The original Super Foods: Sauerkraut and Bone Broth
Tired of food fads? Consider two foods that have withstood the tests of time, foods eaten for thousands of years the world over: Bone Broth and Cultured Vegetables (sauerkraut being the best known), both delicious, both full of healing properties, both examples of food as medicine at its best.
The enticing smell of broth made from the bones of animals emanating from kitchens and hearths was likely a common experience for our ancestors. Weston A. Price, known as the father of nutritional science, traveled the world in the early 20th century compiling detailed records of diets that kept ancient humans healthy. He found Broth made from the bones of fish and animals in every culture he visited. Cultured Vegetables have also been used throughout human history. Culturing (also known as fermenting) is a way to preserve, bring out the flavor and augment the healing properties in vegetables.
Lost Arts? Although we still love the sour flavors of pickles and the rich flavors of soups, with the industrialization of food preparation in the last century, we have lost the memory of how to prepare these two precious food groups. In most commercial preparations of sauerkraut, pickles, ketchup, olives, capers (the list goes on) sterilization deactivates the precious probiotic properties. Similarly, commercial soups, made with vegetable extractions and artificial meat flavors, forfeit the nutritious qualities of traditional preparation. Perhaps you will be tempted to join the movement to reclaim the lost arts of preparing these foods.
Dr Joseph Mercola: "Bone broth used to be a dietary staple, as were fermented foods, and the elimination of these foods from our modern diet is largely to blame for our increasingly poor health, and the need for dietary supplements. Both broth and fermented foods, such as fermented veggies are simple and inexpensive to make at home, and both also allow you to make use of a wide variety of leftovers. When you add all the benefits together, it's hard to imagine a food that will give you more bang for your buck."
How to make Bone Broth
Make a habit of saving bones and meat scraps. A fine broth can be made from a handful of bones. Place your bones and meat scraps in a pot, cover with water, add sea salt and a splash of an acid, either vinegar, wine or lemon juice to draw the minerals from the bones. Bring slowly to a boil and continue to cook on the lowest heat. Cooking time varies depending on the diameter of the bones. Shrimp shells make a delicious broth in an hour. Chicken bones cook overnight and beef bones simmer for 24 hours. The best broths include bone, cartilage, and some meat. Be careful to not boil your pot dry!! A crock pot is helpful for a slow steady boil."
How to use Broth:
·Drink as a warm beverage, maybe with the addition of lemon, ginger, cayenne or another favorite flavoring.
·Use for the base for a tasty soup.
·Use as a cooking liquid for vegetables or grains
·Use as a base for gravy
For more recipes see Sally Fallon
Strong Bones: it is well known that when we are young our bodies build bones, but did you know that at any age our bones continue to “remodel”. Bone cells are alive. The process of breaking down and reforming keeps our bones healthy and supple. Osteoporosis occurs if bone is broken down and not replaced. Bone broth provides many of the nutrients needed for this rebuilding process.
Health Benefits of Bone Broth South American proverb: “Good broth will resurrect the dead” Perhaps your own grandmothers gave you chicken soup for a cold or flues. The slow cooking process improves availability of the following nutrients:
Minerals, while not easy to digest, are essential to life and key for health, including bone health. Homemade bone broth is rich with minerals in a form easily absorbed, including not only calcium, but magnesium, phosphorus and many important trace minerals.
Proteins and amino acids dissolved in broth are easy to digest and absorb. Broth can be thought of as a protein supplement.
Gelatin is what makes broth thicken like jello when cool. Gelatin comes from collagen, the glue like framework for bone, cartilage and skin. Studies show collagen is helpful for joint pain, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis [1][2]. Shark cartilage is sold as a supplement for joint and GI disease. The gelatin also heals the gut and supports digestion. Make your own collagen at home in the time honored way with bone broth.
Glucoasamine and Chondroitin Sulfate are sold as expensive supplements for joint pain and arthritis[3]. These too are found in our ancient remedy: bone broth.
Sally Fallon Author of Nourishing Traditions, sites research indicating that bone broth is “useful in the treatment of a long list of diseases including peptic ulcers, tuberculosis, diabetes, muscle diseases, infectious diseases, jaundice and cancer. Babies had fewer digestive problems when gelatin was added to their milk.” Allison Seibecker ND[4] offers an exhaustive list of health benefits in her excellent article on bone broth.
