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Bone broth is so fancy and trending these days, you’d think it was just created by food scientists this decade.
I know better though because I still remember the exact spot in my college apartment kitchen where I was standing when I called my mother, slow cooker and whole chicken on the counter:
“Mom? What did you always do to cook a whole chicken and make broth? That’s a thing, right?”
For me, it was just what my mom had always done to make chicken noodle soup, so I did it too. Then as a young wife, I realized it was a budget-friendly way to eat chicken and get broth for any soup, and with a $325/month food-and-supplies budget, that became my main motivation.
It turns out that I have a lot in common with our “frugal” ancestors when it comes to using ‘dem bones!’
A Quick History of Bone Broth
It all started because our ancestors, who spent days hunting for their food, wouldn’t dream of throwing away any part of their hard-earned catch. So, if they couldn’t wear it or eat it, they burned it.
They quickly learned that, when burned, the animal bones broke down into a form that was not only edible but gave them more energy and stamina for the longer hunting trips ahead. And so, bone broth was born. Over the last few centuries, it’s been used to make a variety of soups all across the world.
Today it’s touted by skinny celebrities and trendy health influencers as a great way to shed unwanted pounds – giving a lot of people the wrong impression that bone broth is a weight loss tonic and not a real food.
But once you see how one cup of bone broth has A LOT more nutrients than most things you’d order at a fast-food restaurant, you’ll see that it’s not only very real food but arguably a superfood.
Health Benefits of Bone Broth
If you are looking for something to fill you up without tons of calories, bone broth is a great option. But, that just scratches the surface of all the incredible things it can do for your health.
Bones themselves are rich in vitamins and minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Bone marrow contains iron, vitamins A and K, fatty acids, selenium, zinc, and manganese.
While there is no determining exactly how much of these nutrients you will get per serving since every bone broth is made differently, it can be argued that you are getting them in a form that your body can easily digest.
Nearly every health expert will tell you the same thing: The very best way to get the nutrients your body needs is in whole food form, created by nature, not in a lab.
So even though you won’t know you’re getting exactly a certain amount of vitamin A like you would with a supplement pill, you know your body will recognize the form of Vitamin A it’s getting and readily absorb it.
And while this variety of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from bone broth are a huge asset to its health benefits, most of its power lies in something else.
RELATED: Making bone broth is one of my tips for getting the most mileage out of your meat!
Bone Broth’s Superpower: Collagen!
Bone broth is rich in natural collagen, thanks to collagen that exists in the bones, tissues, and cartilage that’s released when broken down. And to some people, collagen is like a fountain of youth.
It is what provides structure and tone to your skin, meaning more collagen = fewer wrinkles and more toned, hydrated skin.1,2
Collagen may also help lower inflammation and reduce joint pain, according to several studies, which means less pain and more mobility as you age.3,4 My husband and I have been known to say, “Getting old is NO fun!” but less pain and more mobility IS more fun.
We want to keep climbing mountains and getting sore muscles enough to need a hot tub at our house well into our 60s and 70s. Who’s with us?
But wait…there’s more! 😉
Paleovalley Meat Sticks
It can be hard to find healthy snacks that you can take with you on the go. When I want the convenience of a jerky stick, but want a healthy, protein packed snack option, I grab Paleovalley meat sticks. Paleovalley ingredients have these high standards that you can feel good about:
100% Grass Fed Beef & 100% Pasture Raised Turkey
Never given antibiotics or hormones
Gluten free, soy free, dairy free
0 grams of sugar*
Contains no artificial nitrates or nitrites
Non-GMO
Naturally fermented and contain gut-friendly probiotics!
*With the exception of Teriyaki, which contains 2 grams of sugar from Organic Honey.
These beef sticks and turkey sticks taste delicious! My favorite is the Jalapeño but my kids love Summer Sausage.
Use this link to get 15% off your order at Paleovalley. Read my Paleovalley Review to learn more!
The amino acids in collagen are known for their role in rebuilding damaged gut lining, especially in those with leaky gut syndrome.
Collagen can also regenerate bone and may help build muscle and support heart health, making collagen a critical supplement for anti-aging.5,6,7
Collagen supplements and powders are highly touted in the health world (and the Kimball house). And for good reason! Collagen is the most abundant protein.
But the sad truth is, most collagen powders are HIGHLY processed. Unless otherwise specified, most collagen products are derived from the hides of the animal which require extreme processing.
When collagen is sourced from the animal’s hides or skin, we miss out on a lot of extra nutrients and benefits that come from the bones.
That’s why, if you want to harness the power of collagen, I can’t recommend bone broth enough. Plus, in addition to collagen, you get a lot of additional vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that make bone broth what I consider a superfood.
The least expensive way to consume more bone broth, of course, is to make it yourself. I’ve gone into great detail about how to make chicken stock perfectly every time, but today’s let’s talk about beef bone broth, where most collagen products come from.
Making Your Own Beef Bone Broth
In order to make your own bone broth, you first need to secure high-quality beef bones, then simmer the bones for about 48 hours to ensure you fully break them down.
