Photo by Jakub Kapusnak via Foodiesfeed

This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to purchase from one of the links below, I'll receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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.

Fried chicken. Image via pixabay.

Fried chicken can be made more healthy! So therefore it is possible to make healthy fried chicken. This is necessary if your someone who eats fried chicken quite often.
So in order to achieve this healthier version, this really comes down to the ingredients and the method that you use to make it. The way in which you eat it also plays a role.

The first thing that you can do is to replace whatever ingredients that you're using to make it with the healthier version of it as possible.

So:

Chicken
You can use real chicken or fake chicken.

Real chicken

With real chicken make sure that it's:
- skinless
The skin of the chicken contains fat and thus calories. Now we all know that fried foods contains a lot of calories and so if you remove the skin on the chicken you are reducing the calories that you will be consuming.
Note: Chicken skin has advantages as well so you don't have to remove it every time.


- white meat such as the breast or a mixture of white meat and dark meat (e.g. leg)
White meat chicken contains less fat as opposed to dark meat chicken. It is interesting to know that dark meat is more nutritious than white meat so if you want more nutrition then you can opt for the skinless dark meat instead.

Skinless chicken breast. Image via pixabay.

- organic
This is much healthier because organic chicken is not grown with antibiotics or fed with GM feed, etc.


- a smaller portion like chicken strips
A smaller portion is always better that a lot calorie wise. With a smaller portion, you can satisfy your craving and not consume a whole lot of fried chicken.

Chicken strips. Image via pixabay.

Fake chicken
- a vegetable of your choice to be used as the meat
- tofu
With "fake chicken" you are not eating the unhealthy option and you can still get a feel of fried- chicken.

Fried tofu. Image via pixabay.

Fried tofu. Image via pixabay.

Breading
Flour
- use whole wheat/whole grain flour instead of white flour. Whole wheat/grain flour has more nutrients.
- you can also use a gluten-free flour if you like

 Related posts for further reading on gluten:
What is gluten in food?
Health effects of gluten
How to remove gluten from your diet


Oil
Use a healthier oil to fry your chicken such as coconut oil, olive oil, peanut oil, ghee, etc.

Use beneficial seasonings
- use beneficial seasonings to season your chicken such as ginger, rosemary, cayenne pepper (if you like it spicy), garlic, etc.

Garlic. Image via pixabay.

Don't deep fry them always instead:
- pan sear them and then finish them off in the oven.
- cook them in the oven - oven fried chicken



Eat less of it. Which means that you shouldn't eat it as an entire meal, so instead:
- Use healthy foods like a salad to fill you up.
Basically have other foods on the plate as well or bottom line make it a side in your meal.

Image via pixabay

We all know that we should eat more vegetables. Unfortunately for some of us knowing so doesn't actually make us eat more. This is because we are too busy so we settle for food that has little or none at all in them, are lazy, don't like eating them, don't know how to prepare them, etc.

How to eat more vegetables

Some ways on how to eat more vegetables are:

- Acquire vegetables (either purchase or grow your own) so you'll always have it on hand
This is the first thing that you have to do! You can't eat it if you don't have it.


- Have your veggies already prepped (chopped or whatever) beforehand. Basically ready to be cooked or eaten (if you want to consume it raw).

Image via pixabay

or

- Purchase already cleaned and washed ones.
This is great if you're busy or lazy (like me). Busy because you won't have the time to prep them and lazy because you won't want to do it.

- Add some to juices and smoothies or use vegetables to make juices (like carrot juice)
This way you won't really taste them (great if you hate the taste of them) and you are getting them.

Image via pixabay

- Use vegetables as dips
I make some really delicious dips that are made mostly of vegetables. Two are a roasted eggplant dip and a tomato dip.

Image via pixabay

- Learn how to cook vegetables if you don't know how to cook them
If you don't know how to cook them then you might not eat them.


- Purchase your take out food more smartly
Purchase at healthy restaurants, like vegan and vegetarian restaurants- their meals will consist of vegetables and the vegetables can make up most of an individual meal. You can also purchase healthy vegan and vegetarian meals at non-vegan and non-vegetarian restaurants also.


- Start your day off with vegetables, don't wait for later in the day
You can add some vegetables to your omelet.


- Always try to add vegetables to all or at least most of the foods that you cook

Image via pixabay

Image via pixabay

We are all aware of the fact that water is beneficial to the body. When it comes to drinking it some of us find it boring or just plain. That's the reason why some people don't drink enough or people turn to sugary drinks. We can make it taste better and more beneficial to the body by adding things mentioned below in our water.

So here are healthy ways to make water even more beneficial/better:

Fruit-infused water

You can create this by adding to your water:

- Fresh fruits
Like:

Chopped: strawberries, pineapples, apples, pears, peaches, apricots, etc.

Whole: blueberries, blackberries, cherries, raspberries, cranberries, etc.


