It might sound like something best enjoyed by a Medieval peasant in a wattle and daub hovel, but bone broth is once again having a moment.
The obsession with the stuff reached peak hipster last year when New York's Bare Bones Broth started serving the stuff up in mugs like coffee, but now its nutritional and health benefits are beginning to be felt far outside the Big Apple. And if losing a few pounds before Christmas is part of your plan, it could even help you accomplish that without too much hassle.
Made from the boiled down bones of various animals (stay with me here), bone broth actually a hell of a lot more palatable than it sounds.
It's packed with nutrients and the gelatin-rich juice also
boosts oestrogen elimination, hauling excess amounts out of the body for a more balanced biological profile (hormones that don't make you crazy). Plus it's tasty and warming; drink a mug of it and you're highly unlikely to reach for that mid-afternoon chocolate bar afterwards.
As if that wasn't enough, it can even boost collagen in the skin, helping to blitz wrinkles and it's rich in glycine and magnesium, which have both been shown to ease anxiety and calm the nerves.
The Bare Bones brand ('jiggly when cold, fragrant when hot') represents everything you should be looking for in your own broth; gluten, dairy, soy, salt, and preservative-free, with no MSG, added flavourings or colourings.
Slimmers are replacing one meal per day with a large bowl.
Here's a delicious recipe to get you started:
Turkey Bone Broth
Prep Time: 15 minutes • Cook Time: 6–8 hours
- 1 turkey carcass
- 6–8 chicken feet or 1 pig’s foot (optional)
- 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup apple cider vinegar, depending on the size of your pot
- Purified water to just cover the bones and meat in the pot
- 2–4 carrots, scrubbed and roughly chopped
- 3–4 ribs organic celery, including leafy part, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, cut into large chunks
- 1 tomato, cut into wedges (optional)
- 1–2 whole cloves
- 2 teaspoons peppercorns
Method:
Place all the bones and meat in a slow cooker or large stockpot. Add the vinegar and enough water to cover everything by one inch. Cover the pot and bring the water to a simmer over medium heat. Use a shallow spoon to carefully skim the film off the top of the broth.
Add the carrots, celery, onion, tomato (if using), cloves, and peppercorns and reduce the heat to low. You want the broth to barely simmer
. Skim occasionally during the first two hours. Cook for at least six hours or up to eight, adding water as needed to ensure the bones stay covered with water. (You’ll need to add water during the cooking process.)
When your broth is done, turn off the cooker or remove the pot from the heat. Using tongs or a large slotted spoon, remove all the bones and meat. Pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. Cool and refrigerate.
Recipe: Mind Body Green
