As the crisp, cool weather sets in, our bodies tend to crave meals that warm us up and leave us feeling satisfied. Bone broths make a great fall and winter meal. If you’ve completed Phase One of the A-List Diet (the Reset/Detox Phase), you’re familiar with the nutritional benefits and satiating power of bone broth. Even after Phase One is complete, this soup stock can make for a quick, hot, autumn meal.
If this is your first experience with bone broth, I highly encourage you to make your own. Basically, bone broth is a stock made from boiling and then simmering animal or fish bones, organs, marrow, ligaments, and/or cartilage. This cooking method releases an array of healing compounds not normally found in our diets.
I know the ingredients may not sound appetizing initially, but trust me, these broths have a rich, hearty flavor and amazing health benefits.
Not to mention, bone broths are incredibly simple, completely customizable to your tastes, and you have full control of everything that goes into it (unlike those high-sodium broths at the grocery store). And as with any recipe, the fresher your ingredients, the better the taste and the nutritional value.
Recently, bone broth has been thrust into the spotlight and hailed as the hot, new trend in health foods. (Meanwhile, I’ve been praising its benefits for years and ancient cultures have been cooking this up for centuries). So, what’s all the fuss about?
Well, this simple-to-make broth is packed with a wealth of health benefits:
- It’s packed with nutrients and minerals. Magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and sulfur are just a few of the essentials your body needs for optimal health (and is often difficult to obtain in a single food source).
- Bone broth is easy to digest. The gelatin found in the bones heal the GI tract, which is key when starting your weight loss journey. Your digestive system needs an opportunity to detoxify and rid itself of the inflammation that’s most likely responsible for your weight gain in the first place.
- It’s rich in collagen. Not only can bone broth help you feel better and lose weight, it can help reverse signs of aging! Collagen is used extensively by our body to keep skin healthy by maintaining its healthy tone and elasticity… and bone broth has plenty of it!
- Bone broth is loaded with restorative amino acids (which are a key factor in the success so many people have had with the A-List Diet — you can read more about them in Chapter Six). Just a few of the amino acids bone broth contains include:
- Arginine: accelerates insulin secretion, stimulates protein regeneration, and helps transport amino acids into the cells.
- Glycine: helps regular and support blood pressure and helps promote muscle growth and energy production during exercise. It also regulates blood sugar levels and is a primary component in collagen.
- Glutamine: helps the body to heal. It also improves GI health by healing ulcers, leaky gut (which I touched on last week), and helping to repair and rebuild the intestines.
- Proline: aids the body in breaking down proteins for healthy cells to use, and also aids in preparing the body for collagen production.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when purchasing ingredients to make your own bone broth:
- Be sure that your ingredients are organic and your bones are from pasture-raised or wild-caught animals.
- You can also save the bones from your own home-cooked meals, but putting in an air-tight container or bag and freezing until you’re ready to use them.
- I prefer to buy roasted bones, as opposed to raw, for a better flavor and consistency. If you’re saving bones from your meals, roast in the oven for 30 minutes at 350°F.
A-Lister Recipe of the Week
Fish Broth (page 186 of The A-List Diet)
Makes one quart
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil
- 2 pounds of fish bones (*can substitute for poultry or beef bones)
- 2 large shallots, sliced
- 6 parsley stems
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon white peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 quart water
Directions:
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the fish bones, shallots, parsley, and seasonings. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 4 minutes.
- Add the wine and reduce by half. Add the water and gently simmer for 30 minutes.
- Strain the fish broth through a sieve and discard the solids.
One More Thing
During the fall and winter, our immune systems can often take a hit.
It’s important to consume foods that support good immunity. So for an added preventative health boost, consider including some of the following foods to your bone broth recipes to strengthen your immune system and add some extra flavor:
- Hardboiled eggs
- Beans
- Lentils
- Seeds (sesame, pumpkin, sunflower)
- Kelp
Already experiencing a cold? Clear your sinuses by adding these to your bone broth:
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric (one of my all-time favorite spices)
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 pinch of cayenne
- Juice of half a lemon
Best wishes for staying warm and healthy this fall!
Sources:
https://naturalife.org/nutrition/bone-broth-health-benefitshttp://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/recipe/2768812/2