Bone Broth 101
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When you start the AIP you’re likely going to read a LOT about bone broth and the gut healing powers it possesses. You may even be told by your health coach, nutritionist or Functional Medicine Practitioner to start with a very limited diet that includes home made bone broth while you give your body a chance to heal.
For some this is a daunting thought – home-made broth, sourcing high-quality ingredient, the time involved … Yikes!
Don’t freak out though, it’s not really that hard, and there are excellent options below if you just can’t bring yourself to make your own.
Bone Broth FAQs
The first article I wanted to share with you is excellent, but there seems to be some issues with the website, so I’ll provide a link to these Bone Broth FAQs an note the Whole9Life.com as my source but include the details below so we don’t lose the valuable information!
- What kind of nutritional benefits does bone broth offer?
Bone broth is a source of minerals, like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium, in forms that your body can easily absorb. It’s also rich in glycine and proline, amino acids not found in significant amounts in muscle meat (the vast majority of the meat we consume). It also contains chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, the compounds sold as supplements to reduce inflammation, arthritis, and joint pain. Finally, “soup bones” include collagen, a protein found in connective tissue of vertebrate animals, which is abundant in bone, marrow, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. (The breakdown of collagen in bone broths is what produces gelatin.) - What are the benefits of consuming a properly prepared bone broth?
Proline and glycine are important for a healthy gut and digestion, muscle repair and growth, a balanced nervous system, and strong immune system. In fact, a study of chicken broth conducted by the University of Nebraska Medical Center found that the amino acids that were produced when making chicken stock reduced inflammation in the respiratory system and improved digestion. (There’s a reason your mom always made you chicken soup when you were sick.)The gelatin in bone broth can help to heal a leaky gut, which may be of specific benefit those with inflammatory or autoimmune disorders. These compounds also reduce joint pain, reduce inflammation, prevent bone loss, and build healthy skin, hair, and nails. - Can I just buy broth from the grocery store?
Nope. Broth (often labelled “stock”) from the grocery store relies on high temperature, fast-cooking techniques, which result in a watered down, non-gelling liquid, so you’re missing out on some of the benefits of a gelatin-rich broth. In addition, unnatural additives (like MSG) and flavors are often added. If you just need a small amount for a recipe, store-bought stuff will do, but if you’re interested in the healing properties of bone broth, you have to make it yourself. - Where do I get bones?
Your local butcher, a local farm (ask around at the farmers market), a friendly hunter, your local health food store (if they have a meat department). You can also save the bones if you roast a whole chicken, turkey, duck, or goose. - What kind of bones should I use?
You can use bones from just about any animal—beef, veal, lamb, bison or buffalo, venison, chicken, duck, goose, turkey, or pork. Get a variety of bones—ask for marrow bones, oxtail, and “soup bones.” Make sure you include some larger bones like knuckles, or feet (like chicken feet), which will contain more cartilage, and therefore more collagen. You can even mix and match bones in the same batch of broth—some beef, some lamb, some chicken—but know that will change the flavor. (Most folks prefer to stick to one animal source at once.) - Do I have to get grass-fed or pastured bones, or organic bones?
You should. The animals have to be healthy to impart the maximum health benefit to you, and factory-farmed animals are the furthest thing from healthy. (And we don’t want to encourage more purchasing of factory-farmed animals.) Do your best to seek out pastured chicken or 100% grass-fed beef bones from a local source.
- Do I have to skim the fat?
Only if you want to. Feel free to drink your broth as-is, but if you prefer a broth with less fat (as we do), then follow these instructions: After you’re done cooking, remove your broth from the heat, and run it through a strainer as usual. Then let your broth sit in the fridge for several hours, until the fat rises to the top and hardens. Scrape off the fat with a spoon, and your broth is ready to go. We think skimming off most of the fat is more important if you’re using bones from animals that are conventionally raised. - What kind of things can I add to my broth to help with the flavour?
Here is a list of vegetables, herbs, and spices you could add. Feel free to mix and match, or invent your own recipe.- Onion
- Green onion
- Leek
- Carrot
- Garlic
- Celery
- Salt
- Pepper / Whole peppercorns / Red pepper flakes
- Parsley
- Bay leaf
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Sage
- Ginger
- Avoid using broccoli, turnip peels, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, collard greens as they will make your broth bitter.
TIP: Mickey Trescott of Autoimmune Wellness recommends NOT adding anything at all to your broth by way of herbs, spices, veggies or salt. She’s a purist cook/former chef and she likes to keep her broth basic during cooking since she’ll use it in many dishes. If you want to “spice up” your flavours, she recommends doing it later in the cooking stage so that your broth does not become bitter.
If you’re having success and like how your broth tastes when you do add veggies, herbs, etc. during cooking … you do you!
