 Hot This Season, For A Good Reason... You may have heard by now but bone broth (also known as soup stock) is stealing the show in terms of fashionable liquids this season. Heck, a bone brothery (?!) recently opened its doors in NYC, serving up custom broth on the spot. As irritating as some food fads can be this one has some substance behind it. One of the mainstays of the Paleo movement, this traditional food has been gaining some recognition for its nutritive healing properties. Making bone broth on the stove is such a simple and replenishing thing to do. Even before you taste it the aroma of a simmering stock will lift you up. Plainly put, bones are rich in restorative goods. Your broth will be flush in the same way, rich in many essential nutrients especially minerals and amino acids. Bone broths are a good source of amino acids – particularly arginine, glycine and proline. Glycine supports the body’s detoxification process and is used in the making of hemoglobin (which helps to oxygenate the body), bile salts and other naturally-occurring chemicals within the body. Glycine also supports digestion and the secretion of gastric acids (imperitive for proper digestion). Proline, when paired with vitamin C, supports good skin health. Bone broths are also rich in gelatin, which improves collagen status, thus supporting skin health. Gelatin also supports digestive health and is very healing to the gut. And, lastly, if you’ve ever wondering why chicken soup is prescribed for colds, there’s a reason for that too. Chicken stock inhibits neutrophil migration; that is, it helps decrease the side effects (symptoms) of colds, flus and upper respiratory infections. The best part is, it’s easy to make and easy for your body to digest. It is both energizing and calming. It’s the original comfort food. The first comfort food. You can use any bones for your bone broth: poultry, fish, shellfish, beef or lamb (cooked bones from a previous meal too, with or without the meat). Use the whole carcass or just parts. For broth, the choice parts are usually the ones that give us trouble or we waste: feet, ribs, necks, and knuckles. HOW TO: · Start with cold water. Just enough to cover the bones (or 2 cups water per 1 pound bones). · Add a splash of vinegar, any kind, 1-2 tablespoons, or substitute lemon juice for vinegar. · Vegetables are optional: you can use skins, ends and tops or the entire veggie. Traditional choices are: celery, carrots, onions, garlic, and parsley, but any will do. Combine bones, water and vinegar in a pot, bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Continually remove any scum on the surface. Broths can take a long time to simmer down (6-48 hours for chicken, 12-72 for beef and the longer the better,) 24 hours is best. To reduce cooking time you may smash or cut bones into smaller pieces. If desired, add vegetables in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Strain through a colander and discard bones. If fresh meat was used with bones you may reserve the meat for soups or salads. If you wish to remove the fat for use in gravy, use a gravy separator while the broth is warm, or skim the fat off the top once it has been refrigerated. Cold broth will gel when sufficient gelatin is present (the more bones boiled down the more gelatin). Broth may be frozen for months or kept in the refrigerator for about 5 days. USES (some) SOUPS: Sauté vegetables or meat in the bottom of a stockpot, then add broth and simmer until ingredients are cooked through, season with salt and pepper or other spices. BROTH INSTEAD OF WATER: Use broth to steam or boil your vegetables to cook rice. GRAVY: Put fat (removed from the top of a refrigerated broth) or butter in a skillet. Add thickener (arrowroot or tapioca starch)1 tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly until browned. Whisk in broth and cook till thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. TEA: You can just add salt and sip broth like tea. This hits all the right spots in the winter, on the rainy days or, of course, when you’re feeling sick. Broth is simultaneously energizing and calming, it can replace your morning coffee, afternoon tea or evening nightcap. Or keep it handy, put it in your thermos and sip on it all day. TRADITIONALLY: Serve seasoned broth as a first course, to warm the taste buds and enhance the digestion of the meal to come. Thanks for reading! To book a complimentary 15 minute Naturopathic Health Strategy Session with Dr. Sarah Bennett ND click here to call or book online. SIGN UP BELOW TO HAVE NEW POSTS DELIVERED DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX! References:
