Bone broth: a temporary diet fad or a healing super-food? If you are a health conscious individual who likes to read up on the latest health discoveries and trends, you have probably heard of bone broth. Though bone broth has only recently hit the shelves of your supermarket en-masse, humans have been making bone broth for thousands of years. Our prehistoric ancestors couldn’t afford to discard any part of an animal. Thus, they simmered inedible parts game, like bones, tendons, ligaments, and feet, to extract the nutrients. The result: nourishing, healing, delicious, real bone broth.
Bone broth has become popular as a remedy for a variety of inflammatory and gastrointestinal conditions. Generally, though, there are few people who wouldn’t benefit from adding bone broth into their diets. The Standard American Diet is full of inflammatory and processed grains, meat, and sugar. Thus, many Americans suffer from inflammation or digestive distress of some sort. Regular bone broth consumption can actually reverse the damage inflicted by the Standard American Diet.
Want to learn more about the benefits of real (not store-bought) bone broth and why we offer it at Bodhidevi? Read on!
Collagen
It is perhaps due to the severe lack of collagen in our diets that Americans are suffering from increasingly severe inflammatory conditions. Without enough collagen to strengthen the digestive tract, undigested food particles enter the bloodstream. The immune system mistakenly identifies these particles as harmful invaders and triggers an inflammatory response. The result: chronic inflammation, digestive distress, and food sensitivities.
Bone broth is rich in collagen and thereby prevents and heals these inflammatory conditions. By strengthening the lining of the digestive tract and healing leaky gut syndrome, bone broth prevents inflammation. By extension, it also treats the various manifestations of inflammation, such as depression, eczema, acne, psoriasis, chronic fatigue, food sensitivities, and more. It promotes healthy digestive function and elimination. Finally, it can work wonders for individuals suffering from severe digestive conditions like IBD and ulcerative colitis.
Collagen also boasts impressive beautifying effects as well. It is largely due to decreasing levels of collagen that aging results in dull, wrinkled skin. The collagen in real bone broth restores lost collagen to reduce wrinkles, improve elasticity, and brighten complexion.
Amino Acids
Bone broth contains a variety of amino acids. In fact, the benefit of bone broth fasting over water and juice fasting is that bone broth provides essential amino acids, nourishing the body without removing it from a fasted state.
The amino acids in bone broth derive from a protein called gelatin. Together, collagen and gelatin provide powerful support to the digestive tract and, by extension, reduce inflammation and heal autoimmune conditions.
The primary amino acids in bone broth include proline, arginine, glutamine, and glycine. Of all the amino acids that bone broth contains, glycine is perhaps the most critical. Glycine aids in muscle mass preservation, blood sugar regulation, hormonal balancing, and the secretion of human growth hormone. Generally speaking, glycine prevents the hormonal and blood sugar fluctuations that lead to inflammation. Finally, glycine is a precursor to glutathione, a compound that supports detoxification in the liver.
Together, the amino acids in real bone broth can also reduce anxiety and promote restful sleep. That’s because these amino acids behave like the inhibitory neurotransmitters critical to relaxation and sleep.
Micronutrients and Electrolytes
An additional advantage of bone broth fasting over juice and water fasting is electrolyte and micronutrient content. Bone broth boasts a whole array of essential electrolytes and micronutrients that can reverse malnourishment, including potassium, sodium, and magnesium. These electrolytes and micronutrients also prevent electrolyte imbalance and dehydration, dangerous side effects of fasting. In turn, they can also combat the fatigue that often accompanies a fast.
Other Benefits of Bone Broth
Bone broth contains amino acids that heal the digestive tract, reducing inflammation and thus healing inflammatory conditions. It also contains beneficial micronutrients that nourish the body. But the benefits don’t stop there.
Improving your digestion and nourishing your body can have far-reaching effects. Those who regularly consume bone broth benefit from stronger bones, healthier skin, and shinier hair. They also have stronger immunes systems and heal more quickly from bone, joint, and ligament damage. Finally, bone broth consumption improves insulin sensitivity, preventing energy spikes and crashes.
How To Consume Bone Broth
There are several different ways you can incorporate bone broth into your diet. Some enjoy it straight from the cup, while others will use it as a soup base. If drinking it straight doesn’t appeal to you, you can add spices and herbs that amp up the flavor and healing capacity of your broth.
One of the most beneficial ways to consume bone broth is to engage in a bone broth fast. Real bone broth fasting is not for everyone. Malnourished, pregnant, diabetic, and hypoglycemic individuals should not attempt a fast of any kind. However, bone broth fasting is generally safer and more beneficial than other kinds of fasting.
Bone broth fasts tout all of the same benefits as water or juice fasting: improved metabolism, increased energy, better digestion, enhanced fat loss, and mental clarity. Fasting gives the digestive system a rest, allowing the body to “re-set” and divert energy to other metabolic and detoxifying functions. It also gives the gastrointestinal tract a change to re-balance, starving harmful microbes and feeding beneficial ones. Regular fasting can help regulate hunger hormones and appetite while increasing the metabolic rate. The benefits of fasting are seemingly endless!
Fasting with real bone broth gives you a chance to reap the benefits of fasting while still consuming muscle preserving, nourishing, restoring nutrients and amino acids. Bone broth boasts far more healing properties than juice or water and is therefore a much healthier option for a fast. As always, consult your doctor before attempting a new diet or fasting regimen.
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