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Bone broth has once again been increasingly gaining popularity over the years to the point that it's very popular now. This is pretty interesting since bone broth has been used by our ancestors for so many years. Most modern man don't utilize the bones, neck, feet and so on whereas people in the Caribbean would do so, just check the ingredients for dishes like souse and pepper pot and you will see. As someone who studied Biology, I have come across in my study that carnivorous animals would break the bones just to get the marrow and will eat whatever bone they can manage to eat. On the whole meat and fish eating animals prefer the bones (such as dogs).

There are many health benefits associated with consuming bone broth that one just simply can't ignore (me for sure).  These bone broth benefits are due to the fact that bone broth is abundantly rich in nutrients that are beneficial to the body. Which means that our ancestors, carnivorous animals and the people who are eating it are getting these nutrients whereas whoever is not is missing out.


What is bone broth?

When you hear the words bone broth, what comes to mind?

Bone is the main ingredient of bone broth and so most of the nutrients are going to come from it. So firstly what does a bone composed of?

A bone is composed mainly of:

• bone marrow
• cartilage
• collagen (found in cartilage and bone marrow also)

Often times people will ask what is bone broth? Bone broth is essentially broth that is made from bones. The bones that bone broth can be made from are chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, poultry, fish bones or whatever bones you can find. This broth can be made more tasty and nutritious with the addition of herbs, spices, and even vegetables.

When you boil the bones in water for hours, the nutrients in the bones, cartilage, bone marrow and collagen leaches out into the water. You strain it and the end result is a nutritious broth.

As already stated above bone broth is abundantly rich in nutrients that are beneficial to the body. So what are these nutrients?







Glycine, proline, glutamine, and alanine are the most abundant amino acids found in bone broth. These are non-essential amino acids which simply means that the body can produce them. In other words, this usually means that you don't have to consume them. But did you know that you may have to consume it regardless of that statement? So why I may need to consume foods that are rich in them? You may need to consume foods that are rich in them because:

- of certain illnesses or nutrient deficiencies
- poor digestive health among other reasons
Bottom line: the body is not able to produce enough or none under certain circumstances and so we need to consume them in foods.

Other amino acids that are found in bone broth are:
- valine
- serine
- tyrosine, etc.


Collagen

The protein collagen is made up of amino acids (amino acids makes a protein). Collagen is abundant in the amino acids:

1. proline
2. glycine
3. hydroxyproline

The bones and cartilage are two examples of places where collagen can be found. The conversion of collagen to gelatin happens when you cook the collagen containing bones and cartilage. So, therefore, your bone broth is going to give you collagen in the form of gelatin and thus you're consuming collagen in the form of gelatin.



What does collagen do?

Collagen is vital for a healthy youth full looking skin. That is skin that is firm and wrinkle free. It's also necessary for healthy hair and nails- collagen makes up the hair and nails. Collagen holds the whole body together that is it acts as a glue and renews skin cells (in other words it replaces dead skin cells).

As we age we would start to see the onset of wrinkles and fine lines, etc. What happens is collagen production decreases with age particularly around 40. When this happens the skin starts to get wrinkles, fine lines and saggy whereas the hair and nails become brittle.
Age isn't the only factor that decreases collagen production. Tobacco smoking and the sun can also decrease collagen production.
So, therefore, it is important to consume collagen in your diet.

Gelatin lines the gut and improves IBS, leaky gut syndrome, food allergies, etc. It also thickens the digestive juices in the stomach resulting in better digestion.

Leaky gut syndrome arises when the intestines become permeable. When this happens, substances will pass into the bloodstream (think of it like a pot with holes).These substances, however, are substances that the body won't normally allow to pass but because it is permeable these substances will pass. These substances can be substances like undigested food and waste. When this happens the immune system will react by attacking these substances and inflammation will result. This can result in food intolerances, IBS, autoimmune diseases (like Lupus, Crohn's disease, Addison's disease), etc.


Glycine

The structure of glycine

Glycine is very important to the body as it serves many roles/purposes. Some of these roles/purposes are:
It is:
- use to produce collagen
- vital in the production of some acids like bile acids and nucleic acids
- use to produce heme which is a component in blood
- used by the body to manufacture amino acids
- involved in the production of glucose


Proline

Proline is very important to the body as well as it serves many roles/purposes. Some of these roles/purposes are:

- use to produce collagen. Proline is converted to hydroxyproline and hydroxyproline is one of the amino acids that make up collagen.
- it maintains muscle mass
- it is necessary for the functioning of joints and tendons

Kaayla Daniel of the Weston A. Price Foundation has a great article on the essential roles of glycine, proline, and gelatin. You can read this article here.


Minerals

Bone broth contains minerals that are necessary for healthy bones and teeth. Bones and teeth are important to us. Our bones support our bodies, protect our internal organs, produce blood cells, make movement possible [1], etc. whereas our teeth are used to chew and break up our food into smaller particles (aka mechanical digestion). Minerals like calcium, phosphorous and so on are necessary for strong bones and teeth (and to maintain it) and with strong bones and teeth, you may be able to combat osteoporosis and teeth loss. 

The New York State Department of Health states that:

"Osteoporosis is a silent disease that causes bones to become thin and weak, often resulting in fractures (broken bones) in the U.S., approximately 1 in 2 women and 1 in 4 men over age 50 will break a bone as a result of osteoporosis."

