I’ve done Posts on Bone Broth and Gelatin before, but I still get a lot of questions about it. Here’s some facts, some recipes, and at the end several resources, that will inspire you to incorporate bone broth most days of the week. Remember: Food is Medicine, or Food is Poison. Bone broth and gelatin are Medicine.
First issue: “man parts”, you know what I’m talking about. Men, those parts are full of arteries that should fill with blood, on demand. If the endothelial cells that line those arteries are damaged ( from high blood sugar, insulin, chemicals, or hydrogenated fats) you’re not functioning like God intended. Plaque and hardening of the arteries doesn’t just happen to the arteries near the heart….. If you have athlerosclerosis, and/or high blood pressure, you’ve got endothelial dysfunction. If you have high blood sugar, you have endothelial dysfunction. The gelatin in bone broth contains an enormous amount of collagen and other nutrients that HEAL THE ENDOTHELIUM. ( check out link below for an interesting study )
Weight Loss; how does this tie in with bone broth or gelatin? Easy. Our liver – which is the MAIN SOURCE OF OUR DAILY CALORIE BURN, has hundreds of jobs to do every day. A sluggish, toxic, clogged liver doesn’t burn as many calories as it could, nor does it adequately perform it’s jobs. The liver “detoxes”, or breaks down, old hormones, chemicals, alcohol, toxins, etc; it uses protein-based (amino acids) pathways to do that. Bone broth and gelatin contain the amino acids that the liver wants and needs to do it’s many jobs. If our liver’s happy, our daily metabolic rate increases. If our liver is NOT happy, weight gain is more likely than weight loss.
Youthful Skin: Again, easy. It’s the collagen, along with the fatty acids and nutrients from bones/joints/hide/marrow etc, that supply the nutrients our skin needs to both regenerate and fight off assaults from the sun and (sugar)glycation. Do you remember what glycation is? It’s when our blood sugar stays high too long, and the sticky sugar molecules glycate, or attach themselves to protein molecules, basically destroying them. Our skin ( just like our endothelium) is LOADED with protein molecules. Age spots are glycated skin. Wrinkles are glycated skin. Saggy skin is glycated. ******Our skin is made from NUTRIENTS, not the man-made chemicals ingredients in most skin care products.*****
Joint Pain, this is interesting. I’m going to include links at the end to VERY NEW research(*) on connective tissue and rehab. For all my friends and readers with shoulder/knee/hip etc problems, PURSUE THE LINK(*). It’s so new that your Ortho or PT might not of even heard of this. Apparently, connective tissue isn’t the lost cause it’s been deemed all these years.
Tendons, ligaments, and the connective tissue that honeycombs throughout our muscle fibers, are made from ………..COLLAGEN. To quote Professor of Sports Medicine Michael Kjaer, Ph.D., who’s using techniques and technology only recently available: “we always thought connective tissue was inert,”… but “Connective tissue is alive and has the ability to renew itself!” There’s specific training protocols showing HUGE success with damaged tendons and ligaments, truly worth looking into. (*)
More relevant to this Post though, connective tissue is almost entirely collagen. Molecular Biologist Keith Baar, Ph.D, says that after testing hundreds of damaged ACLs ( pieces of them actually) by soaking them in different solutions to see what compounds influence formation of new collagen: “Gelatin is the big one.” Nough said.
HOW DO I USE GELATIN OR BONE BROTH EVERYDAY? Some people drink it straight up. I don’t. I treat it like water. I cook my meat, fish, chicken and vegetables in it, and I make soup. I even add it to my Low Carb Cheese Cake Recipe!
How to make Broth:
Fill your Crock Pot or Stock Pot with water
-1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar ( helps break down bone matrix – and we want all those bone building minerals!)
-chicken bones/fish bones/beef/lamb/venison bones
-OPTIONAL: chicken feet – wow, does this contain a lot of gelatin,
-Low and slow heat for 24 to 48 hours.
THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE I SWEAR. I add herbs and spices later, to the individual dishes I make, not to my stock. That way I can go in any direction I choose. People who drink it straight up tend to add (their favorite) veggies and herbs to the pot. EITHER WAY WORKS.
I save my bones throughout the week in a big ziplock, and keep them in the freezer until I’m ready to make the broth.
Don’t want to make broth? A couple of options.
1) Buy Gelatin. I use Great Lakes brand, because I think it’s the best. Check out their site, or go straight to Amazon. Mark and I put gelatin in our morning smoothies, and this is what I add to my Low Carb Cheesecake recipe (to follow).
2) Buy already made REAL bone broth. Broth is no one’s secret anymore. A Broth Cafe has opened in NYC; if you google “buy bone broth”, you’ll see several good options; and if you live in my neck of the woods ( Fauquier Co, Va), we have 2 stores carrying fresh made: IGA in Marshall, and The Whole Ox in The Plains. (You can also buy bones at either of these stores, or your local butcher shop.)
Now for the Recipes! Our dinner tonight: Chicken and Vegetables with BROTH
A 1 Pot Meal:
2 c broth
1 c slow roasted tomatoes
1 c shredded chicken
1/2 head of cauliflower
3 c collard greens
4 garlic cloves ( we LOVE garlic )
dried: oregano, sage salt, chives, salt & pepper
And Dessert: Low Carb Cheese Cake with Gelatin – to die for! This recipe actually makes 4 mini cheesecakes AND a regular size cheese cake.
Crust:
1 1/2 c almond flour
1/2 c coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup coconut oil or butter
1/2 c Swerve
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 egg
Blend and press into your spring foam pans. The crust will be on the thinner side. If you like a thick crust, just make 1 big cheese cake. Warning: this makes a LOT of crust.
Filling:
4 8-ounce packages Organic Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 -1 c Swerve
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs room temperature
1/2 c Great Lakes Gelatin
I always wrap my spring foam with aluminum foil ( if any drips out it’s a huge mess ). Bake your smaller cheesecakes for 35-45 minutes, and a large cheese cake for 55 -to an hour. When you insert a knife it should come out almost clean. REFRIGERATE FOR AT LEAST 12 HOURS, 24 IS EVEN BETTER.
If you’re struggling with your weight or your health, focus on changing your mindset from Food is about Calories to Food is Medicine or Food is Poison. The more you shun Poison Foods, and Adopt Medicine Foods, the leaner, healthier, and more energetic you’ll become, I promise.
Learn More:
*http://www.mensfitness.com/training/build-muscle/harness-power-your-muscle-matrix*
http://paleogrubs.com/chicken-soup-recipes
http://www.judytsafrirmd.com/gelatin-for-anxiety-sleep-and-appetite-suppression
http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Traditions-Challenges-Politically-Dictocrats/dp/0967089735 GREAT COOKBOOK!!