BONE BROTH - FOOD OR MEDICINE?

In these times we find ourselves in where Health is Front of Mind we thought we would answer this important question?

▸ Is Free Range Bone Broth food or medicine?

It has traditionally been used as both. As a food it is generally incorporated into other dishes, served as a nutritional base to make soup, stew, sauce or gravy, or to cook grains and beans in,where water is replaced.

Broth is not a complete protein, since it only contains three amino acids. A complete protein needs to contain all 8 essential amino acids. Therefore it is not a meat replacement, but it can be used as a meat extender. Since glycine is used to make other amino acids, it is considered protein sparing. In addition, because glycine is used to make energy in gluconeogenesis, consuming glycine spares your own body protein from being broken down to make energy. Broth is great as an in-between meals option, incorporated into a meal or as 'tea'as explained below.

As a medicine, it is often used alone, sipped at intervals or drunk much like a tea. "Tea" can be used to describe an infusion or a decoction. Broth is a bone and cartilage decoction, or
tea. What this process is doing, with herbs or bones, is removing the active chemical ingredients into the water by means of heat, time, and acid, making the nutrients immediately available to absorb. Using the standard of herbal formulation, broth qualifies as a medicine. Our method is special due to the fact that we cook our broth for 48 hours, allowing long, slow and intentional extraction.

Being both a food and a medicine, broth has some distinct benefits. In general, food is a form of medicine that has few side effects and is difficult to overdose on. There is less likelihood of forgetting to take the medicine, since eating is a part of a normal daily routine. This is especially true if the medicinal food can be incorporated into established eating patterns, such as using broth to cook grains  and starches for your  family, who will benefit from it on a regular basis.

Broth can be thought of as a protein supplement, a mineral supplement and a GAG supplement. The chemical ingredients extracted from broth are glycine and proline (collagen/ gelatin), calcium and phosphorus (minerals), hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate (GAGs), and other minerals, amino acids and GAGs in smaller amounts. Because it's easy to absorb, tastes good, and contains a rich concentration of nutrients, broth makes a distinctively good medicine.

It is an example of using the entirety of what Nature provides, recognizable foods. Most importantly, broth tastes good, it's a delicious food that people enjoy eating, and that makes the best medicine.

STAY HEALTHY

Ros & Stephen