Additionally, periodontal problems can be resolved by consuming traditionally prepared bone broths according to Will Revak of the Healthy Home Economist.



Healthy fats


A bone can either contain yellow marrow or red marrow. The yellow marrow is where fat is stored and hence the yellow bone marrow is mostly fatty and not to mention delicious. The red bone marrow is where red and white blood cells are manufactured.
Bone marrow contains essential fatty acids like omega-3 fatty acid. Omega-3 fatty acid has many health benefits but our bodies can't make this fatty acid and so we need to consume it in foods. One such benefit is that it's necessary for brain function. 
Bone marrow also contains vitamins, minerals, iron, etc. 

Bone broth recipes

Ingredients

- 2 pounds of beef bones (make sure that some of the bones contain bone marrow and meat)
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2 onions chopped in quarters
- 6 whole cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- salt to taste/ to your liking
- black pepper to taste
- 1 chili (optional)
- beef seasoning to your liking (optional)
- a handful of coarsely chopped parsley
- water to cover the bones


Instructions

1. Wash and wipe the meat and bones (not applicable if you're using left over cooked bones).
2. If your bones are too large, you can cut them into smaller pieces (very helpful in speeding up the cooking process).
3. Roast the bones and meat in the oven for about 25 minutes or until they are nice and browned at 450 degrees. 
4. Place your roast beef bones and meat into a stock pot.
5. Pour water to cover the bones, add the apple cider vinegar and let it rest for a while. The vinegar will cause nutrients to leach from the bones.
6. Add the remaining ingredients into the pot and bring to a boil then reduce it and let it simmer on low. Let it cook on low heat for at least 12 to 36 hours.
7. Remove any frothy layer that rises to the top.
8. You can add additional water if needed during the cooking process.
9. Strain the broth at the end of the cooking time through a strainer and discard the bones and vegetables.
10. Pour the broth into containers and store however desired (refrigerate or freeze).
11. Remove the layer of fat that has hardened on the top when you're ready to use it.

Ingredients

- chicken bones, trimmings of chicken, chicken necks and foot


Instructions

The same steps as the ones used to make beef broth with a few exceptions.

1. The bones do not need to be roasted.
2. Cook for 8- 24 hours.
3. Use chicken seasoning instead of beef seasoning.

Ingredients
- Fish bones, heads, trimmings of fish and fish


Instructions

The same steps as the ones used to make beef broth with a few exceptions.

1. The bones do not need to be roasted.
2. Cook for 4- 6 hours.
3. Use fish seasoning instead of beef seasoning.

- chicken bones, trimmings of chicken, chicken necks and chicken meat
- fish bones, heads, trimmings of fish and fish
- beef bones (ones that contain bone marrow and meat also)
The same steps as the ones used to make beef broth with a few exceptions.

1. Only the beef bones are to be roasted.
2. Use an all purpose seasoning instead.
3. Cook for 12- 36 hours but add the beef bones at first and then add the chicken bones after the first 8 hours and the fish bones at the last 6 hours.

Barbecue chicken is delicious and healthy and those are the two main reasons why I like to make it. It's healthy because the fat drips off while it cooks and no oil is needed to cook it, hence it's a great alternative to frying. So next time, instead of frying your chicken, try barbecuing it instead.

Ingredients
1 small yellow onion, grated
3 cloves of garlic, grated
1 tbsp. brown sugar (optional)
2 tbsp. chopped green onion
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
3 tbsp. chicken seasoning (you can use your favorite kind)
salt and pepper to taste
barbecue sauce
ketchup (optional)
vinegar-based pepper sauce (optional)

Instructions
1. Wash and remove any excess fat from your chicken.
2. Place the chicken in a bowl, add the yellow onion, garlic, sugar, green onion, parsley, chicken seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix together and let it marinate for at least two hours (I let mine marinate overnight).
3. After the chicken is finish marinating, remove from the bowl, and place them on a grill to cook.
4. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, barbecue, and  vinegar-based pepper sauce to create the barbecue sauce mixture that you're going to baste your chicken with.
5. Start basting your chicken with the barbecue sauce mixture when the chicken has about 10 minutes remaining to cook.
6. Remove from heat and serve.

Note:
*You can use store-bought barbecue sauce or you can certainly make your own healthier version. The store bought one that I used had no high fructose corn syrup.

*Basting your chicken, in the beginning, can cause your chicken to burn.

Dhal is easy to make, it's healthy and so delicious. Furthermore, you can read my post on the benefits of dhal.

Ingredients
1 cup of yellow split peas
water to cover the split peas
salt to taste
3 cloves of garlic chopped and 2 whole cloves
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. curry powder
pepper (red or black pepper)
parsley green onions to garnish

Instructions
1. Place the peas, the two cloves of garlic, curry powder, salt and pepper in a pressure cooker.
2. Add water to cover the peas in the pressure cooker, and cook until you have a smooth liquid.
3. In a pan heat the 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil and add the 3 remaining chopped cloves of garlic; cook until the garlic is golden brown.
4. After the garlic is finish cooking, transfer the oil and garlic right away to the pressure cooker, and add it (make sure to stand back because it can splatter).
5. Garnish with some chopped parsley and green onions.

Note:
I like to use a pressure cooker because it cooks the split peas faster but if you don't have one you can use a pot. Also, you can soak your peas in some water the night before in order for them to cook faster.

The parsley and green onions add great flavor also.