Bone Broth for healthy skin and mental fatigue? Yes, absolutely!

Bone broth offers multiple health benefits. In times past, before the panoply of cold medicines and OTC remedies available, the go-to solution for much of what ailed people was chicken soup. Various scientific studies have confirmed chicken soup’s effectiveness in healing colds due to the synergistic activity of its ingredients. But don’t forget the bones to make a nourishing and tasty broth.

Bone broth’s benefits are provided by the variety of minerals and compounds it contains that your body easily absorbs such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, silicon, sulfur and others. It also contains collagen.

Collagen is crucial for healthy and youthful looking skin. Collagen makes up about 70 percent of skin mass. However, year by year it decreases by approximately 1 percent and the quality of its matrix structure changes becoming more disorganized. Over time this has a substantial impact on the skin’s physical properties and volume. Our skin starts to sag which is a key sign of aging. Health experts cite bone broth as a way to increase collagen levels in the body which has the effect of improving the appearance of the skin, making it healthier and more youthful looking.

Mental fatigue and stress play a major role in accelerating our skin’s aging. Bone broth can help with this too. According to clinical research in published Medical Science Monitor, daily intake of chicken essence (broth) could be effective for recovery from mental fatigue. Research in Applied Human Science, Journal of Physiological Anthropology concluded that chicken broth can metabolize stress-related substances in blood and promote recovery from mental fatigue.

Bone broth is just a powerhouse of skin and health benefits. And the benefits are not limited to chicken broth; beef bone broth is very nourishing too. Beef bones (particularly the femurs) are a good choice because the femurs contain high amounts of marrow. (Research has indicated that beef bone marrow  provides the complete form of vitamin A, strengthens immunity, improves memory and sleep, aids digestion, and cancer research shows it has raised leukocyte levels following radiation treatment for leukemia.)

Other health benefits of bone broth are: the chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine reduce joint pain and inflammation; hydrophilic colloid (gelatin) promotes healthy digestion; high amounts of calcium and magnesium promote strong bones and teeth; glycine, proline and arginine have anti-inflammatory effects and, according to a clinical study published in Chest, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American College of Chest Physicians, chicken soup mitigated upper respiratory tract infections through its anti-inflammatory properties.

Any time of the year is great to enjoy bone broth's wonderful benefits for your skin and overall health.

Crockpot Beef Bone Broth Recipe
2 lbs of beef bones from a local butcher shop (grass fed beef is best), cut into 3-4 inch long pieces
1 onion
3 stalks celery
3 carrots
2-3 Tbs Apple Cider vinegar (helps to pull minerals from the bones)
1 Tbs sea salt
1 bunch parsley
Clove garlic (optional)
Filtered water

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Place beef bones in a roasting pan and roast for 30-40 minutes.

Place beef bones in large crockpot. Add enough filtered water to cover the bones up to 2 inches. Add vinegar. Soak bones in water and vinegar for 15 minutes. Chop the vegetables and add to crock pot. Add salt if desired. Turn crockpot on high for 6 hours. Strain broth with slotted spoon every 45 minutes for any impurities that float to the surface.

After 6 hours turn crockpot down to warm and allow to simmer for 48 hours, straining out impurities that may rise to surface. Add parsley, and garlic of desired, during the last 45 minutes of cooking. Strain to remove remaining pieces of vegetables and bones. Warm the broth and enjoy a cup!

Broth can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for 5 days or frozen to use at a later date.