Natural Living

Bone broth- Cooking for the greatest health benefits

Historically loved

The remedial effects of bone broth have been known for thousands of years. The Chinese used it for kidney and digestive health from at least 2,500 years ago and many cultures around the world have used it also.  Bone broth is exceptionally good for you. It is great for healing and soothing the irritated or leaky gut mucosa and it boosts your immune system.

Healing nature

Mothers have been giving nourishing and healing chicken broth soup to their children forever as they all know it heals and sooths their ailing child. The curing effect of chicken soup against Respiratory Tract Infections has been found in research to be due to an increase in nasal mucus velocity, and its mild anti- inflammatory effects (Saketkhoo et al 1978 74(4):408-410). Bone broth is recommended for patients with autism and ADHD who undergo the GAPS diet with great results.

Nutrient rich

The bones, the marrow inside the bones, and the connective tissue are all full of nutrients which are extracted into the water when you make your bone broth. What is more, all these nutrients are easily digestible too. And it has been scientifically evaluated over a decade ago to confirm what all these cultures and peoples have already known. Bone broth is good!

There is lots of goodness you will get when consuming bone broth including:

  • Collagen which turns into gelatine
  • Glycine and proline (amino acids)
  • Vitamins (A and K, and Bs)
  • Glucosamine
  • Chondroitin and
  • Minerals (Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Iron, Selenium, Zinc, Manganese and Sulphur)

The benefits of consuming bone broth are many.

  • Glycine has inflammatory properties, supports the immune system, improves sleep
  • B vitamins helps your body digest fats, carbohydrates and proteins, and produce energy.
  • Gelatine, glucosamine and chondroitin support and protect and even rebuild your joints and bones.
  • It heals and soothes any upper respiratory tract infections.
  • Gelatine will also improve your skin, making is smoother, tighter and reduce cellulite.

Toxic metals

However, it is also important to consider the fact that animal bones are known to contain toxic heavy metals as well as minerals. In fact, calcium supplements are often made from bone meal, and some have been found to contain lead and cadmium too. People have wondered if consuming bone broth is detrimental due to the amounts of heavy metals that they are consuming along- side the minerals and other nutrients such as amino acids etc.  We will look at this shortly.

So, we know how good it is for us, and what benefits it will bring. If you are going to the trouble to make your own bone broth, which I highly recommend, then it is worth going to the effort to make it in a way where you get the most out of your broth.

Research examined how to cook bone broth to get the most benefits

A relevant research study was conducted by Hsu et al (Food & Nutrition Research Journal Vol 61(1):1347-478) in 2017 on exactly how to make bone broth to get the most goodness out of it. These researchers examined the extraction of heavy metals and minerals from bone broths to ascertain the risk of consuming heavy metals versus the benefits of gaining minerals.

They used 3 types of bones- pig- rib and leg, and beef. They examined cooking time, acidity, bone type and animal species.  The researchers simmered the bone broth for 12 hours. Samples were taken at intervals throughout the 12 hours and were analysed for calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, chromium, lead, cadmium and aluminium.

Acidification

The broths that had the addition of acid were found to have increased amount of all the metals extracted except for zinc and iron. The pH was reduced from 8.35 to 5.32 and in these broths, the calcium and magnesium extraction were significantly greater. Copper was also increased. However, increases for lead, chromium and aluminium were mostly not significant. Interestingly, acidification reduced the extraction of iron.

 Cooking time

The broths that were cooked for longer than 8 hours were associated with significantly greater calcium and magnesium extraction. Overall, very low amounts of heavy metals were extracted- much less than the allowable daily amounts in foods.

 Conclusion

Using different species of animal bones, and different bones from the same species yielded different amounts of nutrients. Reducing pH from 8.35 to 5.32 significantly increased the calcium and magnesium extraction and most other minerals. Longer cooking times (greater than 8 hours) extracted significantly higher amounts of calcium, magnesium and other minerals. There were minimal amount of heavy metals and these did not increase with acidification or longer cooking times.

