30 Day Paleo: Day Twenty Four – Boil Up Bone Broth Nutrition

Looking to make healthier choices? Perfect! This is Day 24 of 30 of my 30 Day Paleo Plan. For more information on 30 Day Paleo as well as 30 Minute Paleo, check out the get started page. Post each day on your 30 Day Paleo journey to Twitter or Instagram and show me by tagging me with @dranthonygustin — get after it! 

Bone broth is an amazing source of nutrients. Bones you would normal just toss out are a great source of minerals. The long process of the bones breaking up extracts all of the minerals into the water and turns it into tasty broth that can be used for stock, sauces or just to sip on by itself.

Collagen and gelatin are also major components of bone broth nutrition. If you’ve made broth before, you’ve probably noticed that after you refrigerate the liquid gold, it turns into a jelly like substance. This is good news! Your body can use all of the collagen and gelatin to help build new healthy tissues that are resistant to degeneration.

Bone broth nutrition also contains two important amino acids – glycine and proline – that are typically found in low levels or entirely absent in muscle meat. Glucosamine and chondroitin are also components in bone broth. These are popular supplements because they promote healthy joints and ease arthritic pain. They are traditionally one of the most expensive supplements you can find, so being able to get them from left over animal parts is a win-win.

So, how do you make bone broth? Well first, start with some bones. Keep a large bag in your freezer that houses all of your bones when you’re done with them. Make sure all of your animals are sourced appropriately if possible. When the freezer bag is full, combine some onion, garlic, carrot, and celery with some water and cook!

Use more than just the bones if you want a complete “bone” broth. All of the soft tissues that are not skin or muscle will contribute nutrients to the broth. For example, add chicken feet to chicken broth and add beef/pork knuckles to beef broth. Using every part of the animal is not only healthy, but a much more responsible way to approach animal consumption.

With what and for how long, you ask? We will highlight three different techniques for you to get as much out of the bones as possible.

Pressure Cooker

This is by far the quickest way to get this done. Throw all of the ingredients into a pressure cooker (electric or standard) for about 2-3 hours. Be careful with the pressure cooker and make sure to read your manufacturer labels and instructions for proper usage. The built up steam can be quite dangerous if you’re not careful.

Slow cooker

Definitely the most convenient method to get the broth you’re looking for. Put all of the ingredients in a crockpot or slow cooker, set on low and let it run for about 24-48 hours. Yet another amazing use for the multi-talented slow cooker.

Stove Top

Get a giant stock pot and fill with all of the ingredients and let simmer (NOT boil) for up to 48 hours for chicken bones and up to 72 hours for beef bones. Keep an eye on the broth and add water if needed as it boils down. This method will be much harder to keep an eye on than the previous two and is the highest maintenance by far.

Store in glass mason jars and freeze for up to six months. Take out and place in the fridge 1-2 days before you know you’ll need it.

TIP – Use a splash or two of apple cider vinegar in your bone broth to aid in breaking down the bones and extracting as many nutrients as possible.

How do you use this versatile bone broth after you’ve made it? Great question. Use it for soup and stew bases. Add it to sauces. Warm up a mug at a time and sip on it by itself. Any time you are looking to add some savory flavor and a lot of nutrition is a great time to add bone broth.

Make bone broth with leftover bones, knuckles, feet etc. and some leftover veggie ends.