“Are you making bone broth again?”, my children used to ask, because a pan full of bones does not look very appetising. But after the first bowl of soup, they would always ask: “Is there more?”. Because bone broth is delicious.
Broth is not made from meat or chicken, but from bones. Broth is prepared in every culture. As a child, I had broth every day before the hot meal and chicken soup when you were ill. When we were students, we used to travel at night with lorries to Paris and arrive at ‘Les Halles’, the large food market in Paris, at 5 in the morning, where the bouillabaisse was already ready. Everyone who worked at the market and the drivers had a bowl. And of course we did too: the best soup you could get! Made from fresh fish heads, bones and vegetables; Les Halles was famous for it.
Glucosamine
Broth has been used as a medicine for centuries. Animal carcasses contain not only minerals, but also chondroitin, gelatine and glucosamine. Good for our joints, but more importantly, good for the intestinal wall. Glucosamine is an essential sugar that helps form a healthy mucus layer. Do not take a capsule containing 500 mg. No, what you need is a pan full of glucosamine and gelatine. These substances have anti-inflammatory properties.
Variety
You can make soup from lamb shank, oxtail, chicken carcasses and game such as duck or pheasant. Using animal bones is economical; you do not have to eat meat, but you really do need those bones. It does not cost much and broth can be on everyone’s menu. The bones need to simmer for 7 to 8 hours. At the weekend, you can make a large pan and freeze portions in cups. One day you can add some seaweed and shiitake to the broth, the next day turmeric and coconut oil, or ginger and garlic. By adding different vegetables and herbs, you create variety.
Weight loss
Homemade broth fills the stomach and helps with weight loss. A healthy stomach has a capacity of less than one litre, but when you often eat too much, the stomach’s capacity increases and can even reach two litres. If you want to lose weight, replace bread and grains with broth; this allows the stomach to shrink back to a normal size. You also fill the stomach by having two bowls of broth, which releases satiety hormones so that you feel satisfied. Starting the meal with broth makes you feel full more quickly. Broth and a salad provide as much satiety as a whole meal, while after eating a plate of pasta the abdomen often becomes bloated and gives a feeling of being too full. With broth you do become hungry again more quickly, but that is not a problem; you can have another bowl of broth between meals.
Do you often crave something tasty? The taste receptors on the tongue make us seek sweet, fatty and high-calorie foods. One solution is to drink broth, which reduces that sensation. Broth makes you feel good and can help you wean yourself off high-calorie foods. Studies indicate that using broth makes you less tired. In cases of flatulence, Candida overgrowth, parasite infection or intestinal inflammation, homemade soup has a healing effect. Always make the soup yourself and make sure you use only bones from animals that lived healthy lives, were given organic feed and did not come into contact with chemicals. Or buy broth from a health-food shop or an
organic butcher, but be careful because ready-made broth may contain too much salt or herbs to which you are allergic.
