22 May 4 ways to use + enjoy bone broth.

I don’t know about you but here in the southern hemisphere it’s getting cold and I’m craving bone broth and soul warming soups. I never used to be a broth junkie, until I saw the results. I used it to heal my gut and help to balance my hormones after coming off the pill. When I first made bone broth it was a real trial and error on how I could use it in my life… sipping a cup of beef broth was a bit weird to begin with, my guess is you are in this boat and feeling like this too.

I know bone broth can be a weird or scary thought to some because it seems so “cave man” and also sounds like it would taste gross, but it has been around for centuries we just have the science to back up the old wives tales of why chicken soup is so beneficial.

The “old wives” were so right!! Chicken soup IS good for the soul.

Some people will say that calling bone broth “bone broth” is a hype word and its just stock, but there is a BIG difference between the 2. The difference between stock and broth we will dive into in a moment, but for now I want you to try and wrap your head around it and not to be scared of it.

The difference between stock and bone broth is the length of time it is cooked for and the ratio of ingredients.

Stocks are boiled with loads of flavour and for just a few hrs. They are used as a flavour base for soups etc, you will usually make with carrot, celery, garlic, onions, herbs and of course meat with some bones (chicken, veg, fish or beef).

Bone broth has less flavour and more emphasis on the healing minerals and collagen from the bones you use. I still use veggies in my bone broth because it adds a bit more flavour however you want a higher percentage of bones, especially bones that have cartilage and marrow. You cook the bones for approx 48 hrs to extract the maximum amount of minerals, amino acids, and vitamins from the bones. In my opinion you need to flavour your broth to add some flavour. One is made for healing properties and the other is mainly for flavour.

It took me a while to “love” bone broth because it does take a few cups to get your perfect broth flavour. The thing people don’t realise is that you don’t have to plug your nose and drink it straight, it’s not tequila!!

There are plenty of ways you can enjoy bone broth, here are my suggestions for pimping your broth.

1. Flavour each cup differently with some fat (ghee or coconut oil) spices, herbs, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper to get the perfect cuppa. Most spices are fat soluble meaning the fat helps to enhance their properties making them more bio-available so I always recommend adding a tbs of some form of organic oil (coconut, extra virgin olive oil, ghee or grassfed butter)
2. Use bone broth in soups and dinners. Using bone broth in replacement for chicken or beef stock is the easiest way to add healing properties to your soups. In winter I like to make my soups quite thin so I can enjoy a cup of soup in the afternoon on a rainy day (instead of a tea or coffee). 
3. Smoothies… YUP. No joke. In case you have not realised collagen supplement powders are quite expensive. You can make 4-5 L of bone broth for as little as $5. If you make a bone broth that is not heavily flavoured with vegetables then you can freeze it into ice cubes and use in a smoothie. Sounds a bit labour intensive and it can be but a little goes a long way. Half an hour of effort will give you week’s worth of bone broth ice cubes, saving you money of collagen powders to add to your smoothies.
4. Use in most savory recipes to loosen the mixture. For example I made liver pate recently and added a small amount of stock was required to loosen the mixture… so I used bone broth. Also some salad dressings need to be loosened up with water, so use a spoonful or 2 of bone broth.

Get creative and see where you can use it.

The healing benefits of bone broth are never ending.

The main benefits promoted are surrounding gut health and immune health. It contains amino acids that boost immunity and fight inflammation. L-Glutamine can be present (depending on the quality of bones and type used) which is specifically healing to the gut lining. Collagen is an amazing healer for the gut lining (as well as your skin, hair, nails and joints). Healing your gut lining or supporting a strong and healthy gut lining can promote all round health (hormonal balance, leaky gut, skin issues, acne, immune health etc).

Simmering the broth for 2 days will extract a large number of minerals from the bones such as calcium. It contains many nourishing vitamins like magnesium, zinc and potassium, which are usually lacking in a western diet. Plus it’s a great source for protein because of the amino acids it contains. Amino acids are the building blocks for protein synthesis so they are really helping you use the protein you eat more efficiently.

Bone broth can be very therapeutic IF you have a specific health concern or are trying the repair your gut health issues. For me personally I had post pill amenorrhea and it wasn’t until I started using bone broth that I started to see a positive shift in my hormones and got a healthy cycle back. It’s not a magic pill and I’m not saying it was the only thing I was doing but the literature definitely points to it being a contributing factor in my healing journey because of the positive and healing effects it has on the gut and gut lining. If you are just enjoying bone broth for overall health and wellness you may not see immediate results however it will be helping you with immunity during the winter months, better skin, nails and hair (because of the collagen), stronger gut and also can be beneficial for protein intake and joint health (for all the gym junkies out there, raise your hands).

My 2 favourite ways to enjoy chicken bone broth are:

Golden latte

1 cup of chicken bone broth

½ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp ground ginger (or a small amount of freshly grated or minced ginger)

Pinch cayenne pepper

A few twists of freshly ground black pepper

½ cup coconut milk

1 tbs coconut oil (ghee OR grass fed butter)

• Use a little battery operated milk whisk to emulsify the oil and mix it all together while heating it up on the stove… or heat it up on the stove and blend in a small kitchen blender until smooth and creamy. Salt to your liking. This recipe works best with chicken broth but if using beef i would leave out the coconut milk (personal preference)

Italian Broth

1 & ½ cups chicken or beef broth

Sprig of fresh thyme

3-4 fresh basil leaves

3-4 fresh oregano leaves

Small amount of garlic

Salt and pepper

EVO (coconut oil OR ghee)

Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

• In a mortar and pestle grind the fresh herbs and garlic into a paste… a little goes a long way, you won’t have much but it will be powerful fresh flavour. Heat up the broth on the stove in a small saucepan, add the paste along worth a 1tbs of oil of your choice. Use a little battery operated milk whisk to emulsify the oil and mix it all together once heated or add the a small kitchen blender to emulsify the ingredients together.

NOW… tell me how you enjoy your bone broth or any questions you might have regarding how you can enjoy and make bone broth part of your life.