So when you are making your bone broth, adhere to these important tips:

  • Only use organic bones to drastically reduce the amounts of heavy metals in it
  • Use chicken, lamb or beef bones
  • Use different parts of the carcass to gain different minerals
  • Add apple cider vinegar to reduce the pH
  • Cook for at least 8 hours, the longer the better. I often leave mine on for a few days and just scoop out what I need when I need it straight from the slow cooker on the bench.
  • Roast a leg of lamb or a chicken and then place the bones into your slow cooker.
  • Save any chicken drumsticks, wings, lamb chop bones etc until you have enough in your freezer. Then pop them all in the slow cooker and away you go! I always save the corn cobs and left-over veggies to chuck in also. I never mix lamb with chicken for example, but keep the species separate.
  • Enjoy the warm, nourishing and nurturing nature of your next mug of broth. Or enjoy the new richness of flavour of the next stew, casserole or soup you make with your very own bone broth added.

Make your own Bone Broth with this quick and easy guide

Bone broth is good. Enjoy!

Golden eggs- to eat or not to eat? That is the question.

Whether dietary cholesterol or egg consumption is associated with cardiovascular disease and death, remains controversial in academic communities. The impact that egg consumption has on LDLs and HDLs (serum cholesterol concentrations) has been heavily debated for years.

After reading many academic research articles on this very topic, I wish to share my unbiased conclusions.

Mortality rates decrease as egg consumption increases!

The Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Zhuang, Pan; Jiao, Jingjing; Wu, Fei et al (2020) 39(11):3520-3527) published a fifteen year-long research study with 18,914 adults, which found that the intake of cholesterol from eggs, was inversely associated with a total mortality count. As the egg consumption increased, the mortality rates decreased! The people whose diet included non-egg cholesterol sources, was positively related to total mortality. So eating other sources of dietary cholesterol did increase death rates. They concluded that egg consumption is associated with a lower total mortality among the Chinese population.

Another study in the USA found no significant association between egg consumption and mortality in US adults. There were 37,121 people studied for approximately 15 years (Peng-Fei, Xia; Xiong- Fei Pan; Chen Chen; Yi Wang et al  (2020) Journal of American Heart Association 9(10):1-11).

So if you want to live longer- then eat eggs!

Eggs provide many beneficial nutrients and decreases your serum cholesterol concentrations.

Song WO (Journal of American College of Nutrition (2000) 19(5):556S-562S) conducted a cross-sectional, population-based study to assess the nutritional significance of eggs in the American diet and to assess the association between egg consumption and serum cholesterol concentrations. Over 27,000 people were divided into either ‘Egg Consumers’ or ‘Non-Consumers’. The daily intake of all nutrients except for dietary fibre and B6, was significantly higher in the Egg Consumers than in the Non-Consumers. Eggs contributed many valuable nutrients to the diet including folate, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and B12. The Non-Consumers group had higher rates of inadequate intakes for B12, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin C. Dietary cholesterol was found to be unrelated to the serum cholesterol levels. The Egg Consumers who ate four or more eggs per week had significantly lower serum cholesterol concentrations that those who ate one or less eggs per week. Higher egg consumption was negatively associated with serum cholesterol concentrations.

So eating more eggs will lower your cholesterol and give you lots of great nutrients!

However, in another study, a meta-analysis was conducted including 17 randomly controlled studies, and it was found that people in the ‘More Egg Consumption’ group had higher LDL/HDL ratio (cholesterol) than the control group. It is important to note that this study was very short covering only two months. They did not state how many eggs were consumed daily in the ‘More Egg Consumption’ group either (Li MY, Chen JH, Chen C, Kang YN Nutrients 2020 12(7).

Whilst this study had significant limitations, I do not think eating bucket loads of eggs is good for you. Moderation is the key.

What about your blood pressure and your risk of having a stroke when you eat eggs?

Well, a study by Abdollahi and Virtanen et al (2019) in Finland with 1,950 men aged between 42 and 60 years old found that the diastolic blood pressure was lower in the group with the highest egg consumptions (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 110(1):169-176). Dietary intakes, blood pressures and stoke events were recorded. Neither egg nor cholesterol intakes were associated with stroke risk in this group.

So it looks like you are at no risk of having a stroke by eating eggs either.

In conclusion, eating eggs as part of a healthy diet will provide you with many beneficial nutrients, lower your cholesterol, lower your chances of death, lower your diastolic blood pressure and not increase your chances of having a stroke. My family and I love eating fresh, farm eggs straight from the chooks’ nests.

Eating organic, truly free- range eggs is a wonderful addition to your diet.

 Try my Eggs in a Nest recipe here. Enjoy!

HEALTHY TOOTHPASTE- whiten your teeth WITHOUT toxins

COMMON TOOTHPASTES ARE TOXIC

I want to share with you my healthy toothpaste recipe I have been using for 10 years on myself and also on my children’s teeth.  It will clean your teeth in a superior manner, whiten your teeth without chemicals, and brighten your smile! It only has four, easily found ingredients.

