Gut Healthy Bone Broth
Gut Healthy Bone Broth
Do you love your gut?
That word. GUT. It’s picked up a negative connotation, no?
GUT kind of makes you think of “beer gut,” or “bubble gut.” It makes you think of something you want to avoid–or get rid of. It doesn’t always make you think of something you need to nourish, love, and pay more attention to.
But our gut is the center of health for our entire body. It houses the trillions of microorganisms that we DEPEND on to keep us healthy and functioning in tip-top shape.
There are lots of things we can do to damage our precious guts:
- Eating too much sugar
- Taking too many antibiotics
- “Swallowing” stress (and keeping it deep inside)
But luckily, there are also lots of things we can do to heal, seal, and nourish a damaged gut (or keep a healthy one strong and resilient):
- Including plenty of probiotic rich foods (like yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha…)
- Eating lots of fiber-rich plant foods (to feed that healthy bacteria!)
- And drinking Gut Healthy Bone Broth!
You guys. I’m about to get real here.
I’m a lover of beautiful foods and I’m a highly aesthetic person. That being said, I’m about to show you a picture of the bag of bones I keep stashed in my freezer at all times.
There it is. And you know what? That bag of bones is a beautiful thing, for a couple of reasons:
- It symbolizes how I feel about consuming animals. I believe if an animal gives its body to help build mine, I should be respecting every. last. piece of it. Right down to the bones.
- That pile of bones is full of nutrition. When made into a broth, that nutrition is delivered to us in a highly-accessible way. Our guts have to do very little work to absorb the minerals, amino acids, and collagen in bone broth.
So what does bone broth do for you? Here are just a few of the benefits:
- Treat leaky gut syndrome
- Overcome food intolerances and allergies
- Improve joint health
- Reduce cellulite
- Boost immune system
Plus, it’s tasty AF. I mean, have you ever had homemade chicken soup??
I’ve included a recipe for the bone broth, but really this is a no-recipe kind of situation.
I collect any and every bone that comes through my kitchen, and store them in that pictured plastic bag until I get enough to fill a crock pot (or soup pot, or instant pot).
A pot, ok? It’s one of the few things you’ll need to make this bone broth happen.
Then it’s just a matter of throwing the bones into your pot of choice, filling with water (I use filtered water) and maybe adding some flavor enhancers. Like onions, celery, herbs, carrots, etc. (I also keep peels and scraps from veggies in another bag in the freezer for this very reason)
Bones and veggies get boiled away. You strain. And you’re done.
Drink a mug straight up, or use it as the base for your favorite soup. Just do it.
Your gut will thank you!
PS – If you’re looking for a soup to get started, here’s my go-to bone broth soup!
Ingredients
- Bones from Organic/Antibiotic Free meat
- 2-3 carrots, roughly chopped
- 2-3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- Fresh or dried herbs (thyme, bay leaves, parsley, etc)
- Generous pinch of salt and peppercorns
- 1-2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (optional)
Instructions
For the Crockpot or Instant Pot:
- Add bones, carrots, celery, onion, herbs, salt and peppercorns to your crockpot or instant pot. Fill to cover with filtered water. Optional: add vinegar and allow to soak for 20 minutes before before turning on the heat.
- Turn crockpot to high and cook for 12-24 hours or cook on high pressure in an Instant Pot for 2-4 hours.
- Strain broth and discard bones and veggies. Refrigerate broth and use within 7 days, or freeze.
For the Stove Top
- Add bones, carrots, celery, onion, herbs, salt and peppercorns to a large stockpot. Fill to cover with filtered water. Optional: add vinegar and allow to soak for 20 minutes before turning on the heat.
- Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a low simmer and cover. Cook for as long as you can while keeping an eye on the stove (several hours).
Notes
Allowing the bones to soak with a little vinegar before cooking helps to leach the minerals out of the bones, but itβs a step that I honestly skip a lot for the sake of time.
9 responses to “Gut Healthy Bone Broth”
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Are your bones all from the same species of animal (ex. chicken or pig)? Can you mix difference animals in your bone bag?
Hi Kayla! I personally prefer the flavor of chicken broth, but I do save bones from anytime we eat meat and add them all to the same bone bag. Because we usually buy ground beef (most economical for grass fed) I rarely have beef bones. But I occasionally have some pork bones from when we eat ribs. π
Thanks for your response! I just made some broth for the first time today. I had a big ham bone and mostly chicken bones and scraps of veggies I have been saving up in the freezer. It turned out great! Just a few more questions:
How long do you usually boil on the stove?
What veggies should you omit from your veggie freezer bag?
I have read on another blog to roast the bones for an hour before adding to the pot. Have you done this?
Thanks again and love your blog! π
Hi Kayla! So glad the broth turned out great! If you are cooking on the stove, I’d let it go as long as you can (without having to leave it completely unattended) at least 3 hours. If I buy raw bones, I roast them to improve the flavor, but I usually skip that step with. Ines that have already been cooked. If you do roast, it will just enhance the flavor! As far as veggies, I like to add things like onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and maybe scraps from zucchini/parsnips. But that’s probably all I would include ππ
How many bones am IοΈ going for? If Iβve got one roast chicken worth, can I still make a batch of broth?
Hi Yana, I’d save the bones from your chicken in the freezer until you have bones from at least 2 chickens. You can make the broth with what you have now, but it won’t make very much broth and I don’t think it’s worth the time it takes! More bones will give you a richer, more nutritious broth π
Thanks, Allyson!
Allyson – I made your lamb stew with vegetables last night. My husband, who hates vegetables, remarked how delicious the broth was and the vegetables – what are the green weeds, he asked. He thought spinach, but Kale and he loved it & said it was worth the long wait. It took me time to chop all the veges, meat prior to the instapot. Plus, it took time for it to build up pressure and release, so we at at 6:30 p.m. He wants more today & in the future! I will follow your bone broth recipe since prices are going sky high these days. Thanks with love, Beth
Hi Beth, sorry for the late reply! That’s wonderful to hear, I’m so glad you both liked it π