Bones contain numerous substances that are difficult to obtain through healthy nutrition, but which the body needs. In addition, bones have always been part of the human diet. From the dawn of mankind until about 50-100 years ago, people used bones to boil down to broth.
The first excavations of Homo Sapiens in Africa, several million years old, show that people have always liked to break open the bones of larger animals and sip the bone marrow out. That sounds gross, but bone marrow contains a lot of healthy substances. Therefore, bones have always been important to humans.
Let’s get to the ingredients that can be used to claim that bone broth soup is healthy:
Collagen
Collagen is the most important connective tissue protein in the animal body. It is found on the skin, in organs, in the abdomen, and the bones. Bones consist of up to 30% collagen. Without collagen, bones would only be stones. With collagen, bones are not only living tissue but also conditionally flexible (pliable).
Collagen contains amino acids that the human body can hardly get from meat and goulash. Scientists have calculated that the human body needs about 30 g of collagen to meet the needs of the vital amino acid glycine daily. Collagen is by far the best source of glycine.
Many chronic ailments are results of collagen deficiency: osteoporosis, arthrosis, arthritis, and beauty blemishes such as wrinkled skin. With the occasional consumption of chicken and turkey bone broth, you are doing your body better than you might imagine.
Tip To Consider:
It is important to simmer the bones for at least 90 minutes. Collagen takes at least 90 minutes to detach from the bones. When the bone broth has cooled down after simmering, it should have approximately the consistency of pudding. This is due to the cooled collagen (which is nothing more than gelatin).
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Animal bone marrow is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are otherwise found in large quantities of fat sea fish. Bones were a way for early humans to get important foods with omega-3 fatty acids, even far from the sea. These fatty acids are essential for healthy fat metabolism, a healthy intestine, a mature immune system, and brain development. Bone marrow is pure (but healthy) fat that dissolves and passes into the organic bone broth. And it tastes delicious!
Calcium
Bone broth recipes also usually contain some form of acid, mostly apple cider vinegar. This is because acid releases a little calcium from the bones, which makes bone broth a good source of calcium. Calcium without dairy products? Correct, calcium is also available in sufficient amounts through the broth, green vegetables, and fish.
This heavy-sounding word hides three substances that you may know as components of anti-wrinkle creams: hyaluronic acid, N-acetyl-glucosamine, and chondrite sulfate. These three substances are everywhere in the body, where there is connective tissue, cartilage, and bone. They act as a kind of lubricating film in the intestine and on the skin: they bind water in the skin and give the skin more shine and moisture.
Glucosaminoglycans
As you know, the entire gastrointestinal tract is covered with a layer of mucus to protect the body from stomach acid and pathogens. Glucosaminoglycans are absolutely necessary for the formation of this mucus. And do you know what? These substances are difficult to get through a regular diet. It is challenging for the body to make them itself – bonafide bone broth is by far the best source of them.
Final Words
Of course, bones contain far more healthy substances that the body needs, but it is hard to get. But for the sake of clarity and simplicity, we leave it at these important substance classes. They alone are reason enough to consume bone broth regularly.