You can even add passion fruit (which I absolutely love) to your water.

How to make it:

1. Cut your passion fruit open and scope out the inside and add it to your water. This smells so delicious.
2. Let it infuse for a while and then strain it to get rid of the seeds (This is what I do). This step is optional.

- Citrus fruits
Like slices of lemon, lime, grapefruit, and orange.

Image via pixabay

Image via pixabay

Fruit-juice-infused water

 
Quotes have always been nothing but beneficial to me! Whenever you're feeling down or feel like giving up, etc a quote can make you feel better and even give you the inspiration and motivation that you need. A healthy lifestyle can seem difficult and can be challenging to live. Below are 20 motivational quotes that will inspire and motivate you to live healthily:

Image via pixabay.

"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver." -Mahatma Gandhi

"Health is not valued till sickness comes." -Thomas Fuller

"The greatest wealth is health." - Virgil

 "A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier". - Tom Stoppard

"I already know what giving up feels like. I want to see what happens if i don't." - Neila Rey

"Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up". - Dean Karnazes

"A lot of women like to be super tiny, but I don't want a child's body. I want a woman's body that is

extremely fit". - Ashley Greene

"There is something in sickness that breaks down the pride of manhood". - Charles Dickens

"Eating crappy food isn't a reward - it's a punishment". - Drew Carey

 "Having balanced nutrition is also very important to keep my body in shape and healthy". Cintia Dicker

"Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace". - Dalai Lama

"A sad soul will kill you quicker than a germ". - John Steinbeck  

"Look to your health; and if  have it, praise God, and value it next to a good conscience; for health is the second blessing that we mortals are capable of; a blessing that money cannot buy". - Izaak Walton

"I've shackled myself with the prison bars of ill health". - Terri Guillemets 

"Life is not merely to be alive, but to be well". - Marcus Valerius Martial 

 "All things are difficult before they are easy". - Thomas Fuller

"It is a lot harder to keep people well than it is to just get them over a sickness". - DeForest Clinton Jarvis

"To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear".- Buddha

"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live". - Jim Rohn 

 "The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination". - Tommy Lasorda

Are you looking for ways to remove gluten from your diet? If so, then you might be going down this path because gluten is affecting your health in a negative way or you want to live a much healthier life and you have heard of the health issues associated with gluten. Gluten has been linked to health issues like celiac disease, Dermatitis herpetiformis and gluten intolerance or non-celiac gluten intolerance.

Related: Health effects of gluten

Whether you're doing this permanently or, occasionally, below are tips to achieve this.

All you need to do to achieve this is to do what the statement says below:

A gluten-free diet will require you to replace gluten-containing grains with gluten-free grains. That and also all foods/ food products that are made with these grains. 

Unfortunately, this is not possible every time or as simple as it sounds because:

1. A lot of persons are eating gluten and still don't know it! 
2. Also, it's hard for them to switch to gluten free foods.

More on these!

1. A lot of persons are eating gluten and still don't know it!


- Unfortunately, this is as a result of the fact that gluten is found in some unexpected foods. Soy sauce, pasta sauce, hot dogs, pickles, etc. It is also found in some medications. 

Pasta sauce. Image via pixabay.

TIPS TO DEAL WITH THIS:

• Read labels. If the label doesn't say gluten free then they may not be.

• Buy the gluten-free versions of these foods. E.g. buy gluten free soy sauce and so on.

- Then there are persons who don't know what foods they are found in. These individuals might rely on labels to tell them, but unfortunately, some foods don't come with labels or even labels that say gluten free. All some have is the ingredients like wheat and so on. And so if you don't know that wheat contains gluten, then you won't know.

TIP TO DEAL WITH THIS:

So, therefore, you need to educate yourself on the foods that contain gluten. Once you know this then you will be able to make the right choices.

You can educate yourself by:

• Researching it on the internet or at a library
• Or you can ask someone

The first step in your learning process can be to find out what are the gluten and gluten-free grains. The grains that contain gluten are wheat, barley, and rye. You can read more on these grains here. So, therefore, foods that are made with these grains will contain gluten.

Some gluten-free grains are:

• rice
• corn
• sorghum
• millet
• teff
• amaranth
• buckwheat
• quinoa
• wild rice
• oats

Pasta and so on are also made with these grains and so they are gluten free. This is discussed below.


- Also, gluten can be in food that you get at a party, restaurant, etc. These foods don't come with labels! Also, you don't know all the ingredients that these foods were made with or if these foods were contaminated with gluten-containing foods that were cooked there also.

TIPS TO DEAL WITH THIS:

• Avoid eating out as much and cook your own food. If that's not possible, try to find out all the ingredients that were used in your food by simply asking if gluten ingredients were used. 

• Or eat foods that you know for sure won't contain gluten, but must keep in mind of cross-contamination.