Broths and Probiotics Support both Mind and Body Natasha Campbell-Mcbride, a British MD who works with autism and other neurological disorders, sees repairing the gut as of primary importance for mental health. Probiotic food and bone broth are prominent in her gut healing protocol. In her practice she also observes a health benefit for: ”Arthritis Asthma and allergies, Skin Problems, Kidney Problems, Digestive Issues, and Autoimmune disorders”. “Once you heal and seal your gut lining, and once you make your digestive system healthy and working properly again, you'll be surprised how many various symptoms in your body originated from your digestive system. Most [symptoms] start disappearing, because the health and the disease are usually born inside your digestive system.” Elizabeth Lipsky CCN, CNS, CHN, author of Digestive Wellness and leading nutritionist in the US, extols digestive health as crucial for mental and physical health. Her Youtube on traditional foods advocates bone broth and Cultured Vegetables as key players in gut repair.
Cancer and Bone Broth? “Cartilage has a poor blood supply. It actually produces chemicals known as antiangiogenesis factors (AAFs) that inhibit the growth of blood vessels into it. This seemingly unfortunate quality can actually be used to advantage in the fight against cancer. Cancer cells grow very rapidly. They achieve rapid proliferation by stimulating the growth of new blood vessels to support themselves. AAFs are now being used as a treatment to inhibit the growth of blood vessels into cancer cells. As a medicine, AAFs are given in the form of cartilage.” Allison Seibecker ND From the Townesend letter for Doctors and Patients Feb/March 2005
Bone Broth: ancient, yes, but dated no! The rich favor of broth remains a favorite for discerning chefs today as a base for soups, sauces and gravies. It's time we bring the delicious and comforting aromas of homemade soup back into our kitchens and homes.
Sauerkraut and other Cultured Vegetables
It is likely that many of your favorite foods are cultured (AKA fermented). The best known in the US is sauerkraut. “Every traditional culture fermented their foods. They fermented everything: dairy, grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, meats, and fish.” [5] The process is simple, but the benefits vast. During the fermentation process, as microorganisms grow, they produce alcohol, lactic acid and acetic acid (each offer preserving effects), they break foods down to be easily digested and they create nutrients that weren’t in the original food: B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. The microorganisms are in themselves beneficial bacteria called probiotics. With every mouthful of fermented food, you consume trillions of probiotic microorganisms.
Probiotics Pro (for) biotic (life) microorganisms have a wide range of beneficial effects. Did you know that the number of bacteria in our body outnumber our own cells by about 10 to 1? Most of these live in the GI tract. Some of these bacteria are beneficial and some are harmful. Consuming probiotics helps gives the beneficial bacterial a boost so they can limit the growth of the pathogens. Probiotics are not a new idea. Historically, humans ate probiotic foods regularly. What is new is that we can take them in pill form. Currently they are the subject of extensive international research for their beneficial effects.
Probiotics support Digestion and the Immune System:
The walls of the gut are the place where our immune system faces the greatest challenges. This is reflected in that 80% of our immune system resides in the gut. A healthy gut flora i.e a predominance of beneficial microbes not only supports the digestive process in the villi (cells in the gut walls) but also frees up your overall immune system for other important challenges.
Sauerkraut is one cultured vegetable particularly suited for healing the gut, not just because the cabbage is broken down to a form more easily digested and that it contains many beneficial probiotics, but also, because it contains glutamine, a component of and fuel for the gut lining and hence beneficial to it’s repair.
Making cultured vegetables Simply put, you chop vegetables, add salt, cover with liquid and wait a few days. Take a look at the recipe of the master of cultured vegetables in the US, Sandor Katz, or, better yet, take a look at a video of the master making it look easy. Once you become familiar with the process, you can stick with some favorites, or be inspired by the foods on hand and play around with variations.
You can also see my favorite recipes on this web site.
References:
Nourishing Traditions Sally Fallon
Digestive Wellness Elizabeth Lipsky CCN, CNS, CHN
Personal Paleo Code Bone Broth Guide by Chris Kresser
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/16/bone-broth-benefits.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/12/dr-campbell-mcbride-on-gaps.aspx
https://draxe.com/the-healing-power-of-bone-broth-for-digestion-arthritis-and-cellulite/
[1]http://www.healingwithnutrition.com/adisease/arthritis/harvardstudy.html#A1
[2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17076983
[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22622608
[4] http://www.townsendletter.com/FebMarch2005/broth0205.htm
[5] http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/12/dr-campbell-mcbride-on-gaps.aspx
Tired of food fads? Consider two foods that have withstood the tests of time, foods eaten for thousands of years the world over: Bone Broth and Cultured Vegetables (sauerkraut being the best known), both delicious, both full of healing properties, both examples of food as medicine at its best.
