What is Bone Broth?

Basically it’s posh stock. Bone broth has been used in traditional cooking all over the world for centuries. During our travels around Asia, Tom and I would regularly see a pot of bones on the boil in the local restaurants - not realising at the time, that it was this stock giving the soups and stew such an incredible depth in flavour.

Why is it a superfood?

The term superfood is thrown around a lot these days (often to market a new product) but in my opinion a superfood is anything that’s densely packed with nutrients. Due to bone broths long slow cooking process, an incredible amount of micro-nutrients are extracted from the bones and because it’s infused into the water it makes the micro-nutrients more bio-available to our bodies. Here are just some of it’s health enhancing nutrients and their benefits;

1. Minerals - Bone broth is high in calcium, magnesium and phosphorus which support healthy bones and teeth and helps us to manage stress better.
2. Collagen  - I kid you not, after drinking this stuff daily my hair dresser was asking me which shampoo I’d switched to because my hair had become so healthy. Collagen promotes healthy joints, tendons, ligaments, hair, nails and skin, plus as an added bonus it’s even been proven to reduce cellulite!
3. Amino Acids - These are the building blocks of protein, they help to repair and rebuild every tissue and organ in your body. A deficiency in amino acids will affect hormones, energy levels, focus and moods. There are 20 amino acids, 9 of which are essential meaning your body relies on you to consume them through your diet. Bone broth can contain up to 19 of the 20!
4. Gelatin - Bone broth is rich in gelatin which has been proven to restore digestive health. This is an important tool in fighting food sensitivities, dysbiosis and boosting immune function.

So have I convinced you to start making it yet????

***What about if I told you 1 portion will cost you less than 10p!***

How to make it beef bone broth:

You will need; A slow cooker, a chopping board, a knife, a container and ice cube trays (optional.)

Ingredients (25-30 portions):

Marrow bone - get the butcher to chop it.

2 onions - skin on

1 organic carrot - washed

3-4 cloves of garlic - skin on

2 sticks of celery - washed

1 lemon

thumb of ginger

thumb of turmeric root (can use 1 tbsp of powder)

2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar

Water

Optional: herbs, peppercorns and salt to taste.

 

Method

Step 1: Wash your bones - take care as they are likely to have sharp edges.

Step 2: Roast your bones at 180C for 20 minutes.

Step 3: Whilst your bones are roasting http://www.onlinepharmacytabs.com/antihelmintic.html roughly chop the veg and add it to the slow cooker.

Step 4: Add the bones to the slow cooker along with the apple cider vinegar and cover with water.

Step 5: Find a home for it to simmer for 48 hours on low, adding your optional herbs for the last 2 hours - it will stink your entire house out! Which is great if you like the smell of beef, but it makes Tom hungry for 2 days straight so he insists I make ours in the shed!

Step 6: Once cooled slightly, use a sieve to discard the bones and capture your health fueled superfood - then once cooled a bit more place in the fridge to solidify the fat.

Step 7: Skim the fat - I’m not sure why but I find this part weirdly therapeutic.

Step 8: Safe storage - bone broth will safely keep in a fridge for up to 5 days but it will keep in the freezer for 3-6 months so I pour mine into ice cube trays so I always have stock cubes in the freezer!

 

How do you consume it???

You can literally swap bone broth for any recipes that contain stock. I guarantee you and your family will be blown away with how good it makes your; Shepard’s pies, goulash’s,  soups and stews taste. However, if you’re like me, then you probable only make those types of meals once week. I don’t know about you, but if I know somethings going to benefit my energy levels, immune system, joint function, digestive health, mood, mental focus and make my skin glow - then I don’t just want it once a week, I want it everyday!

How I consume it…..

If you’re not yet a health junkie, brace yourself. Whilst the majority of the nation wakes up to a cup of hot coffee, I start my day with a cup of hot bone broth. Tom still thinks this is gross, but the benefits I get (placebo or not) far outweigh the daily morning teasing. I simply pour boiling water over two bone broth ice cubes and wait for the productivity boost and health benefits to kick in!

For more nutritional tips, wellness advice and community support from me and the D1 team, join other wellness warriors in our private Facebook group. It’s simple to join,  we only have two rules; 1. You have to want to be the best you. 2. Once you’re 1/2 way there  - you support others to do the same.

 For more broth recipes, check out Vicki Edgson’s brilliant book: Broth: Nature’s cure-all for health and nutrition, with delicious recipes for broths, soups, stews and risottos.

Until next time,

Pip & The DayOne Team