many of us lack in our diets because of our preference for muscle meat.
Most notably, bone broth is loaded with collagen – a protein that comes from bones, ligaments and tendons – and it is also high in many important amino acids. Collagen serves a host of important functions but in this case is incredibly effective at supporting the stomach lining by aiding in the formation of connective tissue, as we’ve known for a while. These amino acids – glycine and glutamine – maintain the integrity of your intestinal wall, and aren’t otherwise easily found even in the healthiest of Western diets. Check out this study on glycine and this study on glutamine for some of the science on these amino acids.
There’s More – Skin, Joint Health & Detoxification
Collagen can restore luster and tightness to your skin, and as I’ve discussed, what’s good for your gut is also good for your skin. As mentioned earlier, this is because of collagen’s role in forming connective tissue.
There are also specific proteins in bone broth that are excellent for supporting joint health. Bone broth contains Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) like Glucosamine, which are commonly taken as supplements to reduce joint pain and inflammation.
And lastly, the liver makes good use the glycine found in bone broth in orchestrating the removal of toxins from the body.
Where I Go for Bone Broth
Bone broth is a nutrition powerhouse, but the biggest drawback to making it on your own is the time it takes to prepare. Preparing it properly requires 24-48 hours of simmering which can be quite a commitment. There are plenty of great recipes out there for those of you that want to go this route.
For those of you that don’t have the time to make your own bone broth, one company that I’m a fan of is Kettle & Fire. Their product is delicious, and it’s the only shelf stable, non-frozen bone broth without any preservatives or additives. Not to mention it is 100% organic and grass-fed. Their new chicken bone broth is made only from organic chickens, organic vegetables and spices.
This article originally appeared on Dr. Perlmutter’s website.
