Bone Broth: The Definitive Guide
In this article, I will cover everything you need to know about bone broth. How to make this liquid gold. Why you should be consuming this gut healing concoction and what the difference is between collagen protein and bone broth. Enjoy, Ryan.
What is bone broth?
Bone broth is as simple as it sounds. Any meat and/or bones cooked in any sort of liquid will technically make a broth. It starts with boiling bones of an animal in water (ideally filtered) to create a broth, a liquid medium packed with nutrients. To name a few, they are protein (amino acids), calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and iodine (fish). There is a rich history with traditional cultures utilising bone broth. Examples include Vietnamese pho, Turkish lamb stew and Jewish chicken soup.
Bone broth will definitely help and support our bodies which will be explained later in this article. However, it should be noted that although bone broth is generally extremely nourishing and potentially healing, it is not a magic potion that miraculously gets you jumping off your seat and resolves years of leaky gut aka intestinal permeability, rheumatoid arthritis, or even those autoimmune conditions. Bone broth is one of those nutritious staples that we must include to our diet whenever we can.
What is bone broth made from?
Quality matters. Bone broth is no different. Clean water, bones from an animal (fish, seafood or land animals), the trimmings of vegetables, herbs and spices such as rosemary, thyme, garlic, onion, clove and cumin seeds, extras such as apple cider vinegar, egg shells and many more.
We want to select pasture-raised, free-range and organic bones from animals that have not been exposed to genetically modified foods, pesticides, or fed grain and corn commonly contaminated with aflatoxins, a known carcinogen. We want to consume animals that have lived a stress-free life, regularly kissed by the sun. Essentially the same as everything we want to be doing as a human to achieve optimal health.
The way the animal lives reflects the composition of the meat, organs and bones. Animals that are raised using well-managed agricultural practises are more likely to be packed with quality content of macronutrients such as protein, its essential amino acids and fatty acids and micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. (A great book to read is “Sacred Cow” by Dianna Rogers. This will therefore allow us to have greater nutrient availability when we consume them. Furthermore, this mitigates the potential issues with naturally occurring environmental pollutants but also man-made toxins such as glyphosate (round up)
All types of bones for different animals, fish and seafood can be used even feet. Beef, bison, chicken, duck, fish (ideally wild), game meats such as pheasants, lamb, seafood such as prawn shells, turkey, venison.
If you're looking at birds then you can use the whole carcass. Either saving the carcass from roasting a whole bird or going to your local butchers, farmer’s market or online store to purchase them.
With the bigger ruminant animals, you will not be able to use the whole carcass. Same thing applies, if you have cooked a lamb shoulder or chops, keep the bones. Freeze any bones perhaps every time you have it, so that you have a sufficient amount of bones to use. Additionally, you can source them at the butchers, farmer’s market and online stores. You want to get the bones with as much as cartilage and connective tissue as possible. Or get the butcher to cut between the joints.
Bone broth nutrition and recipe tip:
Getting the bones cut through the joints contains more glutamine than long bones. Glutamine helps restore the intestinal brush border integrity and tight junctions (1) and also helps reduce inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6,IL-8 (2) and IL-13.(3) Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body and serves as one of the trio amino acids needed to make glutathione to help combat excessive free radicals from hydroxyl radicals. (4) Combine this with the coconut oil in a broth and you are doing your best at nourishing and healing your body from the inside out.
It should be noted that glutamine supplement is hit and miss in research. There are various plausible reasons why. The fact of the matter is glutamine is essential and we need a constant supply of it. By utilising a food-first approach, we supply a natural balanced mixture of amino acids, with minerals how food is naturally designed.
To make any good broth requires a clean filtered water, ideally not from the tap. If you can invest in an under-tap or whole house water filtering system or the next best, a counter top filter such as Berkey filter.
