Today, I am going to touch on the benefits of bone broth.
Not only is bone broth one of the most nutrient-dense healing foods for the digestive system, it is also going to helping to build a stronger immune system and help your body better fight the bugs we are facing during this fall and winter. You can use this recipe as a base for your favorite recipes, or you can simply sip on this healing brew all on it’s own. No matter how you consume it, you will receive the amazing benefits of bone broth!
The Benefits of Bone Broth Include:
- Improved digestion, with a reduction in symptoms such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, IBS and acid reflux.
- Strengthens the immune system and allows your body to better fight off foreign invaders.
- Better/stronger hair, skin, nails and BONES due to bone broth being rich in collagen.
- Enhanced sleep, memory and cognition
1. Improved Digestion
Since bone broth is an excellent natural source of collagen, a type of protein necessary to form the lining of the digestive tract, it is excellent for soothing the lining of the digestive tract and aiding in the healing of issues such as leaky gut, IBS/IBD, GERD, ulcerative colitis and other common digestive health issues.
2. Strengthens the Immune System
Over 70% of your immune system is located in your digestive tract. With the improvements that bone broth has on digestion, this also means improvements for your immune system! This happens by way of the healing that occurs in the gut. When our gut is out of balance, so is the balance of our beneficial bacteria. By using bone broth and healing the digestive tract, you are also helping to bring the beneficial bacteria of your digestive tract into balance.
Fun fact: We have over 6 pounds of microbiome (bacteria) living in our digestive tract, and the key is keeping them living in a harmonious environment!
3. Better Skin, Hair, Nails!
Another benefit to collagen is that it helps for the tissues found in the skin that give it strength, smoothness and a youthful appearance. Over time, this means that you may experience an improvement in fine lines, sagging, and even cellulite! Over time, you may also notice a difference in the strength of your nails and hair, with less nail breakage and fewer split ends!
4. Enhanced Sleep, Memory & Cognition
Bone broth is an excellent source of amino acids, and these amino acids play a vital role in the production of the chemicals and hormones that help us sleep, mentally process, retain information, harness our motivation and even make decisions. Glycine in particular, has been shown to help those who can’t sleep get better rest, lower their anxiety levels and even enhance their retention of information!
Bone broth is also a great source of electrolytes, including sodium, potassium and magnesium. Having a proper electrolyte balance in the body is crucial for everything from brain function to bathroom functions! Magnesium alone contributes to the efficiency of over 700 metabolic processes in the human body!
Are You Convinced?
Here’s the thing: I didn’t even list ALL of the benefits of consuming bone broth, this was merely scratching the surface. However, despite it’s massive benefits, for many, the deterring factor for making bone broth is the amount of time that is traditionally needed to prepare it. Typically, bone broth is steeped in a slow cooker or stock pot for 24-36 hours, which can be problematic when someone in the family is coming down with symptoms you want to get ahead of NOW.
We Are Going to Keep It SIMPLE!
Like all of our other recipes here in the FE blog, we are going to be keeping things SIMPLE and creating efficiency in your cooking! We are going to be reducing your cooking time from 24-36 hours down to 2 by using my FAVORITE KITCHEN TOOL. The Instant Pot!
The Instant Pot allows us to use the magic of pressure cooking to get all of the nutrient-dense goodness from our bones in a FRACTION of the time.
I recommend the 8qt Instant Pot, especially if you like to cook in bulk like I do!
Do You Like Live Tutorials?
If you prefer to watch a live cooking tutorial, check out this video from the Functional Effect/AKOS Nutrition Community Group on Facebook!
Feel free to join and invite your friends to stay on top of the latest news at FE!
AKOS Nutrition Instant Pot Bone Broth
Makes 3 quarts bone broth
Ingredients
- Bones from 3-4# chicken (I like using the carcass of a rotisserie chicken! Keep it simple!!!) Or, if you prefer to prep your chicken yourself, check out my recent recipe for the PERFECT roasted chicken!
- 2 medium carrots, cut in half
- 1 medium parsnip, cut into large chunks (can sub 2 additional carrots)
- 4 ribs of celery (roughly 1.5 cups of leaves and ends)
- 1 large yellow onion, quartered with skin and root intact
- 6 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
- 1 bay leaf
- 8-10 peppercorns
- Handful of fresh herbs (I used parsley and thyme)
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Water (Be sure to use purified water! We love our reverse osmosis system!)
- Sea salt
Directions
- Place carcass, veggies, spices, herbs and vinegar into your Instant Pot.
- Add enough water to just cover the bones and veggies.
- Place your lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the vent is in the “sealing” position.;
- Select the manual pressure setting and set time to 120 minutes.
- When cooking has completed, allow pressure to release naturally (may take up to 20 minutes!)
- Carefully release any additional pressure using the vent valve and a towel before removing the lid.
- Allow broth to cool and then use a cheese cloth and fine mesh strainer to strain your broth before placing into jars for storage.
Storing Instructions
- If refrigerating: Can keep fresh for up to 5 days.
- If freezing: Can keep fresh for up to 6 months+
- Option 1: Place in mason jars (be sure to use smooth-sided jars and only fill 75-80% full)
- Option 2: Place in silicone molds, makes utilizing single serving portions much easier!
Great blog. The gelatin in bone broth has been proven to reduce gut inflammation, and it also aids the good bacteria that keep your digestive system working.