Thanks to the Paleo movement, the art of making traditional bone broth has celebrated a renaissance. Bone broth has been a traditional staple of the human diet in most cultures. So far, we cannot be certain how beneficial it is for our bodies, thus to a too little research due to lack of funding. Certainly, nutrient density and nutrient-bio-availability also depend on the quality and composition of the ingredients. Bone broth is made of bones and marrow. Tissues and bones contain collagen, which turns into thick gelatin, which you often see in cooled-down broths. The more marrow I add, the more gelatine I usually get. Frankly, it differs. I can never really tell how gelly it gets. I get a beautiful gelly with beef bones, which I get from my brother’s farm or local organic of free-range sources. Glucosamine is said to reduce joint pain because of the symptoms of osteoarthritis. In the Medical News Today if found the information vital for my own health issue regarding my joint issues — osteoarthritis.The body uses glucosamine to build and repair cartilage. Cartilage is a flexible, tough, rubbery connective tissue that protects the bones in the joints. It provides padding and prevents the bones from rubbing together. Bone broth contains the broken-down material from cartilage and tendons. It contains chondroitin sulfates and glucosamine, which might soothe your joint pain.

Glutathione is one of the most important crucial nutrients that protect us from the attack of free radicals. The amino acids required for building glutathione are glycine, cysteine, and glutamic acid. Guess what, bone broth is rich in glycine, one of the building blocks of the most powerful antioxidant, Glutathione. It has an anti-inflammatory effect on our body, which is very important now that we are heading into a heavy flu season. There is also some evidence that it might improve the quality of your sleep too.

According to studies, bovine cartilage increases the number of killer cells. By stimulating the lymphocytes that form antibodies and fight off foreign antigens. It is worth providing bone broths for curing infections, or even better, preventing them in the first place! I have found an informative source about the benefits of bone broth from the perspective of functional medicine here.

You can increase the alkalinity of the broth by adding all the greens you can find. Use kick-ass polyphenols and minerals: potatoes, onion, garlic, celery, cabbage, carrots, fresh dark leafy veggies… Here’s a tip though: add fresh greens at a later stage for a milder taste, especially if you are not used to a bitter flavor. 

Speaking of bitter: turmeric, ginger, dark leafy veggies, and other bitter vegetables are some of the liver’s favorite goodies.If you support the liver, your gut works better and so do your hormones. And last but not least: the immune system. There is evidence that bone broth:

• improves joint health,
• reduces cellulitis and wrinkles,
• is beneficial to the health of the gut,
• and boosts the immune system.

What’s for certain: most cultures have some sort of bone broth as a foundation of their traditional cuisine.. they consider a rich broth as an energy-boosting ingredient for many dishes.. so there must be something to it. Catherine Shanahan, M.D. outlines the four pillars of the human diet in her book Deep Nutrition — Why Your Genes need Traditional Food. ‘Meat on the bone’ is one of those pillars and that is where bone broth comes into play. If you dislike the idea of sipping bone broth, you can add it to a variety of dishes instead. Below you see this delicious beetroot soup… with added bone broth, of course