Food Trends: Why Are People Obsessed With Bone Broth?
Health, wellness and fitness communities around the globe have been making a fuss about bone broth of years now. Celebrities have confessed their love for this brew, claiming that it has made them feel healthier, and helped improve their weight loss journey. Bone broth has actually been a part of many cultures traditional diets for years, only making its way into the trendy social-media ecosystem in recent history.
WHAT IS BONE BROTH?
Soup! Bone broth is a clear nutrient-dense soup that is made from cooking down animal bones, cartilage and meat. Bone broth can be made with beef, pork or even seafood depending on what you fancy. When you reduce and simmer down meat and cartilage from bones in boiling water, they melt and become tasty, nutritious, liquid gold.
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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BONE BROTH AND STOCK?
Well, they are quite similar. Some say they are pretty much the same! However the main difference in length of cook-time. Stock is cooked in the same process as bone broth but for a shorter period of time (around 4-6 hours), which is why it is more viscous.
On the other hand, bone broth is reduced for hours longer (often 24 hours… or more), making it a lighter, thinner soup. Another difference is that bone broth tends to use bones that have slightly more meat attached while stock may use cleaner bones.
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WHY ARE PEOPLE OBSESSED WITH BONE BROTH?
Bone broth has been the talk of the town mainly because it is highly nutritious. The longer you cook down bones to make a broth, the more nutrients are released which is why the health and wellness community have been fussing over this hot topic for quite a while now. Since bone broth is cooked for so long, the broken down cartilage and gelatin release all their fabulous nutrients into the soup, like calcium, magnesium, silicon, sulphur and phosphorous.
The melted down gelatin comes from the bone’s collagen. Collagen is a structural protein that is found naturally in our bodies. It is a vital property that gives our skin and joints flexibility, strength and plumpness. When cooking down animal collagen, its protein breaks into amino acids and gives the soup drinker the potential added benefits of ingesting glycine and glutamine for example.
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POSSIBLE BENEFITS
Despite the fact that many have viewed this beverage as some sort of a panacea for years due to its many possible restorative properties, there unfortunately isn't enough research or proof to conclusively outline bone broth’s exact effects on our bodies. But it is packed with vitamins, minerals, nutrients and protein which should be part of a healthy diet.
While you should not depend on bone broth for these exact outcomes or expect it to cure illnesses, or aches and pains, here are some possible benefits that may come with drinking this meaty elixir:
1/5 Gut Health
Drinking bone broth is said to be good for our gut health and can aid in digestion. The nutrients and amino acids released from bones could improve and strengthen our microbiomes as suggested by some Journals.
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2/5 Anti-Inflammatory
While this is a topic that is debated upon by experts, bone broth may possess some anti-inflammatory properties which may soothe joint pains, as discussed in an edition of the Nutrients Journal.
3/5 Bone Strength
Studies have noted that ingesting phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and collagen from bone broth could possibly strengthen our bones while other trials have studied the effects on collagen in relieving joint-pains.
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4/5 Better Skin
Some studies claim that collagen from bone broth may also benefit our skin! After the age of 25, our natural collagen production decreases which is why skin becomes less taught and we start to see wrinkles emerge. Other trials have taken a look at the possible effects that can come from ingesting amino acids. This may trigger our own bodies to increase collagen production in the skin which could fight off signs of ageing.
5/5 Protein And Weight Loss
Since bone broth is made from animals, it is packed with protein. Ingesting higher levels of protein with less calories than if you were to eat a full meal could keep you full for longer and may work quite well as a meal replacement or healthy snack.
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