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| All fixed up and ready to simmer! |
When we set out on our real food adventure, one of the first things I
started making at home was chicken stock. We eat a whole chicken about
once a week, and I loved the idea of truly using every part of the bird
for nourishment. I had also read quite a bit about the benefits of
chicken stock, or as it is more commonly referred to in the real food
community, bone broth.
Bone broth is another one of
those foods that has been nourishing people for thousands of years.
When ancient tribes hunted for animals, all of that work meant that
every part of the animal was going to be put to use, down to the bones
themselves. Bone broth is made with bones (possibly with some meat left
on them), vegetables, seasonings, and filtered water. The difference
between bone broth and typical, store bought chicken stock is the amount
of time that it cooks. Bone broth can simmer in a crock pot or pot on
the stove for up to a week, until all of the nourishment has been
leached from the bones. The first time I made broth, I followed my
recipe's suggestion that if the bones crushed when squeezed, all of the
good stuff was now in the broth itself. It was really exciting to see
the bone crumble between my fingers and know that we were now going to
be able to consume all of those nutrients! (I know that sounds weird.
Real food problems.) The old wisdom about chicken soup being good for a
cold is true!
"Rich homemade chicken broths help
cure colds. Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb
easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur
and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage
and tendons--stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold
as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain." ~Weston A. Price Foundation
Bones
are also rich in amino acids and minerals. The amino acid glycine
helps your body to detoxify and supports digestion. This is one of the
reasons bone broth is so good for healing Leaky Gut Syndrome! One of my
favorite things about bone broth is that it is a great way to consume
gelatin. Wait, I know what you're thinking:
Yuk,
ick, NO! NOT that kind of gelatin. But its true, even the
store-bought totally nasty stuff is made from bones. Bad bones. Don't
eat this stuff. (Can you tell I hate Jello?) Bone broth gelatin,
however, comes from the good bones of your chicken, preferably an
organic, free range or pastured one! And why is this my favorite thing
about bone broth? Well, because gelatin is known to combat wrinkles,
cellulite, and stretch marks!!! "Hey, I have some of those!" you may be
thinking. If so, bone broth is yummier, and cheaper, than plastic
surgery. Gelatin also supports digestive health, which makes it another
key ingredient in battling that wicked Leaky Gut so many people are
plagued with.
Now
that you know a little bit about why bone broth is so good for you, you
may be wondering how you should eat it. In our house, there is often a
crock pot of broth simmering on the counter. I make a new pot about
once a week, maybe more often now that it's for sale at Mama's Mason Jars.
We typically use our broth to make soups in the winter, and rice and
quinoa year round. It is more delicious and a lot more nourishing to
use broth in your rice than water, and it's just as easy! Many people
also drink their broth. Addy's clinician Megan drinks hers from a
portable coffee mug! If you are interested in making
your own bone broth, I base mine off of the Nourished Kitchen recipe for
Perpetual Soup.
I use Bragg's Raw, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar to help break down
the bones, and throw in lots of yummy organic vegetable scraps to give
great flavor. I also always use Himalayan Pink Sea Salt instead of
table salt, because it provides so many good minerals. If you are
interested in buying broth from my store, just send me a message at Mama's Mason Jars! And if you would like to read even more on the virtually endless benefits of bone broth, check out Nourished Kitchen and Mommypotamus .
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