The enticing smell of broth made from the bones of animals emanating from kitchens and hearths was likely a common experience for our ancestors. Weston A. Price, known as the father of nutritional science, traveled the world in the early 20th century compiling detailed records of diets that kept ancient humans healthy. He found Broth made from the bones of fish and animals in every culture he visited. Cultured Vegetables have also been used throughout human history. Culturing (also known as fermenting) is a way to preserve, bring out the flavor and augment the healing properties in vegetables.
Lost Arts? Although we still love the sour flavors of pickles and the rich flavors of soups, with the industrialization of food preparation in the last century, we have lost the memory of how to prepare these two precious food groups. In most commercial preparations of sauerkraut, pickles, ketchup, olives, capers (the list goes on) sterilization deactivates the precious probiotic properties. Similarly, commercial soups, made with vegetable extractions and artificial meat flavors, forfeit the nutritious qualities of traditional preparation. Perhaps you will be tempted to join the movement to reclaim the lost arts of preparing these foods.
Dr Joseph Mercola: "Bone broth used to be a dietary staple, as were fermented foods, and the elimination of these foods from our modern diet is largely to blame for our increasingly poor health, and the need for dietary supplements. Both broth and fermented foods, such as fermented veggies are simple and inexpensive to make at home, and both also allow you to make use of a wide variety of leftovers. When you add all the benefits together, it's hard to imagine a food that will give you more bang for your buck."
How to make Bone Broth
Make a habit of saving bones and meat scraps. A fine broth can be made from a handful of bones. Place your bones and meat scraps in a pot, cover with water, add sea salt and a splash of an acid, either vinegar, wine or lemon juice to draw the minerals from the bones. Bring slowly to a boil and continue to cook on the lowest heat. Cooking time varies depending on the diameter of the bones. Shrimp shells make a delicious broth in an hour. Chicken bones cook overnight and beef bones simmer for 24 hours. The best broths include bone, cartilage, and some meat. Be careful to not boil your pot dry!! A crock pot is helpful for a slow steady boil."
How to use Broth:
·Drink as a warm beverage, maybe with the addition of lemon, ginger, cayenne or another favorite flavoring.
·Use for the base for a tasty soup.
·Use as a cooking liquid for vegetables or grains
·Use as a base for gravy
For more recipes see Sally Fallon
Strong Bones: it is well known that when we are young our bodies build bones, but did you know that at any age our bones continue to “remodel”. Bone cells are alive. The process of breaking down and reforming keeps our bones healthy and supple. Osteoporosis occurs if bone is broken down and not replaced. Bone broth provides many of the nutrients needed for this rebuilding process.
Health Benefits of Bone Broth South American proverb: “Good broth will resurrect the dead” Perhaps your own grandmothers gave you chicken soup for a cold or flues. The slow cooking process improves availability of the following nutrients:
Minerals, while not easy to digest, are essential to life and key for health, including bone health. Homemade bone broth is rich with minerals in a form easily absorbed, including not only calcium, but magnesium, phosphorus and many important trace minerals.
Proteins and amino acids dissolved in broth are easy to digest and absorb. Broth can be thought of as a protein supplement.
Gelatin is what makes broth thicken like jello when cool. Gelatin comes from collagen, the glue like framework for bone, cartilage and skin. Studies show collagen is helpful for joint pain, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis [1][2]. Shark cartilage is sold as a supplement for joint and GI disease. The gelatin also heals the gut and supports digestion. Make your own collagen at home in the time honored way with bone broth.
Glucoasamine and Chondroitin Sulfate are sold as expensive supplements for joint pain and arthritis[3]. These too are found in our ancient remedy: bone broth.
Sally Fallon Author of Nourishing Traditions, sites research indicating that bone broth is “useful in the treatment of a long list of diseases including peptic ulcers, tuberculosis, diabetes, muscle diseases, infectious diseases, jaundice and cancer. Babies had fewer digestive problems when gelatin was added to their milk.” Allison Seibecker ND[4] offers an exhaustive list of health benefits in her excellent article on bone broth.
