I have been perfecting my bone broth and its a beautiful thing.  Can you see the gelatin consistency in the pictures?  That is what you want it to look like.  Beautiful!!  All ancient cultures have some form of a bone broth whether made out of fish, beef, or chicken.

Although low in calcium, bone broth has other trace nutrients, namely the amino acids proline and glycine, that are essential to building strong bones.  These amino acids are some of the key components to building collagen which is the structural component to bones, tendons, joints, skin, corneas, cartilage, the gut, and blood vessels. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, making up about 25%-35% of whole body content.

Dr. Kaayla T. Daniel has a well researched article called: Research Reveals Low Calcium Content in Bone Broth. A key point she brings up is that collagen is more important to bone strength and fracture resistance than calcium alone as it forms the cross links (or scaffolding/structural component) for your bones. Along with collagen supporting nutrients, it contains magnesium, phosphorus and silica–just to name a few.  Bone broth is a wealth of easily absorbable and digestible minerals.  So if your diet is low in calcium from milk you can benefit from bone broth for the re-mineralization and strengthening of your bones and joints.   Yes, its a super food that should be incorporated into every kitchen in America.

Using a Mason jar to store broth in the refrigerator

Lets dig a little deeper into how gone broth is beneficial to joints and skin. Bone broth contains gelatin (mostly composed of the amino acids proline and glycine), glucosamine, and chondroitin which are good for your joints and skin. For example, glucosamine increases hyaluronic acid in our joints and skin.  Hyaluronic acid helps lubricate your joints and improves skin moisture and smoothness (less wrinkles).  Get this-Cellulite is not just too much fat collecting but a break down of the structural component of skin called collagen which keeps fat in its place.

Thought: Could adequate collagen in your diet help prevent or lessen stretch marks?  Maybe.

Freezing as frozen cubes from an ice tray is a great way for adding to baby food or your own recipes

Another thought:  I believe bone broth is especially good throughout a person’s lifetime to keep their skin and joints in top condition.  Yes, we are a product of our genetics and what our ancestors ate, but we also can reverse predisposed genetic trends, keep the good genes working, and pass along healthy genes to our children.  Find a great explanation of the benefits and nutrients found in bone broth and a recipe: click here.

Want to increase the gelatin content? Add chicken feet to your sock.  To increase the your gelatin content in your diet 100% pure gelatin can be added to just about everything.  For supplementation, taking about 2 tablespoons per day for an adult is a good rule of thumb.  Two good sources are:  Bernard Jensen Gelatin or Great Lakes Gelatin.

Some good informational reads:

• The surprising therapeutic benefits of gelatin.
• Guide to choosing gelatin powder: which kind to buy?
• Great article with a key point:  With enough collagen arteries remain strong and plaque free.  Remember the proline content of bone broth as you read this article