Bone broth is the new hype in foods these days. Celebrities are singing praises of it and it has reached a new level of popularity. But what are its health benefits?
Bone broth and its history
You might have heard of bone broth as a wellness food recently. Celebrities such as Halle Berry and Kylie Jenner are obsessed with it. The general wellness movement and social media have added to its popularity.
Moreover, it is trending a lot on social networking sites lately. But it is not new. Eating this broth is more than 2500 years old and was done in China.
Additionally, in Traditional Chinese medicine, it is of therapeutic importance. Because it helps with kidney and digestive disorders.
Broth of bones (Source: The Spruce Eats)Dietitian Malissa Fedele states:
“Bone broth has been used for centuries, I think we have just re-discovered all the great nutrients and benefits of it so it has become pretty popular,”
“It is an easy way to nourish your gut and provide your body with an abundant amount of nutrients in one easy-to-drink warm liquid.”
Bone broth explained
Peta Shulman, CEO, and founder of health foods provider GoodnessMe reveals:
“Bone broth is a health elixir that’s been enjoyed for its healing properties for centuries,”
“It’s made when bones and most often vegetables are simmered super low for hours on end to draw nutrients out of the bones and create a thick and flavourful broth packed with vitamins, minerals and the hero, gelatine … the protein formed when collagen is broken down.”
Thus, this broth is a concoction made with bones in water with or without vegetables added. It is boiled on a slow flame to a thicker consistency.
Broth of bones (Source: The guardian)Bones of animals are used in making this broth. Beef is common worldwide. One cup of beef bone broth has 31 calories and 5 g of proteins with 3 g of fats.
There is no fiber in it. Carbs are 1.7 g and sugar is just 0.5 g. But it has small amounts of calcium, iron, and potassium.
Read here 5 vegetables that can help reduce high blood cholesterol
Advantages of this broth
The broth is easy to prepare and convenient and delicious. It has hoards of health benefits. It strengthens and repairs body collagen. This protein is present in the hair, skin, bones, muscles, and tendons. Peta says:
“A daily dose of bone broth is an easy way to support collagen production and the body’s natural healing process,”
Malissa adds:
“Bone broth is known for fighting inflammation. Many of the amino acids including histidine, glycine and cysteine have shown to be anti-inflammatory,”
Bone broth (Source: Eat this not that)It aids digestion:
“Bone broth is also great for gut health … gelatine and the amino acids in bone broth help line the mucous membranes in the intestine to support the integrity of the gut.”
“It is an abundant source of nutrients,”
Slow cooking does the trick. Melissa says:
“The slow cooking process releases all the goodness from the bones, veggies, herbs and spices so when you enjoy a sip of your bone broth you are also absorbing these great nutrients which support general health and wellbeing.”
It is good for weight loss and hydration. It also improves sleep.
Have a cup of it once a day for that cure-all magic.