Louise Murray (Live Well with Lou)
Bone broth is packed full of nutrients and a whole host of vitamins and minerals to help support your immune system.
The main way it supports your immune system is with anti-inflammatory compounds that boost your immunity. Collagen and gelatin are vital proteins found in bone broth which are required to support your gut health – vital as most of your immune system is located in your gut. Plus, the amino acids in bone broth are great to support and boost energy levels.
Homemade will have much more collagen, gelatin and amino acids and essential minerals. I like to supercharge my bone broth with garlic for its powerful anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, chilli, turmeric, cinnamon and fresh ginger to also help support your immune system with their anti-inflammatory benefits.
It’s easy to sneak it into your family diet in casseroles, pastas and quinoa dishes, soups or stir-fries.
This little wonderous jar of pure goodness has the power not only to boost your immune system but will help to give you radiant skin, improve brain function, better sleep and mood, fight ‘brain fog’, and boost gut health.
Cook up a big batch, then pour into mini ‘one cup’ size mason jars and freeze. Get it out the night before and let it de-frost in the fridge ready to add the ‘pumped-up’ ingredients to, heat up and enjoy.
Drink on an empty stomach to get maximum nutrient absorption. Simmer the bones for around 24hrs to extract the best nutrients. Add a little vinegar to help break down the bones and extract the precious minerals & nutrients.
Only use grass-fed, pasture raised bones. Using bones from animals that are raised in unhealthy confined factory conditions & are fed unhealthy diets that include antibiotics and hormones are definite no-no’s for your diet.
Recipe and method:
- 2-3 kg beef bones or chicken carcass
- Splash of apple cider vinegar (to help extract the minerals from the bones)
- 2 handfuls of onions/ leeks/carrots/celery ends
- Few dried bay leaves
- Good grind of fresh black pepper
Method
- Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and fill with clean filtered water so that the bones are just covered
- Place on low setting and cook for 24h or more
- Strain out all the ingredients with a fine mesh sieve saving just the broth and discarding bones and veggies
- Store in mason jars leaving an inch of two at the top for expansion and freeze