The additional stuff could include your vegetable trimmings of carrots, celery, onions, leeks but you can also just chop up a mixture of vegetables which not only add more flavour but also provide more nutritional value. The value of adding vegetables is supported with studies of chicken soup, which contains mixed vegetables, as it was greater at improving nasal mucus congestion compared to hot or cold water (5) and chicken soup containing vegetables may contain a number of substances with beneficial medicinal activity. A mild anti-inflammatory effect could be one mechanism by which the soup could result in the mitigation of symptomatic upper respiratory tract infections.(6)
How to make bone broth taste better
Ways to enhance the taste of your bone broth is to include natural flavour enhancers such as herbs and spices.
Herbs work a treat with my favourites being parsley stalks, rosemary, sage, bay leaves and thyme. These different herbs all have their own individual polyphenol and health promoting role such as rosemary, containing Rosmarinic acid, potentially improving airway inflammation. (7) Spices could include star anise, clove, cinnamon, cumin seeds and black pepper. These have powerful flavour, so adjust accordingly to taste. Additional extras include 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, or a slice or two of lemon to provide acidity which helps enhance the extraction of minerals such as calcium and magnesium.
Furthermore, if you are just sipping on bone broth, adding a small amount of butter or coconut oil or both and blend it up like a bulletproof coffee is a great idea and tastes even better.(8)
How to use bone broth
Bone broth has been lost from modern society replacing it with stock cubes which although provide convenience, but lack efficacy with quality control and contain additional ingredients or additives which are problematic to some including monosodium glutamate (MSG) which has been shown to cause fetal development issues. Its toxic levels can lead to “hypertension, obesity, gastrointestinal tract troubles, and impairment of function of brain, nervous system, reproductive, and endocrine system.” (9)
You can sipped on the bone broth by itself with a touch of salt. I like to add some coconut oil, butter or extra virgin olive oil to make it more complex, satiating and healing. These fats are healing for the body, so it is a double benefit. (10 11)
Bone broth could be incorporated into soups, stews, curries and used to make sauces such as gravy. I recently made several recipes of bone broth for my Week of Broth partnership with Borough broth company which you will find on this article section soon.
Other ways to utilise bone broth is by using it as the liquid to mash vegetables such as potato (mashed potato), sweet potato, cauliflower and other root vegetables you can find.
Another way is to cook your rice with bone broth, replacing the typical water. This is a great trick to get more nutrients in for your kids or for high performing athletes who need as much energy and nutrients as possible.
How long does bone broth last?
Bone broth can last for at least 5 days in a cold fridge. Always go with your nose. You may want to consider using an ice tray to make bone broth ice cubes which you can add to sauces or soups at your convenience.
What do you need to make bone broth?
Quality bones (ideally with some meat on, cartilage and tendons or cut through the joints to extract more nutrients)
A selection of vegetables
Herbs and spices - personal preference
Unpasteurised apple cider vinegar
Unrefined salt
*Optional: Add fat such as butter, coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
Slow cooker, pressure cooker (or instant pot) or large pot with lid
A fine mesh
Glass mason jars, containers or ice cube trays
Artificial computer blue light blocking glasses for the day. @livevitae
How to make bone broth
Once you have sourced your quality bones and have the equipment, you are ready to go.
There are two options here. It's either you give the bones a quick roasting to make a darker, richer broth. This works great with land animals but with fish, I would avoid. Or keep them as they are if you do not want to spend more time.
Add the bones to your pot (slow cooker or pressure cooker). Next, fill the pot with filtered water, add the vegetables, spices, herbs and extras. Put the lid on.
The drawback with the slow cooker, is that it does not have a function to bring to a boil.
I like to bring my broth to a boil initially which allows the “scum” or impurities to rise up to the top, enabling me to ladle it away to the thrash or down the sink. This makes for a more pleasant, clearer broth, definitely worth the effort but not the end of the world. If you roast the bones prior, there will be less scum generally. If there are no impurities, do not worry. Once the impurities have been removed, you can put the bone broth back on a low simmer, with the lid on for a minimum of 5 hours.
How long does it take to make the bone broth
This is where it gets interesting. There are some people and companies which like to cook their bone broth for 24-48 hours. For me personally, I feel that 12-18 hours is more than enough for bigger animals.
