The Benefits Of Bone Broth

One of the main concerns new carnivore dieters have is what they can drink. Plain water is healthy but can become boring, fast. And in the wintertime, it’s always enjoyable to sip on something warm and tasty. Fortunately, there’s a solution - bone broth.

Don’t be discouraged by the name. Bone broth is warm and comforting, highly nutritious, and full of health benefits. Once you’ve tried it, it’s sure to become your new favorite beverage. Want to learn more about the benefits of bone broth? Read on. These are the top five bone broth benefits you need to know. 

What Is Bone Broth?

Before we cover the top bone broth benefits, let’s examine what bone broth is. 

Bone broth is a highly nutritious liquid, obtained through boiling animal bones and connective tissue in water for a long time. But there’s often confusion around the terms bone broth and stock. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but are they the same thing? 

​Bone Broth Vs. Stock

Both stock and bone broth are made by simmering animal bones in water. The biggest difference is that bone broth is usually left to cook for longer than stock. The many hours of cooking bone broth allow more nutrients to escape the bones and enter the broth. 

Stock is left to cook for two to three hours. It sometimes includes meat, and almost always contains aromatics like onions or celery and vegetables like carrots. It is used as a base for soups and stews. Bone broth is left to cook for at least six hours, and often longer.

​Chicken Bone Broth vs. Beef Bone Broth

Which is better, chicken bone broth or beef bone broth? 

Chicken bone broth has a higher omega-6 percentage and cooks slightly faster than beef bone broth. However, because chicken bones are less dense than heavy beef bones, they contain less collagen. But the truth is, you’ll find bone broth good for you whichever one you drink.

Both beef and chicken bone broth contain the nutrients vital to your health. And like many carnivore recipes, making your own bone broth is a lot easier than you’d think. You can even make bone broth from fish bones! 

​Drinking Bone Broth

Bone broth is an alternative to hot beverages like coffee and tea while on the initial, more restrictive phase of the carnivore diet. Some carnivore enthusiasts find it so beneficial that they continue drinking it even when on a more relaxed version of the diet. 

​5 Bone Broth Benefits

Adding bone broth to your diet is a small change that offers big results. Are you ready to get the most from animal bone broth? Here are the top five health benefits of bone broth.

​1. Rich In Nutrients

The most important of the many bone broth benefits is its nutrient content. Bone broth contains vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, collagen, and important amino acids. 

Perhaps this is why so many carnivore diet fans notice an improvement in skin conditions like eczema. Or why their all-round health improves. 

As an important part of the carnivore diet, bone broth does the work that collagen supplements, gelatin capsules, and multivitamin and mineral supplements do. Yet it is affordable, all-natural, and easy to make on the stove or in a slow cooker at home. 

Some people like to add a little bit of apple cider vinegar during the bone broth cooking process, but this is not a necessary step to obtain the nutrients. The most important things to remember when making bone broth are a good ratio of bones to water (1:2, preferably) and a long simmering period.

2. ​Boosts Immune Function And Gut Health

Your immune system is the first line of defense against invading germs, bacteria, viruses, and parasites. And to have a healthy immune system, you need a healthy gut. But why is a healthy gut microbiome important? 

Many pathogens enter the body via the intestinal mucosa. Luckily, the intestinal epithelium forms a barrier preventing the penetration of microbes. The gut also offers several other defenses against potentially harmful bacteria and microbes. So to have a good immune system, you need to keep your gut healthy. 

The good news is that some of the bone broth benefits you’ll enjoy when you make bone broth a regular part of your diet are healthy digestion and immunity. It also contains amino acids that may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. 

3. ​Supports Joint And Tissue Health

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), musculoskeletal conditions affect approximately 1.71 billion people worldwide. These often debilitating conditions can impair the muscles, bones, joints, and adjacent connective tissues, leading to problems like joint pain. 

Some musculoskeletal disorders, like many autoimmune disorders, can affect your body’s crucial connective tissues, too. Drinking broth made from bones and connective tissues will support joint health. It will also reduce the risk of damage to your own connective tissue and painful joints. 

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How Bone Broth Helps Connective Tissue

Your body contains a protein that provides your bones, tendons, and ligaments with structure and your skin with elasticity. It’s called collagen and it’s the main structural protein in your body’s connective tissues. 

When you’re young, it keeps your skin youthful and vibrant and your joints supple. However, collagen production decreases with age, leading to tell-tale signs of aging - stiff joints and wrinkled skin. So, how does bone broth help the connective tissue in your body? Bone broth contains high amounts of collagen.

4. ​Helps With Weight Loss

Obesity is one of the most concerning conditions affecting over 40% of adults worldwide, because of its impact on general health. Excess weight can put you at risk for several chronic diseases. It can also severely limit your activity and mobility, which in turn affects your quality of life.

One of the bone broth benefits that many people first notice is easier weight loss. Bone broth allows you to lose weight quickly yet safely, even while on a restrictive or liquid diet. You’ll feel satiated, and obtain essential nutrients, with every cupful. 

5. ​Improves Skin, Hair, And Nail Health

A poor diet, harmful environmental elements, and stress all take their toll on the human body. You will usually see the first signs of the damage in your hair, skin, and nails. This will affect more than just your physical health, but your confidence and mental health too.

It’s bone broth to the rescue because the benefits of bone broth nutrition include improved hair, skin, and nail health. Animal bone broths contain collagen, amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. These improve skin elasticity, the strength of your nails, and even the look of your hair.

​Final Thoughts

You’ve just learned how bone broth helps your gut health and immune function, aids weight loss, promotes joint health, and supports hair, skin, and nail health. These are just some of the bone broth benefits you will enjoy. There are many more. 

That is why bone broths are an important part of the carnivore diet. Bone broth is a nutrient-rich substitute for other hot beverages while offering many health benefits. What’s more, it’s economical and easy to prepare. Introduce bone broth into your diet today, and start living a healthier life.