Broths and Probiotics Support both Mind and Body Natasha Campbell-Mcbride, a British MD who works with autism and other neurological disorders, sees repairing the gut as of primary importance for mental health. Probiotic food and bone broth are prominent in her gut healing protocol. In her practice she also observes a health benefit for: ”Arthritis Asthma and allergies, Skin Problems, Kidney Problems, Digestive Issues, and Autoimmune disorders”. “Once you heal and seal your gut lining, and once you make your digestive system healthy and working properly again, you'll be surprised how many various symptoms in your body originated from your digestive system. Most [symptoms] start disappearing, because the health and the disease are usually born inside your digestive system.” Elizabeth Lipsky CCN, CNS, CHN, author of Digestive Wellness and leading nutritionist in the US, extols digestive health as crucial for mental and physical health. Her Youtube on traditional foods advocates bone broth and Cultured Vegetables as key players in gut repair.
Cancer and Bone Broth? “Cartilage has a poor blood supply. It actually produces chemicals known as antiangiogenesis factors (AAFs) that inhibit the growth of blood vessels into it. This seemingly unfortunate quality can actually be used to advantage in the fight against cancer. Cancer cells grow very rapidly. They achieve rapid proliferation by stimulating the growth of new blood vessels to support themselves. AAFs are now being used as a treatment to inhibit the growth of blood vessels into cancer cells. As a medicine, AAFs are given in the form of cartilage.” Allison Seibecker ND From the Townesend letter for Doctors and Patients Feb/March 2005
Bone Broth: ancient, yes, but dated no! The rich favor of broth remains a favorite for discerning chefs today as a base for soups, sauces and gravies. It's time we bring the delicious and comforting aromas of homemade soup back into our kitchens and homes.
Sauerkraut and other Cultured Vegetables
It is likely that many of your favorite foods are cultured (AKA fermented). The best known in the US is sauerkraut. “Every traditional culture fermented their foods. They fermented everything: dairy, grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, meats, and fish.” [5] The process is simple, but the benefits vast. During the fermentation process, as microorganisms grow, they produce alcohol, lactic acid and acetic acid (each offer preserving effects), they break foods down to be easily digested and they create nutrients that weren’t in the original food: B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. The microorganisms are in themselves beneficial bacteria called probiotics. With every mouthful of fermented food, you consume trillions of probiotic microorganisms.
Probiotics Pro (for) biotic (life) microorganisms have a wide range of beneficial effects. Did you know that the number of bacteria in our body outnumber our own cells by about 10 to 1? Most of these live in the GI tract. Some of these bacteria are beneficial and some are harmful. Consuming probiotics helps gives the beneficial bacterial a boost so they can limit the growth of the pathogens. Probiotics are not a new idea. Historically, humans ate probiotic foods regularly. What is new is that we can take them in pill form. Currently they are the subject of extensive international research for their beneficial effects.
Probiotics support Digestion and the Immune System:
The walls of the gut are the place where our immune system faces the greatest challenges. This is reflected in that 80% of our immune system resides in the gut. A healthy gut flora i.e a predominance of beneficial microbes not only supports the digestive process in the villi (cells in the gut walls) but also frees up your overall immune system for other important challenges.
Sauerkraut is one cultured vegetable particularly suited for healing the gut, not just because the cabbage is broken down to a form more easily digested and that it contains many beneficial probiotics, but also, because it contains glutamine, a component of and fuel for the gut lining and hence beneficial to it’s repair.
Making cultured vegetables Simply put, you chop vegetables, add salt, cover with liquid and wait a few days. Take a look at the recipe of the master of cultured vegetables in the US, Sandor Katz, or, better yet, take a look at a video of the master making it look easy. Once you become familiar with the process, you can stick with some favorites, or be inspired by the foods on hand and play around with variations.
You can also see my favorite recipes on this web site.
References:
Nourishing Traditions Sally Fallon
Digestive Wellness Elizabeth Lipsky CCN, CNS, CHN
Personal Paleo Code Bone Broth Guide by Chris Kresser
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/16/bone-broth-benefits.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/12/dr-campbell-mcbride-on-gaps.aspx
https://draxe.com/the-healing-power-of-bone-broth-for-digestion-arthritis-and-cellulite/
[1]http://www.healingwithnutrition.com/adisease/arthritis/harvardstudy.html#A1
[2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17076983
[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22622608
[4] http://www.townsendletter.com/FebMarch2005/broth0205.htm
[5] http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/12/dr-campbell-mcbride-on-gaps.aspx