- Cross-contamination
Oats are sometimes contaminated with gluten.

TIP TO DEAL WITH THIS:

• Look for labels that say gluten-free. 

 2. Also, it's hard for them to switch to gluten free foods.

Gluten-containing foods are so tasty, right? Getting rid of gluten from your life can mean getting rid of most of your loved foods! I have to agree that that can be extremely hard, but you can find healthier alternatives. For example, you can give up wheat pasta for buckwheat pasta. The end result, you can still have pasta.
At first, you can try to give it up for a few days a month then a week and so on until you can cope without it.

TIP TO DEAL WITH THIS:

Find gluten-free substitutes for your favorite gluten foods like bread, pasta, flour, etc.

Gluten-free flours

• buckwheat flour
• rice flour
• potato flour
• corn flour
• amaranth flour
• banana flour
• chickpea flour
• coconut flour

Food containing gluten. Image via pixabay.

Many many years ago our ancestors were hunters and gatherers and so their diet consist of foods that they would hunt and gather like meat, fish, eggs, fruits, nuts, vegetables, etc. About 10,000 years ago humans started the domestication of animals and crops and as a result gluten containing grains like wheat became apart of their diet. This wheat however had changed a lot since then.

Some people are living a gluten-free lifestyle these days! The negative health effects that gluten has on their health is the reason why they're eating gluten-free foods. Do you think that you should? For your health? There are indeed health effects associated with gluten! In this blog post, I'll list these health effects. Also, it is important to know that not all persons are affected by gluten the same way and that some persons are not even affected at all.

• headaches
• itchy skin
• eczema
• Dermatitis herpetiformis
• gas
• diarrhea
• constipation
• abdominal pain
• villous atrophy
• anemia (B12 or iron deficiency)
• heartburn
• fatigue
• osteoporosis
• weight loss
• weight gain
• depression

Bread. Image via pixabay.

Gluten is found in so many foods that we consume each day and consequently, we're are always hearing about it! We also even read it off of lots of food labels.

But, exactly what is gluten in food?


Gluten is found in the wheat, barley, and rye grains. So, therefore, foods that are made with these grains will contain gluten.

Gluten is actually two proteins. The proteins glutenin and gliadin are the two proteins that make up gluten. These proteins are found in the seeds of the wheat, barley, and rye grains.


A BIT MORE ON THESE THREE GRAINS!


Wheat, barley, and rye are all grasses and we harvest the grains of these grasses.

Wheat (Triticum spp.)

- Wheat is used in the production of bread, pasta,cereals, etc. 

- Wheat flour is what is used to make these foods. How do we get wheat flour? The seeds of the wheat plants (remember that's where the gluten is found) is grounded to make the wheat flour.  

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

- It is used to make soups, beer, etc.

- Malted barley is fermented into beer and unmalted barley is also used to make certain beers.

 


Do you know how to make a healthy grocery list? If not, then keep on reading!

A balanced diet is necessary for a healthy body. So therefore we need:

• carbohydrates (which include fiber)    
• proteins
• fats
• vitamins
• mineral salts
• water

Nutrients that our bodies need

Image via pixabay.

We are always hearing the word calorie mentioned in association with food. Calorie can be represented by the symbol C. But, what exactly is a calorie? What is a calorie in terms of food? Are calories bad? Why do we need calories?

What is a calorie?
We are all aware that food contains energy. So, therefore, the foods we consume gives us energy. If we are hungry and don't have the energy to do work we eat and we have energy. Calories are the measure of the amount of energy that are released from foods when we eat them. Our bodies break down the foods that we eat and energy is released.


When you're eating foods and drinking drinks, you're consuming calories (with the exception of foods and drinks that don't have calories). How many calories you consume can affect your health in a good or bad way. For obese people, they are consuming way too many calories. Also, consuming too few calories can lead to malnutrition.

An individual calorie requirement may differ from that of another. Factors like size, gender, age, weight, physical activities and metabolism are the factors that determine a person's calorie requirement. For e.g. males require more calories than females and infants require less than both.

Our bodies need calories and we can obtain it from food.
The size or amount of a food does not indicate how many calories a food contains. So, therefore, a large food can contain fewer calories than a smaller food. A small piece of fried chicken will have more calories than a bowl of lettuce and ten pieces of fried chicken will have more calories than one piece.

Fat contains the most calories.

Are calories bad? Why do we need calories?
Calories can be bad if you consume too many. Calories are good, in fact, it's necessary because they are needed by our bodies - we cannot survive without calories. Our bodies use calories to produce energy and heat.


People often dread calories! They often think weight gain when it comes to them. Calories are necessary for our bodies to function, but always keep in mind that too much of a good thing can be bad for us. So, too many calories are bad for us because our bodies store the excess as fats. It will keep adding to that stored fat if we keep eating excess.

Related: The best ways to lose weight