Every day I, as a chiropractor in Portland, OR, have patients who ask me about things that they can be doing at home to help them heal along with their chiropractic treatments. One of the best ways to decrease pain/inflammation in the body besides chiropractic adjustments is to enhance your diet! Many times people take expensive supplements like glucosamine to help their joints – when in a few steps at home they could be making affordable, easily absorbable, healing bone broth!
Bone broth, has been considered a great healer in many cultures for hundreds of years. Many patients that drink bone broth may see vast improvements in several different areas. If you're fighting off a cold or the flu, homemade bone broth is excellent for speeding healing and recuperation from illness. Far beyond this, broth or "stock," is a powerful food as it's easily digestible, helps heal the lining of your gut, and contains valuable nutrients that promote healing throughout your body and gives you the building blocks for joint and bone, support and repair!
A Basic Bone Broth Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds of grass fed bones – femurs and knuckles from a natural food market like New Seasons or Whole Foods.
- 2 tbs raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 Gallon filtered water
- 3 celery stalks, halved
- 3 carrots, halved
- 1 onion, quartered
- Handful of fresh parsley
- Sea salt
Method
- At 400 degrees, place bones on baking sheet for 1 hour.
- Place bones and drippings in a pot or a Crockpot, add apple cider vinegar and water, so the vinegar can leach the mineral out of the bones, add the vegetables and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 24-72 hours (if you're not comfortable leaving the pot to simmer overnight, turn off the heat and let it sit overnight, then turn it back on and let simmer all day the next day)
- During the last 10 minutes of cooking, throw in a handful of fresh parsley for added flavor and minerals.
- Let the broth cool and strain it, making sure all marrow is knocked out of the marrow bones and into the broth.
- Add sea salt to taste and drink the broth daily –8 ounces– as is or store in fridge up to 5 to 7 days or freezer up to 6 months for use in soups or stews.
Top Reasons to Eat Bone Broth
There are many reasons for incorporating good-old-fashioned bone broth into your diet. The following health benefits attest to its status as "good medicine."
- Helps heal and seal your gut, and promotes healthy digestion: The gelatin found in bone broth is a hydrophilic colloid. It attracts and holds liquids, including digestive juices, thereby supporting proper digestion.
- Inhibits infection caused by cold and flu viruses. A study published over a decade ago found that chicken soup indeed has medicinal qualities, significantly mitigating infection.
- Reduces joint pain and inflammation, courtesy of chondroitin sulphates, glucosamine, and other compounds extracted from the boiled down cartilage.
- Fights inflammation: Amino acids such as glycine, proline, and arginine all have anti-inflammatory effects.
- Arginine, for example, has been found to be particularly beneficial for the treatment of sepsis (whole-body inflammation). Glycine also has calming effects, which may help you sleep better.
- Promotes strong, healthy bones: Bone broth contains high amounts of calcium, magnesium, and other nutrients that play an important role in healthy bone formation.
- Promotes healthy hair, skin and nail growth, thanks to the gelatin in the broth.
So, do your body a favor and support your chiropractic care by drinking bone broth daily. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask me, Dr Myers in Portland OR , at your next treatment.
Be well!