The Lowdown on Bone Broth

The influx of posts on social media about bone broth to replace coffee indicates that it’s become a trendy way to fight aging. Messages purport that replacing your morning coffee with a big mug of this gelatinous concoction is the holy grail. But what’s really behind all the hype? What even is bone broth? Is it worth it? 

The short answer is yes, but not for the reasons you’ve been seeing promoted all over the internet. Bone broth has been proven through research to be an anti-inflammatory food and support our immune system, but the jury is still out on whether or not it helps reduce systemic aging, as many claim. 

Bone broth has been used in ancient medicine for over 2000 years. In Eastern traditions like Chinese medicine, bone broths are a mainstay of healing protocols and disease prevention.

The basic concept of bone broth is – you guessed it – using bones, primarily ones with the most cartilage like the neck or knuckles, and boiling them for hours with an acid such as vinegar to release the health benefits. As the bones are cooked, important vitamins and minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, are released into the broth.

As the acids added during the cooking process help break down the bones, protein like collagen is also released. However, it’s important to note that the collagen in the broth does not translate to collagen in our face. When the broth is ingested, the collagen is broken down into amino acids by the body to utilize where they are needed. What results from this is a nourishing, healing broth that can be sipped on its own or used as the base of other recipes.

Primarily, warm soups like bone broth make it easy for the body to absorb many important immune-boosting vitamins, so there is truth to the idea that bone broth can be used to help ward off a cold or heal a flu. Additionally, it can give the digestive track a rest since it does not need to work overtime to break the food down. This allows the body’s energy to focus on healing.

The bottom line is, bone broth is a salubrious and wise addition to your meals. It has numerous benefits and supports optimal health, but it just may not be the ultimate source for plumper skin or wrinkle reduction (though I don’t doubt it helps).