I personally keep veggie scraps and freeze them in a bag until I’m ready to make broth – then I toss them in the pot so nothing goes to waste!
- Why do you add vinegar to the broth?
Adding an acid (like lemon juice or vinegar) will help to extract minerals from the bones. Use a mild-flavored vinegar, like apple cider or rice wine, as white vinegar may taste too harsh in a mellow broth. - Should I roast my bones first?
You can—roasting will impart a rich flavor and color to your broth—but you don’t have to. If you choose to roast your bones first, place them in a pan in an oven set to 350 degrees, and roast for one hour before continuing with your favorite broth recipe. - Why does my broth look so jiggly?
That’s the gelatin—when cool, it makes your broth look a little like meat Jell-O. No worries—just heat it gently on the stovetop and it will return to a liquid state. - My broth doesn’t look jiggly – why didn’t it gel?
This article from the Healthy Home Economist lists five reasons your broth didn’t gel, but in our experience, it’s generally one of two reasons. First, you might not be using enough bones (or enough of the right type), or you simply might have added too much water. Bones with more visible cartilage will yield more gelatin. Another common reason is that the broth was not cooked for long enough. The remedy? Set your crockpot or burner to the lowest heat setting and just let it go for at least 8 hours (poultry) or 12 hours (beef)—if not longer. Less than that will likely not draw enough gelatin into the stock from the bones. A good rule of thumb: the larger the bones, the longer you’ll want to cook it. - Can you reuse bones for another broth?
You sure can—Paul Jaminet of The Perfect Health Diet says you can reuse bones to make multiple batches of broth until the bones go soft. (Make sure you use fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices each time, though.) - What’s the longest you can leave bone broth to cook?
Chicken bones can cook for 24 hours, beef bones can cook for up to 48 hours. - What do I do with my broth?
We like to drink a mug of it, just like you would coffee or tea. In fact, a warm cup of broth is a great way to start your morning—try drinking 8 ounces a day, every day. Of course, you can use it in recipes wherever it calls for broth or stock, or turn it into a base for your favorite soup. - How long will broth keep in the refrigerator and freezer?
Keep broth in the fridge for no longer than 3-4 days. It should keep in the freezer for up to a year. - How should I store frozen bone broth?
For an easy addition of small amounts of broth to recipes, store some in an ice cube tray in the freezer. One cube is about an ounce, so recipes that call for 1/4 cup of broth would take 2 cubes, 1/2 a cup is 4 cubes, etc. You can store larger amounts in glass mason jars, but be sure to let the broth cool down before transferring to glass. Finally, make sure you leave enough space in a glass container for the frozen broth to expand—otherwise, the glass could break.
You can also read my article here – Food Storage Basics)
More Resources
What Is Bone Broth & What Are The Benefits?
Bone Broth FAQs
Troubleshooting Bone Broth
Is Bone Broth Risky Business?
Some have challenged bone broth and say it’s risky stuff. Learn more from AIP expert, Dr. Sarah Balantyne – Paleo Mom, in her articles:
Broth: Hidden Dangers in a Healing Food?
Bone Broth Risks: Skim the Fat!
Bone Broth Recipes & Sourcing
Chicken Bone Broth
Fish Bone Broth
Beef Broth (Lamb can be used too)
Instant Pot Bone Broth
Instant Pot Beef Bone Broth (my favorite – I follow the same recipe for chicken as well)
Veggie Bone Broth
For More Bone Broth Recipes and ways to use it (soups, stews, smoothies and more) please use the group search function in my AIP Recipe Collection Facebook Group.
Where do you get your bones? Quality matters! Be sure to buy the best quality bones you can afford (organic, grass-fed, antibiotic and hormone free)
No Time for Bone Broth?
Many people tell me they just don’t have time to make bone broth or they just can’t stand the whole process. Fortunately there are some options for quality bone broths that are AIP compliant.
Paleo-on-the-Go offers bone broth among other amazing time-saving top-quality AIP meals that are delivered right to your door. (Be sure to grab a coupon code from our coupons page.)
Vital Proteins offers the convenience of powdered bone broth … this stuff is seriously amazing! You have the option of organic beef or chicken and it’s even available in single serve packets if you wish. (Note: While not all Vital Proteins products are AIP compliant, you can be sure their bone broth is.)
Perfect Supplements carries powdered bone broth and so much more! (Be sure to grab a coupon code from our coupons page.)
Wild Zora offers DELICIOUS pre-made freeze-dried soups and stews! They don’t have plain bone broth but thought I’d recommend them here since so many that are prepping bone broth are using it to make their own homemade soups and stews or are looking for on-the-go convenience.
(Be sure to grab a coupon code from our coupons page.)
