Forget expensive creams and spending hours on a treadmill - the secret to gorgeous skin and a happy, healthy body is but a simple saucepan away...
Not too long ago curly kale was the hero of the health world, with fitness foodies creaming, slicing and blending it into every meal time possible. Next, it was green juices and super smoothies that were crowned as the new healthy habit du jour. Now however, it seems the nutrition world is turning to a tasty trend of a more humble and wholesome origin - a good old fashioned bone broth.
Due in large part to the increasing popularity of Paleo diets and a desire for food to contain benefits as great as flavour, bone broth has been cropping up all over the wellness stratosphere as the latest and greatest way to pack in essential nutrients. Indeed everyone from celebrity personal trainer Dalton Wong , to the hip and healthy Hemsley sisters have been championing this super simple dish for its all round benefits for the body.
“Bone broth is an old fashioned, basic ingredient that we swear by,” say Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley. “This liquid gold is our secret weapon; a nourishing all-rounder packed with vitamins, minerals, collagen and keratin, which make it amazing for achieving gorgeous, glowing skin, minimising cellulite and even instrumental for maintaining a healthy gut. Alternatively, a bone broth made with fish bones and heads can provide iodine that can help to strengthen the thyroid. Potent, enriching and overflowing with health benefits, it’s a gut-healing, easy to digest source of energy that doesn't make you crash or give you caffeine-like jitters.”
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Made by boiling poultry, beef or fish bones, a good broth releases a plethora of easily digestible substances, including a mix of gelatin, glucosamine, fats, vitamins and minerals that make it the ultimate elixir to aid ailments and unhappy tummies. “Bone broth is the original superfood,” says Nutritionist Petronella Ravenshear “and has been used in traditional cooking for centuries.”
A batch of bountiful broth is also known for its ability to help hormonal and fertility based problems.“Boiling bones to make broth liberates minerals from the bones, making them more easily assimilated by the body,” says fertility expert Emma Cannon . “Some of these minerals include calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon and trace minerals, which are all extremely important to female health and fertility. Chicken broth made from bones, slices of ginger and rice wine are the perfect tonic to strengthen the body and optimise female fertility.”
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Don’t try cutting corners however, as there’s nothing quite like a spot of home cooking when it comes to brewing up your own broth.“The benefits of a good homemade broth far exceed stock cubes, bouillon powder, veg stock and even ready-made ‘fresh’ stocks sold in packets and cans in supermarkets,” say Jasmine and Melissa. “These types of stock are produced for flavour and are not always made from good ingredients or even made from bones. Even a traditional stock from classic cooking will have only been cooked for 3 hours as opposed to the six to 24 hours of simmering needed to extract the goodness that comes from homemade bone broth.”
So, not only is it super simple, nutritious and cheap to make, including into into your weekly diet is also much easier than you think. “Bone broth can be easily adapted throughout the week,” says Jasmine and Melissa. “It makes a great base for many types of meals or snacks; wherever a recipe calls for stock or water. The remains of a roast dinner on Sunday become a pot of simmering golden broth on Monday. On Tuesday it’s used to simmer some quinoa, on Wednesday it’s a post workout protein hit with an egg swirled in. Blended into a vegetable soup it provides Thursday’s fuss-free supper and served straight up with a splash of apple cider vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice, it’s an ailment for Saturday’s hangover. In no time at all this will become a kitchen staple and you’ll soon be reaping the boundless benefits of this frugal food.”
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To break it down into a more digestible plan, here are Jasmine and Melissa’s top 5 ways to benefit from a batch of broth:
1. Drink broth straight up with a little sea salt, which is great for a morning boost or as a snack and pre or post workout.
2. Add a few spoonfuls of broth to sauces and dips and to a pan of scrambled eggs to make them extra creamy.
3. Steam or braise vegetables in broth
4. Swap broth for water when cooking quinoa to make it tastier and more nutritious.
5. Use broth as a base for soups and stews - a few of their favourites from The Art of Eating Well include: Vietnamese Pho with courgette noodles, Broccoli Pea and Basil Soup and Courgette and Aubergine Lentil Curry .
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