Broth for Better Health

For about a month I’ve been drinking a cup of broth in the morning instead of a cup of coffee – good, simple, home-made bone broth. It’s very simple to make, and I keep it in my 2 quart pour-spout container in the refrigerator. Each morning I pour out a serving into a small saucepan and heat it on medium while I make breakfast for the kids.

After only a couple of days, I really started to look forward to that hearty start to the day. A cup of broth is nourishing, unlike a cup of sweetened coffee, no matter how delicious that may be. I could tell that my body craved that nutritious start to the day, and I realized that I felt noticeably better if I kept to this little ritual of mine each day.

After a couple more days, I realized that I no longer wanted that cup of coffee I’ve had every morning for 15 years. Never in a million years did I set out trying to give up coffee, but I’ve realized, on days when I have skipped the broth and gone for my usual coffee out of habit, that the coffee doesn’t make my body feel good. I enjoy it, and I still sometimes drink it in the afternoon as a treat, but I don’t feel my best when I start the day with coffee.

There are many health benefits from drinking broth regularly. When I drink it every day I have more energy, aches and pains in my joins lessen, my emotions are calmer, my blood sugar stays more consistent throughout the day, and I feel more tuned in to what I need nutritionally. During this first month of my broth experience, I lost ten pounds. I’d lost 70 pounds already and really wasn’t trying to lose any more on purpose, but I weigh myself once or twice a month just to keep track, and from October 1 to November 2 I lost ten pounds. When I start the day with a balanced, light yet nutritionally dense drink of bone broth, my body feels healthier, more drawn to foods that are good for me.

It’s easy to make and keep broth. After we eat a meal where there are leftover bones, such as roasted chicken or turkey, spare ribs, or fish, I pile the bones and vegetable clippings into my big stock pot. I start out by bringing it to a rolling boil with lots of water – I have a four quart stock pot and I fill it all the way up. Boiling it at a nice rolling boil for an hour or hour and a half causes it to reduce quite a bit. Then I add more water, bring it back to a rolling boil, then lower it down to a slow simmer. Then I just cover it and leave it alone for about six or eight hours. Super easy! I like to finish it with a rolling boil for another 20 minutes or so. Then I strain it into my glass pour-spout container, let it cool, and store it in the fridge. Every time I need some broth for a recipe or to drink, it’s easily accessible. We make our food from scratch so it’s easy to keep enough bones to make a steady supply of broth. It’s also very easy to make broth in your crock pot, so busy people can enjoy its benefits as well!

My health thanks me for giving this a try! I’ve noticed a big difference in how I feel when I drink it regularly, and even my husband has noticed a difference in me. He notices that when I’m getting started in the morning I don’t start out in that pre-coffee fog that he’s always seen me bumbling around in. Homemade broth is a really simple and incredibly nutritious way to support your health – you should give it a try!

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