For chicken bone broth, much less at 8-12 hours and seafood / fish for 4-6 hours. We do not need to overcook it. While studies show that the longer the cooking time the greater the minerals but the difference is not fairly significant and additionally we should be eating a diverse seasonal diet to obtain all the nutrients needed anyway, not solely relying on bone broth.
Collagen supplements have shown to have greater amino acid density than commercial bone broths, (12) but there was no disclosure of the specific bone broth preparations. It can vary considerably between sourcing and preparation. Also, note that collagen supplements are from hide, have slightly different composition of the nutrients the bone broth offers. It is similar to comparing protein in liver versus a fillet steak to a degree. The liver is superior from a nutritional perspective to the fillet steak.
How often and when should you drink Bone broth?
I personally do not have any rules with this. I prefer to consume all my food in eating windows or designated periods. Essentially, not grazing all day. This is how humans are designed to work and perform optimally. I like to have bone broth either before a meal or after a meal. I am not drinking a litre or so, just a mug size. For some, drinking liquid around food can be problematic but a mug of bone broth should not cause any complications to those with digestive issues.
I am a big fan of bone broth. I do not see any issues in consuming bone broth daily. People do not bat an eyelid having 5 cups of coffee so having one of bone broth should not be a concern to say the least.
Bone broth fasting?
I am not a fan of fasting for excessive periods of time. For me, as a healthcare practitioner I see many health “gurus” and advocates promoting fasting as the best thing ever. What they forget to tell you that fasting is a) stressful b) increases toxic load of the body by increasing phase 1 detoxification c) might promote disordered eating. I think bone broth fasting whilst sounds like a good idea, is that you should speak to your primary health care physician before embarking on any kind of fast.
The difference between bone broth and collagen peptides
Both provide value for your health, but they have differences that you should know about.
Bone broth is directly made from bones containing natural occurring compounds such as chondroitin sulfate shown to be a joint structure protective aid. (13) Collagen peptides although contain superior protein content and concentration are typically made from hides.
Let's be clear, hydrolysed collagen and collagen peptides are the same thing. They are powdered cow hides, not bones.
Hides are typically washed in an acid or alkaline solution then cleaned and boiled to extract the collagen. This process continues with evaporation to concentration, desiccated in drum dryers, and then pulverised, which results into the powder form of collagen you would normally see in supplement stores.(14)
Let me be clear, there is nothing initially wrong with this. But some quality standards can slip. You should be able to find out how your collagen is produced on the company's website.
The collagen in bone broth is a slightly different amino acid and nutrient profile to the collagen powder. With bone broth, you get an actual functional food which tastes amazing. The additional spectrum of amino acids although lower are more naturally occurring, the minerals such as magnesium, calcium and phosphorus and compounds such as hyaluronic acid, found in the synovial fluid of joints, chondroitin sulfate, which is found in bones and cartilage, and alkylglycerols- lipids, shown to help support the immune system.(15)
The chemical structure is different, as the processing in collagen peptides breakdowns the triple helix structure, breaking down the chains in the polypeptide chain obtaining a significant amount of peptides.. “The molecular weight of collagen peptides obtained from hydrolysis is very low (3–6 KDa) compared to that of its precursor native collagen (285–300 KDa)”. (16)
Both bone broth and collagen peptides have shown in research to obtain health benefits by their collagen content. I personally believe that utilising both is a step up for most and you don't need to decide between one or the other. I feel that bone broth is a functional food and broad spectrum nutrients are superior and more fitting to incorporate.
What are the health benefits of bone broth?
Is bone broth really a superfood? I do not classify any food as a superfood as such but there are foods with superior value than others.
Does bone broth fit in that superior category? Lets see….
As mentioned throughout, bone broth contains an array of amino acids (proteins) needed as vital building blocks of the body, such as DNA, enzymes, and making up organelle (cell structures in the cytoplasm) and many more.
The amino acids found in bone broth contain a more abundant supply of preformed collagen which is composed of glutamine, alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, leucine, lysine, serine, glycine, and proline with glycine and proline being the largest component of collagen.
