What is beef bone broth good for?

Bone broth is known as a superfood. The cooking process breaks down bones and connective tissues – including proteins, minerals and fat – that heal the body in various ways. And because bone broth is a wholefood, it's sometimes more beneficial than taking supplements, especially for people with severe digestive problems.

When you ingest bone broth, it feeds the body with collagen, which is the building block of cells to bones, ligaments, cartilage and the brain. Gelatin, a form of collagen used in food, is used to help digestion because the liquid gets absorbed into the body quickly and without much effort. Making bone broth excellent for people with food sensitivities and gastrointestinal disorders because it is usually very safe and tolerable for the body.

Other nutrients found in bone broth include minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, which are essential for maintaining healthy bones and generating energy. And collagen rich bone  broth is also said to be effective in treating arthritis and other degenerative joint diseases.

 

What is beef bone broth?

Beef bone broth is a flavourful, nutrient-rich liquid similar to beef stock. It is made by simmering beef bones in water usually along with some veggies, aromatics and a touch of apple cider vinegar.

 

What's the difference between beef broth, stock and bone broth?

These terms are used interchangeably.

 

• Beef Broth: Made from simmering meat for a short amount of time. Typically more clear in colour.
• Beef Stock: Made from simmering bones that have a small amount of meat attached to them for a longer period of time. Typically rich in colour.
• Beef Bone Broth: Made from simmering bones that have a small amount of meat attached to them for a long time. Bone broth is slightly different from stock, in that it is cooked longer with vinegar or lemon to help extract trace minerals and collagen from the bones and connective tissue.

 

 

Beef Bone Broth Cooking Tips

It is best to obtain a variety of bones, so you get both red and yellow marrow. Red marrow is found in flat bones like ribs, vertebrae, hip and the ends of long bones. Yellow marrow is found in the centre of long bones. Ask your butcher to cut them in half or quarters for you so you can get to the marrow easily. Red marrow is so valuable because it is where blood stem cells are found. When you drink a broth made with a good source of red marrow, you are drinking all those stem cell factors that ultimately build your body's strength and support your own immune function.

 

To skim the scum or not to skim the scum?

It's all about taste really and the clarity of the broth. The scum just rises to the surface when boiled, so I skim the surface of the froth for the first hour or so of cooking. This is important because it will taste better if you remove the impurities.

 

Do I have to roast the bones first?

It will give a deeper flavour to the broth if you roast the bones but it is not necessary. The bones contain a lot of fat so use a fairly deep roasting pan. You can place them in the oven at 200°C for 30-40 minutes until the bones become golden brown.

 

Minerals in Bone Broth

Beef broth contains minerals that your body needs. Bone Broth naturally contains Magnesium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Sulfur and Silicon.The magnesium in broth supports more than 300 functions in the human body. Calcium, which supports an array of body processes, including maintaining strong bones, our heart, muscles and nerves also need calcium to function properly.

 

 

Collagen in Bone Broth

Bone broth naturally contains ingredients such as collagen, protein, amino acids, and other natural compounds often found synthesised in store bought supplements such as glucosamine, glycine, proline and chondroitin.

 

Our traditional long simmer process naturally and gently extracts and protects these compounds, as a whole food source bone broth has great bioavailability which means they are absorbed into the body. This means our body can take these nutrients and put them to work right away, resulting in better, more sustained energy, satiation( a feeling of fulness) and mental clarity throughout your day.

 

The exact nutrition facts for each beef bone broth batch will vary from batch to batch because it depends on the ingredients you choose to use, how long you cook the broth for and other cooking variations.

 

In general, homemade beef broth is low in calories and fat, contains a notable amount of protein and is low in carbohydrates. Animal bones naturally contain sodium and how much you choose to use depends on preference.

 

Collagen, found in bone broth, it contains 19 amino acids and 8 essential amino acids. The main aminos that make up collagen are glycine, proline, hydroxyproline, and arginine which are necessary for healthy connective tissues, such as cartilage and elastin, glycine and proline play a fundamental role in collagen production and maintenance.

 

 

 

Benefits of Bone Broth

Bone Broth is reported to help everything from colds joint pain to intestinal inflammation to the better skin and hair. Although scientific research is limited  for bone broth it does support the that easy to digest, wholesome, nutrient-rich foods like bone broth are good for  health, so it is a reasonable choice for a sensible diet. And then there is the anecdotal evidence and why our grandmothers had their own recipes of healing.

 

Reported Benefits

Bone broth is a great source of all the valuable amino acids, collagen, gelatin and trace minerals. There are dozens of different nutrients found in bone broth, many of which can't be obtained easily from other commonly eaten foods. That's partly why there are so many incredible bone broth benefits.

 

Beef bone broth has a long list of reported health benefits such as:

• delivering important vitamins and minerals
• treating leaky gut
• benefiting the digestive system
• boosting the immune system
• fighting inflammation
• improving sleep and brain function
• aiding weight loss
• promoting joint health
• Better skin and hair

 

Replacing one meal a day with a cup of beef bone broth on a temporary weight loss program can help you feel full for longer. The collagen and gelatin in bone broth has been scientifically proven to maximise satiety.

 

Glycine found in bone broth is known for having calming effects, which may help you sleep better.

 

 

The benefits of bone broth are many. Adding this nutrient rich elixir to our daily schedule will assist the nourishing benefits to our health and digestive systems.

 

What makes beef broth different from any other type of broth?

The name bone broth refers to a long-simmered combination of bones, vegetables and herbs that become a rich, flavourful and healthy elixir.

 

Bone Broth has similar ingredients to stock with the difference being the extended cooking time. Stock is simmered for several hours with bones and various aromatics. While broth is generally simmered with meat and a small amount of bone, for a shorter period, which results in a thinner consistency and a milder flavour. Bone Broth  is simmered for longer, hours, so that the result is a nourishing, liquid broth that has extracted most of the nutrients from the ingredients and may be consumed as  a clear liquid. Bone broth may be used just like stock as a base for soups and sauces.