The Benefits of Bone Soup

In this age of veganism, the idea of eating animal meat is verboten. However, this is also an age of rising health problems, weakened immune systems and poor vitality. With this understanding, it is important to keep an open mind for unique health boosting methods.

As an integrative holistic practitioner, it is not unusual for me to meet clients who are quite brilliant in many diverse healing modalities; and as a result, they educate me to some esoteric health building technique. And recently, the concept of bone soup keeps coming up in conversation as an amazing restorative for the chronically ill and weakened patient.  

And being that I am quite talented in the kitchen, I decided to experiment with some homemade bone soup recipes; and I have come to a few conclusions.

1.    It tastes amazing.
2.    It’s easy to make.
3.    My family loves it.   
4.    My dog loves it.

The history of bone soup goes back hundreds of years. A more modern version would be grandma’s chicken soup that theoretically cures everything from fatigue to the common cold.

So why is this broth so good for us? Well, we can say that chicken soup is made with love and garlic and herbs.  One can’t go wrong with that. But bone soup goes much deeper. You are actually leaching out the bone marrow and creating a high protein mineral rich food.

  
                                      How to Make a Nourishing Bone Broth

 

Bone marrow soup stock is not only a great winter food, but is one of the best traditional foods for recuperation and rejuvenation. If you are in any stage of healing, drink two cups of bone marrow broth a day. It is very beneficial for recovery from illness, surgery, and fatigue. But even more importantly, it seems to have magical powers with people who have joint and bone problems.

   
When you add an acidic ingredient to your stock, it helps to leech the minerals from the bones, which is why most bone marrow soup recipes include wine, vinegar or lemon juice.
   
The following recipe is the way I have made it, but there are many variations that can easily be found online.

Here's what you need:

• ·         A pot full of any kind of bones will do (beef, chicken, lamb, turkey) – You can use one kind of bone but I have found the soup so much more flavorful when mixing bone types
• ·         1 giant bulb of peeled garlic
• ·         ½ cup of cut dulse (seaweed)
• ·         Himalayan salt to taste (about 1 to 2 tsp)
• ·         2 TBSP apple cider vinegar (to pull out the minerals from the bones)
• ·         Water to cover everything in the pot (you may have to add more water as it evaporates during cooking)

Bring to a boil and let simmer for at least 8 to 12 hours, but no more than 24 hours. Make sure all the meat has either fallen off the bones or just starting to fall off the bone before you turn off the heat.

Let cool. Skim off the fat that rises to the top of the cooled broth. You can strain the remaining broth to remove any residual bones or gristle; just keep the broth.  Refrigerate or freeze in small containers and use as needed.

(I find that most of the bones are paper soft, so my dog eats them as a special treat. I find that she also loves eating the cold gelatinized soup. Probably thinks its meat flavored ice cream (lol)).

Variations to this soup would include adding some vegetables like potatoes, onions, carrots, parsley, herbs, spices, etc.

And here’s what’s in Bone Soup:

Calcium
Phosphorus
Magnesium
Potassium
Sulfate
Collagen
Chondroitin sulfate
Hyaluronic acid
Glycine

The amounts and types of substances in your Bone Soup will depend partly on the types of bones you use. Try to use organic, and try to use mixed bones. Bone marrow and cartilage provide the most beneficial ingredients.

Just 1 pint of soup can give you as much as 1,000 milligrams of calcium.  Wow!

Everybody knows that soup is the cure for when you are down. It is warm, easy to digest, and it can be filled with lots of immune boosting herbs and spices. It is definitely way healthier than the chemicalized canned stuff you buy in the supermarket. Making soup with bone marrow stock is more than a mood cure; it enhances your immune system and provides you with easy to assimilate minerals. The marrow inside the bones contains nutrients that feed your bone marrow. When your bone marrow is nourished, you create more robust immune cells that can better fight off infections and rebuild health.

Even though it is summer, and the thought of cooking for hours is daunting, I have found this broth worth the effort, even in this heat. It is quite invigorating. Try it and let us know how your version works out.

Bon Appétit!

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