RELATED: Speed the process up by making bone broth in the Instant Pot!
And believe it or not, the 2 day simmering is the easy part. Unfortunately, in America today, finding high-quality beef bones is a lot easier said than done.
A lot of the beef we eat today is raised in something called CAFOs, or concentrated animal feeding operations. These are the places where cows are basically on top of one another, pumped full of antibiotics and hormones, fed a diet almost exclusively of inflammatory grains, and barely get to exercise.
And because I firmly believe you are what you eat, these are NOT the bones you want to use when making your own bone broth.
I recommend finding bones that are grass-fed and finished on a rotationally grazed farm.
Rotational grazing means the cows are moved from pasture to pasture in order to encourage land regrowth and animal welfare. It’s a method of farming that’s good for the cows, the environment, and the people who eat the meat (or bones) that come from those farms.
But, like I said, finding these bones can be a lot of work, and then you still have to simmer them for 48 hours to make the broth (and if you want incredible flavor, roast them first for 1 hour at 350-400F, although that makes more mess for sure!).
If you have the time, great! But I’m having more and more trouble sourcing large batches of beef bones these days (and finding 2 minutes to rub together)…
Paleovalley Bone Broth Protein Powder Review
This is why I use Paleovalley Grass-Fed and Finished Bone Broth Protein Powder. It’s made with bones from 100% grass fed and finished cows rotationally raised. These cows are never fed grains, hormones, or antibiotics and eat gras their entire lives, the way nature intended.
But they’ve taken it one step further and exclusively sourced the bones for this bone broth from American farmers in order to support the small, family run farms right here in the USA. They exclusively use bones, no hides that require extreme processing.
In fact, Paleovalley Bone Broth Protein Powder is processed using these grass fed and finished bones, water, and nothing else. No harsh chemicals or harmful processing ingredients. It’s made just the way you would at home, if you had the time (and then dehydrated, one more step, obviously).
Plus, it’s so easy to add into your daily routine! You can also add it to your smoothies, coffee, or any recipe you want for an added collagen boost.
RELATED: 3 ways to get the power of bone broth into chocolate!
I like to simply add a scoop to hot water with a little bit of garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and Real Salt and drink it in the afternoon as a healthy snack between lunch and dinner. It feels great to know I’m getting WAY more nutrients than I would if I ate a bag of chips, and without all the added junk that comes with most snacks.
And in the interest of really saving time, when I’ve forgotten to thaw a jar of broth for a non-soup recipe like our family’s favorite lentil/rice Instant Pot dinner, OR when we’re traveling, in goes bone broth powder from Paleovalley!
For a sneaky source of vitamins, minerals, and collagen – you can see how Bone Broth Protein is very much not a fad, but a real (super)food.
TRY PALEOVALLEY’S BONE BROTH PROTEIN POWDER HERE!
Have you ever used a powdered bone broth when you didn’t have time to make it?
Footnotes:
Ganceviciene, R., Liakou, A. I., Theodoridis, A., Makrantonaki, E., & Zouboulis, C. C. (2012). Skin anti-aging strategies. Dermato-endocrinology, 4(3), 308–319. https://doi.org/10.4161/derm.22804
Proksch, E., Segger, D., Degwert, J., Schunck, M., Zague, V., & Oesser, S. (2014). Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Skin pharmacology and physiology, 27(1), 47–55.
Clark, K. L., Sebastianelli, W., Flechsenhar, K. R., Aukermann, D. F., Meza, F., Millard, R. L., Deitch, J. R., Sherbondy, P. S., & Albert, A. (2008). 24-Week study on the use of collagen hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in athletes with activity-related joint pain. Current medical research and opinion, 24(5), 1485–1496. https://doi.org/10.1185/030079908×291967
Bello, A. E., & Oesser, S. (2006). Collagen hydrolysate for the treatment of osteoarthritis and other joint disorders: a review of the literature. Current medical research and opinion, 22(11), 2221–2232. https://doi.org/10.1185/030079906X148373
Schauss, A. G., Stenehjem, J., Park, J., Endres, J. R., & Clewell, A. (2012). Effect of the novel low molecular weight hydrolyzed chicken sternal cartilage extract, BioCell Collagen, on improving osteoarthritis-related symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 60(16), 4096–4101. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf205295u
Zdzieblik, D., Oesser, S., Baumstark, M. W., Gollhofer, A., & König, D. (2015). Collagen peptide supplementation in combination with resistance training improves body composition and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men: a randomised controlled trial. The British journal of nutrition, 114(8), 1237–1245. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114515002810
Tomosugi, N., Yamamoto, S., Takeuchi, M., Yonekura, H., Ishigaki, Y., Numata, N., Katsuda, S., & Sakai, Y. (2017). Effect of Collagen Tripeptide on Atherosclerosis in Healthy Humans. Journal of atherosclerosis and thrombosis, 24(5), 530–538. https://doi.org/10.5551/jat.36293 Facebook Twitter Pinterestshares
