Bone (or Veggie) Broth Benefits

When we had our big Thanksgiving dinners as I was growing up, I was often the one who de-boned the turkey afterwards. We all looked forward to turkey sandwiches the rest of the week, but what I really enjoyed was finding the wish bone and making a wish.

If you are eating a good quality turkey this Thanksgiving, one that is free-range, GMO-free, and free of pharmaceuticals, don’t forget to save the bones and make bone broth. Broth is nourishing to the body in so many ways. Recipes and a video are included below. You can also use these resources to make broths from quality grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, and wild caught fish.

If you are vegetarian, you can make a vegetarian broth, called "vital veggie broth" as explained below.

Benefits of Bone Broth

Traditionally prepared bone broths are full of nutrients: collagen, gelatin, glucosamine, minerals (such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus) and amino acids (such as glycine and proline). Bone broth can help the body fight infections, heal the gut, reduce joint pain and inflammation, strengthen teeth, grow/repair bone, support hair and nail growth, among other things.

For most people, bone broth is a really great nutrient dense food. However, we are not all the same and for some, bone broth might not be a good nutritional fit. For example, if you have problems with oxalates and/or sulfur, the high amounts of glycine created in traditionally made bone broths (especially in the gelatin) can aggravate existing health problems. (Instead, some may be able to tolerate bone broth simmered for only 3 to 5 hours.) Others may not be able to tolerate the naturally produced glutamate. So, if you are new to making broth, you may need to take it slow when you start using it.

You can use the broth many ways when cooking. You can replace water when making rice or quinoa and as stock in your soups and stews. However, it can also be very help to sip/drink when recovering from a illness and you need to recover your strength. A quality sea salt or Himalayan salt can be added for taste and additional nutrients, especially minerals.

Making Bone Broth

You can find many different recipes on-line to make your own bone broth. Here are some of my favorite links. (Videos are included too.) Use the chicken recipes for the turkey broth. Be sure you are using the best quality meat you can find. Getting meat from a local farmer that you trust is optimal. Make sure no GMO feed has been used and ask about their policies on giving their animals antibiotics, hormones, and vaccines.

• Nourished Kitchen (recipe)
• Healthy Home Economist (video)
• Wellness Mama (tutorial)

Making broth is easy to do and you can freeze it in batches for future use. I like to keep it simple so that it takes less time. For example, I typically do not cut a bunch of different vegetables when making the broth. Instead I save that for when I am using the broth – usually I am using it in stir-fries or soups which already include many veggies of their own. To avoid plastic, I freeze my broth in pint size mason jars (each holds 2 cups) and take them out to thaw as I need them.

Vital Veggie Broth

The vegetable broth is an excellent way to naturally rebuild your electrolytes, with whole foods. It is also a good alternate to bone broths for those who are vegetarian. We use it in our house to help get our energy back after being sick, especially after a high or extended fever. It is also a great staple for athletes who are constantly training. It is a much better option than Pedialyte, Gatorade, and other sports drinks which typically only contain sodium and potassium and are full of sugar and other suspect ingredients, including genetically modified (GMO) ingredients.

A better electrolyte drink, like vital veggie broth, should include sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, phosphate, and sulfate. They are what your body needs to communicate at a cellular level. These nutrients are also needed for many functions in the body including digestive, nervous, cardiac, and muscular systems.

To make vegetable broth, chop the following vegetables into chunks and put them into a stock pot with 10 to 12 cups of water. Wash but do not peal any of the veggies except the onion, so you keep as much of the nutrients as possible. For the potato, only use the outer 1/2 inch and throw out the center portion. I like to add garlic as well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

•  3 medium carrots (unpeeled, organic)
•  3 celery stalks (organic)
•  2 medium onions (organic)
•  2 large potatoes (organic)

If using after being sick, sip the broth until feeling stronger, adding Himalayan salt if you need some additional flavor. You can store the broth in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat portions as needed. When feeling better, the vegetables with the remaining broth can be used for a first meal as a soup.

“We’re really looking for more than just health of parts. We’re looking for happiness of whole.” – Shilpa Saxena, MD