Bone broths have been all over the news lately. This article will take a closer look at what bone broths are and why you should be making a cup soon.
What are Bone Broths?
There is a reason why many mothers and doctors prescribe chicken soup when you feel under the weather. This is because chicken soup is not just good for the soul, but for your health as well. Bone stock or broth is a liquid that contains the brewed bones and connective tissues of chicken, cow, or even fish. Consuming bone stock has proven beneficial towards boosting the vitality of your joints, digestive system, among other things.
Tissues and bones of many types of animals can be used to make good bone broths. These broths contains numerous nutrients, especially minerals that have been derived from these tissues.
Bone stock is usually made by putting animal bones, hooves, tendons, and other parts in boiling water and then letting them simmer over a couple of days. The purpose of the simmering is to allow the ligaments and bones to release healing compounds such as collagen, glycine, glutamine, and proline, which work towards bettering your health.
Health Benefits of Bone Broths
1. Nutritional Value
Bones, by themselves, are highly rich in nutrients and vitamins such as calcium, phosphorous, and magnesium. Thus, brewing connective tissue into the bone stock will provide the body with even more natural compounds from the cartilage.
Both bones and tissue contain collagen. When you cook collagen, it turns into gelatin, which is a compound that provides the body with amino acids – the protein building blocks.
Nonetheless, it might not be possible to accurately state how much of any type of nutrient you are going to find in a particular broth. This is because that is determined by the type and quality of the tissues and bones that have been used in the stock.
As such, it is probably a good idea to use many different types of tissues and bones in your broth so as to raise your chances of getting the highest amount of nutrients. Moreover, adding ingredients such as vegetables into the broth will provide additional nutrients.
2. Protecting the Joints
As mentioned earlier, broth made out of animal bones is a good source of gelatin, which breaks down into collagen into the body. This breakdown is especially vital for the joints.
Because we are constantly using our joints, this continuous pressure causes the cartilage in these areas to wear down or shrink. This adds more stress to the joints, which might eventually get damaged after a while.
The idea that broth helps take care of our joints is not pseudoscience; a 2017 review from the journal Sports Medicine posits that both lab and animal studies show that supplementing with gelatin increases the amount of collagen in our tissues. This is beneficial towards protecting the joints from the extra stress. Drinking bone broths is one of the easiest ways of adding gelatin into your diet.
3. Helps in Fighting Osteoarthritis
The compounds found in broths made out animal bones are not only helpful towards maintaining joints, but are also helpful in alleviating bone and joint conditions such as osteoarthritis.
The Nutritional Journal published the findings of a study done to investigate the effects of type 2 collagen among individuals who had the symptoms of osteoarthritis in their knees. This collagen was derived from the connective tissue of chickens. The findings revealed that collagen helps alleviate stiffness, pain, poor physical function, and other knee joint symptoms in individuals suffering from osteoarthritis.
4. Helps in Reducing Inflammation and Healing the Gut
There are amino acids present within bone broths that have been found to be beneficial towards digestion. An example of such an amino acid is glutamine.
The Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care journal published a study in 2017 which noted that supplementing with glutamine is helpful in healing the intestinal barrier in both humans and animals.
This helps in treating ailments such as leaky gut. Leaky gut is a condition that irritates the mucosal lining of the intestines thus interfering with the body’s ability to digest food.
Another study revealed that individuals with inflammatory bowel disease displayed lower levels of certain amino acids in their systems. Thus, by including extra amino acids into their diets, these individuals could see the symptoms of their condition alleviate. Consuming bone broth is one of the simplest ways of getting anti-inflammatory amino acids into the body.
5. Helps with Sleep
Bone broths may also contain amino acids that are beneficial towards promoting better sleep. In fact, a 2015 study revealed that the amino acid glycine is one of the safest therapeutic options for better sleep.
Individuals who take glycine before retiring to bed reported experiencing better sleep while having less fatigue during the following day. Drinking bone broth with dinner is a hassle-free way of getting this glycine.
6. Supporting Weight Loss
Bone broths have also been found to be beneficial towards weight loss. This is because they are usually high in proteins, thus leaving you feeling fuller for longer. This aids in your calorie restriction efforts.
A 2017 study revealed that an average cup of chicken broth made out of bones is more protein-dense than that of an average cup of basic chicken broth. Therefore, drinking bone broths is an effective way of managing your diet during your weight loss as it helps you curb your hunger for longer.
7. Maintaining Healthy Skin
The collagen found in broths helps in the formation of elastin as well as other compounds that help maintain a youthful tone, texture, and appearance within the skin. Collagen, therefore, helps reduce the visible signs of aging such as wrinkles and puffiness.
Bone broths have found their way into popular news lately, and with good reason; they provide immense health benefits. By consuming a cup of properly brewed broth, you will get a healthy dose of beneficial nutrients that are hard to get in your everyday diet.