I originally designed this toothpaste to avoid using the toxin laden common toothpastes. Most, if not all common toothpastes contain many toxic ingredients. Your mouth is made of highly absorbable tissues. So what you brush your teeth with is readily absorbed into your blood stream and affects all your body systems and your health. I will discuss a couple of toxins commonly found in toothpaste and then share my healthy toothpaste recipe with you. Lastly, I will comment on the benefits of using this fantastic, healthy toothpaste.

COMMON CHEMICALS IN TOOTHPASTES

Triclosan, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), Aspartame and fluoride are all harmful chemicals found in common toothpastes today. There are many other chemicals found in toothpastes also. Triclosan is an antibacterial that has been linked with endocrine disruption, antibiotic resistance and cancer. SLS is a surfactant. Surfactants cause the foaming to occur and is linked to canker sores and skin irritation. When SLS is manufactured, it can be contaminated with a carcinogenic by-product. SLS is an insecticide and can have toxic effects to marine life also. Aspartame is used to sweeten toothpaste. It is converted to formaldelhyde in your brain and other sensitive areas in your body. It can cause great tissue damage and is linked to headaches, weakness, vertigo, memory problems, numbness, neuritis etc. The last chemical I wish to mention is fluoride. It is a major risk factor for horrible dental fluorosis (ironic isn’t it?)- especially in children as they tend to swallow alot of the toothpaste.

AVOID TOOTHPASTE TOXINS BY MAKING YOUR OWN!

Nutritional Balancing is all about reducing our toxin exposure, and gently eliminating the toxins within our bodies. Why not avoid all these unwanted chemicals in common toothpaste which are doing your health harm? Perhaps you could try the following homemade healthy toothpaste that is so good to use. Your mouth feels cleaner than it does after using common toothpastes. Your breath is fresh. And it tastes good. Here’s my recipe:

Sari’s Healthy Toothpaste:

Ingredients:

12 tbsp sodium bicarbonate (bicarb soda)

2/3 tsp of salt

8 tsp glycerin

10 drops peppermint essential oil

Place the bicarb and salt into a small glass jar and mix. Add the glycerin and peppermint oil and mix well, being careful to get all the bicarb/salt from the corners at the bottom of the jar. Put the lid on.

If you are the only one using your new healthy toothpaste, dip your tooth brush into the jar and pick up a small amount of the paste. Lightly wet your tooth brush and brush away! If multiple people are using the tooth paste, get some paste onto a teaspoon and then dip your brush into that.

Do not use this toothpaste for your baby’s teeth as it is too abrasive. Once children are 3 or 4 they are old enough to use it. If you brush your teeth too vigorously you could harm your tooth enamel. It is important to brush your teeth using the correct technique. Wriggle your toothbrush from side to side in a small space (vibration like), rather than using big sweeping motions across the whole length of your row of teeth. Make sure you concentrate on the area where the gum meets the teeth as this is where the bad bacteria enjoy being.

Benefits homemade healthy toothpaste:

Sodium bicarbonate

Bicarb soda is a natural antibacterial and has a pH of 8.3. This alkaline pH helps our mouths have a more alkaline environment which helps the good bacteria thrive. A more alkaline mouth environment means a less acidic environment. And acidic mouths cause dental decay. Bad bacteria flourish in acidic environments of ph5.5 or less. It is highly effective at killing Streptococcus mutans which is a significant contributor to tooth decay.

Bicarb soda is a gentle abrasive which removes stains from your teeth and whitens them without using toxic chemicals. Salt is also has a gentle abrasiveness.

Glycerin

Glycerin is a water-soluble, non toxic, viscous and hygroscopic fluid. This lovely viscous quality ensures your toothpaste has a toothpaste-like consistency! Your mixture will not freeze or become too watery over time with glycerin. It is the perfect carrier for your tooth paste.

Peppermint essential oil

Peppermint essential oil combats bad breath and is a potent antiseptic. It also is adds a wonderful flavour! Existing patients can order peppermint oil under Patient Login.

To book a personalised consultation with Sari please contact me today!

I would love to hear your comments and stories regarding making and using your own highly effective and tasty healthy toothpaste!

Smile with those newly whitened teeth you have, knowing you are doing the health of yourself and your family good.

 

 

Happy healing!

Sari.