Bountiful Broth

Hale and hearty, with a history dating back centuries, home-made bone broth is simple to make, tasty and super-health charged. It may be used as a base for soups, casseroles or as is for a winter warming drink, and works wonders for stopping a cold in its tracks!

Bone broth allows minerals and proteins to be drawn out of bones into a stock that forms the basis of soup. It’s rich in collagen – the jelly-like consistency in bone broth. Collagen is made up of glycine, an amino acid that has oh so many health giving benefits and forms the backbone of our connective tissue. So it’s anti-aging! Glycine supplementation before bed has shown to improve sleep quality.

Also present are zinc, magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus. The content of bones supports hormone production, cell structure repair, neurotransmitter production – serotonin and dopamine (feel good and calming hormones), also fat soluble vitamins A, D, K2 whilst supporting anti-inflammatory pathways it is fantastic for improving gut health.

You will need: 1kg or more of bones, any kind, preferably organic; 1 onion, whole; 2 carrots; 2 celery stalks; 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar; Optional 1 bunch fresh parsley, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp freshly ground pepper.

Place bones, preferably organic beef/lamb/chicken, even a whole cleaned fish into a crock pot. Add all other ingredients and fill with enough good water to cover everything. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer.

Cook for at least eight hours, ideally 24 hours. During the cooking time you may need to skim off any froth that forms and discard, you may need to add more water. In the last half hour add 2 cloves of chopped garlic if you wish. You may add lemon, turmeric and adjust seasoning.

Strain the broth or eat as is with all the health-giving beneficial ingredients.

n Jan van der Lee is a Clinical Nutritionist based at Waipu Natural Health, 3 Cove Road, Waipu, (09) 432 1325, waipunaturalhealth.co.nz