Just over a year ago, I was cooking a chicken for some soup. After I took all the meat off the bones, I found myself holding a plastic freezer bag full of nothing but bones. I remember a time when I ate boneless everything. I wanted boneless chicken, boneless steaks, boneless turkey. Bones were no use and they just got in the way.
My how things have changed.
It all started a couple of years ago when I was doing some research on ancestral health. I firmly believe our grandparents and further generations were doing a LOT of things right before technology and mass crop production became the norm. Before Roundup and Monsanto. Anyway, that research led me to the discussion about how chicken soup REALLY is good for you and not just a feel-good lesson. Here are a few benefits of bone broth:
1. Heaps of gelatin. Gelatin is a magic elixir for those with leaky gut, or those of use with celiac disease that may deal with cross-contamination.
2. Collagen. The collagen that come from the bones is the same collagen that is in those joint supplements. Drink more bone broth for lubricated joints in the knees, hips, elbows, shoulders, etc.
3. Auto-immune disease relief. There is a growing body of research showing that sufferers of auto-immune diseases can experience great relief in their pain and inflammation symptoms after drinking bone broth. Some tout broth as a superfood due to its immune-boosting minerals.
Once again, I use my trusty Instant Pot for making my bone broth. In fact, that was one of the first things I made. I had jars of rich, gelled-when-cooled broth in just 90 minutes. And my first batch helped combat my first round of the flu in November. I refused the medicine because of the side effects. I instead used a lot of bone broth, lemon tea, essential oils, and heavy doses of vitamin C (for 2 days only). The flu was history in 3 days.
