If you’re like me, there are times when you’ve struggled to figure out how to make the best possible bone broth. Bone broth is a crucial superfood to include in your healthy lifestyle, especially to build up your immune system and stay healthy during this pandemic. There are numerous benefits of bone broth which I go into below, but first I’d like to share the story of how I realized the potential of a do-it-yourself spice kit and share a homemade bone broth recipe that includes just the right amount of the best quality ingredients.
Better Bone Broth During the Pandemic
While I was social distancing during this Covid-19 pandemic I was forced to look for ways to source vegetables to make my bone broth. While it is beautiful and isolated here in the Gorge, shopping for vegetables in the volume required for bone broth production can be difficult, but add social distancing to it… almost impossible.
Rather than buying out our local grocery store and denying everyone else access to fresh vegetables, I began exploring other options for my broth production. This led me to two types of providers; fringe Zombie Apocalypse Preppers or Premium Quality Custom-Ordered Dehydrated Vegetables. Since my kitchen was not buried in an underground bunker the Apocalypse Preppers denied me, so custom dehydrated vegetables became the next best choice.
Little did I know how “fresh” dehydrated vegetables could be and how well they would work for bone broth. I was able to identify a company that has access to large quantities of high-quality fresh vegetables and that could dehydrate them shortly after they were harvested. This was the quality I was looking for and that I knew my customers would appreciate.
That’s when I had the epiphany. I could produce a do-it-yourself spice kit that would allow people the ability to make high quality bone broth at home with the same medicinal properties that I achieve when I make my home-made broth.
The Healthiest, Flavorful Ingredients
This spice kit makes the whole process of making bone broth much easier, healthier and flavorful. These vitally important ingredients are included: Shiitake Mushrooms, Black Garlic and Turmeric. This immune boosting trio also has the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that you get from my homemade bone broth. Not only that, they’re delicious.
As written on Healthline.com, the compounds in shiitake are said to “help fight cancer, boost immunity, and support heart health.” The authoritative health website also lists numerous benefits of Turmeric, suggesting that it “may be the most effective nutritional supplement in existence,” citing many high-quality studies. Lastly, there is a growing body of evidence in the past few decades demonstrating therapeutic effects of black garlic, “including anticancer, anti-obesity, immunomodulatory, hypolipidemic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective effects.”
The spice kit also contains the veggies typically added to bone broth: carrots, celery, and onions. These air dried veggies have all the nutritional value intact. Of all the food processing techniques available, dehydrated foods are known for maintaining more of their nutrition compared to frozen or canned counterparts.
Bone Broth is Nutritious and Restorative
You’ll be pleased to know that making homemade bone broth unleashes all the nutrition from the marrow in the bones and veggies. It gives your body a rich and digestible form of vitamin A, vitamin K2, along with minerals such as zinc, iron, boron, manganese and selenium, as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The varieties of protein in the form of collagen and amino acids also have restorative effects.
Gelatin for protecting joints
According to a 2017 review in the journal Sports Medicine, laboratory and animal studies show how gelatin consumption can increase the amount of collagen in bodily tissues, thus helping protect joints. Drinking bone broth is proving to be a fantastic way to help protect these joints thanks to the rich gelatin it contains.
Glutamine for gut health
A 2017 study in the journal Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care suggests that consuming glutamine was able to assist in the healing of the intestinal barrier in both human and animal models. For anyone experiencing the digestive distress associated with leaky gut and IBS, the evidence for glutamine is strong. Bone broth delivers it effectively.
Glycine for deeper sleep
Another one of the amino acids in bone broth is glycine which research suggests can promote better sleep for some people. According to a 2015 study in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, glycine is a safe option to improve sleep.
How to Make Bone Broth
The DIY ingredients for bone broth simply require bones with connective tissue and time to slow cook, ideally in an Instant Pot for over 24 hours. If you’re wondering how to make bone broth in your Instant Pot, I have a video you can watch here. The slow cooking process breaks down the bones and tissue to create a gelatin layer with a considerable amount of amino acids and collagen — far more than typical store bought broth.
The beauty of the spice kit is that dehydrated veggies and spices have a very long shelf life. So if you have bones available and the spice kit in your pantry, you can make bone broth or stock any time you want. Plus each kit will make up to 4 quarts of broth. With your spare time at home, now is a great time to make your own bone broth using some of the healthiest and delicious ingredients you need to get the best flavor every time.
Bon Appetit
