B+S
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FOOD & NUTRITION
WHAT ’S TREND ING
BONE BROTH
Remember when Grandma would tell you to suck the bones after dinner? It turns out she was on to something. By Jenny Ringland
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n New York it arrives steaming hot in a coffee cup from a holein-the-wall cafe, there are South American proverbs that say it can revive the dead and Chinese medicine practitioners believe it has super strengthening powers. Bone broth, which is made by simmering animal bones – usually chicken, lamb or beef – for 24-48 hours, is having a serious wellness moment. Different cultures have been serving up the nutrient-rich hot liquid in varying forms for centuries. It reads like the magic elixir we’ve all been waiting for, with claims of myriad health benefits including: healing IBS and gut issues, maintaining cholesterol, detoxifying the body, boosting the immune system and acting as an antiinflammatory, plus providing a dose of goodies such as collagen, amino acids, magnesium, potassium and calcium. Nutritionists, naturopaths, health coaches and even beauty gurus are recommending bone broth as a wonder booster for good health.
WHAT THE FANS SAY
“Bone broth is rich in protein and minerals that support immunity and also the adrenal glands,” Nutrition Positive nutritionist Michelle Brown says. “It contains glucosamine,
which may provide joint support, and provides collagen, which supports connective tissue – so hair, skin and nails, bones and teeth.” Brown became an advocate for bone broth five years ago, after she discovered she was gluten intolerant. She found that bone broth assisted in the healing of her intestinal lining and improved her digestion and allergies in the process. “We recommend it to clients who require additional nutrition, or who suffer from immune, adrenal fatigue and gastrointestinal conditions,” she says. Chiropractor and kinesiologist Kate Wood is also a fan, but she acknowledges that daily consumption of bone broth does pose some logistical challenges. “For the average family, you’d have to be boiling it all day every day to keep up, but it’s meant to be consumed every day, whether it’s in a stock or soup or frozen in ice-cube trays that you can add to your vegetables or your sauces when you’re cooking meat.” Wood’s newly opened Health Space Whole Foods in Potts Point is one of the first stores in Australia to serve up steaming hot bone broth in a coffee cup, New York-style. “We have a big cauldron of it to serve up to be consumed at the time,” she says.
BROTH VS STOCK “Broth is cooked for a lot longer than stock – at least 24 hours – so you get all the minerals leaching out of the bones,’’ Wood says, adding that broth has a much higher content of nutrient-rich gelatine and minerals, which this process releases.
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