I love my cup of bone broth as a morning ritual - especially during cold/flu season and when the weather changes. The parts I love best are really:
1) a warm nourishing beverage in the morning that is caffeine-free and sugar-free
2) the immune-supporting dried herbs & mushrooms I add to this decoction
So is bone broth worth it's hype? Bone broth can be bought pre-made in the store - but it's expensive. The bones provide only small amounts of trace minerals. But, they do provide some collagen which can help soothe an irritated GI tract (hydrolyzed collagen powder can do this too). Some argue slow-cooked bones may leech heavy metals, but research suggests any heavy metals like lead, cadmium or aluminum levels are extremely small and not risky when consuming average amounts (I recommend 1 cup daily). The most important factor for me is that bone broth can be a vehicle for adding some extra vegetables and herbs that are very nutritious and immune-supporting.
What's my verdict? The real winner is a slow-cooked broth (bones or not) made with immune supporting vegetables & herbs. If buying pre-made, choose bone broths made with mushrooms and, if possible, any of the immune supporting herbs listed below.
Want personalized immune health support?
Struggling with chronic health issues? (fatigue and stress count!!)
~Dr. Natalie Senst, ND
My supercharged bone broth recipe:
*option to make this vegan (yes, bone-less) and simply slow cook the herbs and veggies
*make this in a slow cooker or an instant pot (option to cook on the stove - but please do not leave a stove on unattended!)
Ingredients: (based on a 4 L pot - makes about 3+ L of broth)
1 organic chicken carcass* (raw, or bones from your recently cooked whole chicken) *omit if vegan!
1 sautéed onion, 1 carrot & 1 celery stalk, chopped - or 2 cups veggies (trimmings/ends work well: celery, carrots, onions, garlic, root veggies)
1 cup - shiitake mushrooms (fresh or dried - or any mushrooms)
2-3 Tbsp each of these herbs (or "Change of Season Soup" herbs!) - astragalus root (dried), codonopsis root (dried), siberian ginseng (dried), goji berries* (dried - *omit if sensitive to nightshades)
1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp Herbamare sea salt (this is a mix of herbs and salt) - *omit if salt-sensitive
To make:
Add all above ingredients to your pot, cover with distilled/filtered water (3-4 L of liquid)
SLOW COOKER: simmer on low heat for 6-8 hours
INSTANT POT: pressure cook for 4 hours, allow pressure to release naturally before opening
When cooked & still hot, option to add (& let stand covered 10 min): miso, fresh garlic, thyme, sage, fresh ginger and pinch of cayenne (useful if recovering from illness, or to add flavour)
When hot, use a fine sieve and wide funnel to strain the broth into glass mason jars and seal lids tightly (makes about 3-4 L of broth)
Let jars cool to warm before storing in fridge - can move to freezer
To use, scoop out and discard any fat on the surface (fat can trap heavy metals and toxins so this is important to discard) - fat will harden when stored in the fridge - then reheat desired amount of liquid in a small pot.
Recommended serving: 0.5-1 cup warm broth daily as prevention (or 2-3 cups daily with additional herbs, when recovering from illness)
To your health,
Dr. Natalie
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