Traditional Bone Broth in Modern Health and Disease by Dr. Allison Siebecker, in the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients Feb/March 2005 #259/260 p74. For the full article see: http://www.townsendletter.com/FebMarch2005/broth0205.htm For additional information on broth, search “broth” at www.westonaprice.org or see: Why Broth is Beautiful by Kayla Daniel, http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/513-why-broth-is-beautiful.html. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/11/23/nourishing-bone-broth.aspx  Diet, lifestyle and key nutrients to prevent illness We are still in the midst of cold and flu season and there are plenty of simple and effective dietary and nutritional strategies we can employ to stay healthy. In the previous post I talked about the importance of sleep and stress in optimizing immunity. While these are top priority, diet and nutrition are also integral to immune function. Sooooo… DIET The first thing we can do is eliminate any dietary components that might impede optimal immune function and add stress to our systems. Avoid refined and processed foods: Packaged and processed foods are stripped of many of their nutrients or have nutrients added to them in bizarre ratios and forms that are not usually present in nature. Not only are many of these foods void of nutrients but some can actually be an added stress leading to increased inflammation. AVOID: processed and unprepared grains, sugary foods, and industrial seed oils. SOLUTION: Stick to foods that are close to or how they exist in nature. · Fruits and vegetables · Unprocessed naturally sourced and raised animal products · Properly prepared grains and legumes (soaked, sprouted, fermented)- this makes the nutrients in these foods more absorbable and available · Soups and stews – Warming, nutrient dense with added liquid to help keep you hydrated (especially with health promoting bone broth or stock) · Bone broth or stock – Bone broth is warming and a great source of easily absorbed minerals. Check out this article for more info and instructions: http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/broth-is-beautiful · Vegetable broth – If you are not a meat eater than vegetable broth is also an option, while not as nutrient dense as traditional bone broth, it can still be a warming and comforting source of some minerals and vitamins just use a variety of vegetables. You can leave in some of the vegetables for texture and added nutrition and an easily digestible snack or soup base. http://www.choosingraw.com/nourishing-vegetable-broth/ · Whether using bone or vegetable broth adding antimicrobial herbs like sage and rosemary, thyme, garlic and ginger help to soothe digestion and can decrease nausea adding some cayenne pepper can help break up mucous and promote circulation. · Increase Fermented foods – fermented foods contain Probiotics which help promote good gut flora that helps protect us from pathogenic bacteria and viruses.
· Fish and fish oils which all contain the anti-inflammatory essential fatty acids EPA and DHA.
o http://www.msc.org/cook-eat-enjoy/fish-to-eat If you are concerned about the safety of fish consumption here is a link to a great article about the safety of consuming fish vs. not consuming by Chris Kresser. o http://chriskresser.com/is-eating-fish-safe-a-lot-safer-than-not-eating-fish Other Nutrients that support immunity Both vitamin C and Zinc play both protective and supportive roles in immunity making them vital components of cold and flu prevention and treatment. Foods highest in vitamin C
Foods highest in zinc Oysters (richest source), red meats, poultry, cheese (ricotta, Swiss, gouda), shrimp, crab, and other shellfish. Other good, though less easily absorbed, sources of zinc include legumes (especially lima beans, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, soybeans, peanuts), whole grains, miso, tofu, brewer's yeast, cooked greens, mushrooms, green beans, tahini, and pumpkin, and sunflower seeds. ACTIVITY Moderate exercise (30-40 minutes of moderate intensity 3-7 times per week) has been shown to decrease the decline in immunity associated with aging and to reduce the incidence of upper respiratory tract illness (cold and flu). There is an exercise-induced surge in protective immune cells that last up to three hours afterwards. This is a transient surge but it has been shown to improve our defenses against illness. Moderation is key here as intense exercise or training can be a strain on the system acting as a stress that can suppress immunity. Thanks for reading! To book a complimentary 15 minute Naturopathic Health Strategy Session with Dr. Sarah Bennett ND click here to call or book online. SIGN-UP BELOW TO HAVE NEW POSTS DELIVERED DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX! References:
Nieman, David C, Moderate Exercise Improves Immunity and Reduces Illness Rates, American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, July/Aug 2011 vol 5 no 4, 338-345 Pizzorono, Joseph E and Katzinger, Joseph, Clinical Pathophysiology A Functional Perspective, Mind Publishing Inc., Coquitlam, BC 2012 Wintergerst ES, Maggini S, Hornig DH. Immune-enhancing role of vitamin C and zinc and effect on clinical conditions. Ann Nutr Metab. 2006;50(2):85-94. Epub 2005 Dec 21 http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/zinc-000344.htm#ixzz2Jg3putcY http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/002404fod.htm#ixzz2Jg1j8Btg http://www.naturalnews.com/007434_vitamin_C_immune_system.html |
AuthorI am a naturopathic doctor practicing in Toronto, Ontario. I practice evidence-based natural medicine with a focus on ancestral nutrition. I have a special interest in digestive, endocrine and mental health. CategoriesArchives
December 2016
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