What is collagen:
There are 28 different types of collagen, all serving various roles most importantly the main component of connective tissue. Collagen makes up ⅓ of the protein in the human body, with 80 – 90 percent of the collagen in the body consists of types I, II, and III.
Collagen is present throughout the whole body, and has been shown to have photon absorbing, semiconducting properties to enhance healing. This is where red light therapy devices ultimately serve their purpose which can be obtained outdoors or via devices such as Atlantik Wellness (LIVEVITAE10 for your 10% off discount code) which utilise 850nm wavelengths. (17)
The name collagen originates from the Greek word “kólla” - meaning glue and the “gen” as producing, (18) so essentially it means “glue producing”.
Collagen is supported in research to:
Enhance skin integrity, moisture and elasticity. (19,20)
Improve symptoms in osteoarthritis, arthritic conditions, reduce joint pain and be safe in both males and females. (21)
Improvements in bone mineral density in post menopausal women and favourable shift in bone markers with bone formation and reduction in bone degradation. (18)
It is important to make clear the above studies are typically from collagen supplementation not directly bone broth.
What is gelatin:
When you cook bone broth, the collagen can turn into gelatin. “This is an irreversibly hydrolysed form of collagen, wherein the hydrolysis reduces protein fibrils into smaller peptides; depending on the physical and chemical methods of denaturation, the molecular weight of the peptides falls within a broad range).” (22)
The gelatin found in bone broth has shown it may help repair the intestinal mucosa and help the tight junction and protect gut barrier integrity. (23)
Additional health benefits of collagen
Various amino acids are present in bone broth which include glycine. Glycine classified as a non essential amino acid, makes up a whopping, 30% of collagen. Glycine is pivotal in the inhibitory effects of gamma aminobutyric acid, GABA which works on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors throughout the nervous system and even the retina,(24) to regulate its antagonist glutamate in influencing ion channel which are important for fast acting excitatory synaptic transmission. (25) Glycine has also shown to support creatine levels, needed to enhance anaerobic capacity and output to drive ATP in low oxygen states.(26) Additionally, the synthesis of hemoglobin requires glycine, “reticulocytes internalize glycine and utilize its backbone for heme biosynthesis”. (27) Finally, glycine is needed as one of 3 amino acids to make up an antioxidant, glutathione. Glutathione is a critical antioxidant in the body, particularly in the mitochondria, in handling reactive oxygen species, counteracting, hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide, lipid hydroperoxides, or xenobiotics.(28,29)
How to make my chicken bone broth recipe
You can make chicken bone broth either on the stove top using a big pan with a lid, a slow cooker, or a pressure cooker. I personally like the slow cooker.
With cooking times. I prefer to cook my bone broth in the slow cooker for around 8 hours. You can do longer but I feel the longer times do not enhance the nutritional profile or taste much. There are no published non-commercial bone broth studies to show otherwise.
Chicken bone broth ingredients
Pasture raised chicken carcass (you can use chicken feet for extra collagen)
You can use 1 or more chicken carcasses. I find it makes it more concentrated.Filtered water
Pinch of celtic salt
1 tbsp unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
Selection of vegetables:
Garlic, onions, carrot, leeks, celery, ginger, fresh herbs (parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage)Optional additions: Spices (cloves, star anise, coriander seeds etc)
Chicken bone broth recipe:
To make a darker bone broth, you can roast your chicken in the oven prior to adding it to a pot, slow cooker or pressure cooker.
Put the roasted chicken or raw chicken in a large pot.
Add the vegetables, apple cider vinegar, salt and spices.
Next, add the filtered water to the top of the pot.
Bring to the boil, if using a pot you might notice some scum appear at the top. Spoon off this layer at the top and remove to the waste.
Once the pot has reached a rolling boil, bring down to a gentle simmer.
Put the lid on and allow it to make it’s pure magic.
Cooking time 4-18 hours. (see notes above)
Chicken bone broth nutritional value:
This can vary massively. I would estimate that bone broth contains 3-5 grams of protein and 50-60 calories due to its low carbohydrate and fat content by 100ml.
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