6 Must-Know Bone Broth Benefits

Bone broth is rich in minerals and amino acids that support overall health. Whether made from beef, chicken, turkey, pork, or fish bones, it’s a valuable addition to a balanced diet.

In this article, we’re going to take a deep dive into the many bone broth benefits. We’ll look at what nutrients it contains and all the ways bone broth can improve your health. We’ll also look at simple ways you can incorporate more bone broth into your diet, including how to make it yourself and include it in your meals.

By the end of this page, you’ll have a much better understanding of why bone broth deserves a starring role as one of nature’s most potent superfoods.

Bone Broth Nutritional Value

The nutritional value of bone broth will change slightly, depending on what type of bones you use.

For example, beef bone broth or pork bone broth are likely to have more calories than chicken bone broth or turkey bone broth. Poultry-based bone broths tend to have higher glucosamine content than bovine, porcine, or seafood-based bone broths.

However, the averagenutritional benefits of bone broth remains mostly the same across the board.

Typically, a one-cup serving of high quality bone broth contains [1]:

• 50 calories;
• 9 grams of protein;
• 0.5 grams of fat;
• 5 grams of carbohydrates;
• 280 mg of potassium;
• 450 mg of sodium.

As you can see, bone broths tend to be very low in fat but contain a surprising amount of protein. In fact, some contain even more protein than just this average.

Thanks to this, it’s a food you can easily add into your meals to increase your protein intake without over-consuming carbohydrates or fat.

The 6 Main Benefits of Bone Broth

Below, you’ll see six of the most prominent bone broth benefits for your health.

Reduces Blood Sugar Levels

Bone broth is rich in the amino acid glycine, which helps regulate blood sugar levels.

Glycine prevents the over-production of blood glucose in the liver, and it may even help to reduce the negative effects of over-consumption of fructose.

Research [2] has found that eating more dietary glycine also improves insulin response, helping the body to naturally regulate the blood sugar on its own.

Heart-Smart Benefits of Bone Broth

Bone broth balances out the levels of methionine, an amino acid that can raise homocysteine levels.

Methionine is an essential amino acid that the body uses to produce crucial molecules, particularly sulfur-containing molecules. It’s needed to produce cysteine, which in turn is utilized in the production of taurine, glutathione, and other proteins. It’s also needed for the production of S-adenosylmethionine (or “SAM”), which is necessary for chemical reactions in the body.

Unfortunately, high methionine levels in the body due to increased intake (from eggs, meat, and fish) can, as mentioned above, raise the levels of homocysteine produced. When homocysteine levels are elevated, they can lead to higher risk of stroke, damage to the endothelium, and other cardiovascular diseases[3].

For those consuming a diet high in animal protein, bone broth is a vital food to help control homocysteine levels. 

As a bonus, excessively high glucose levels can lead to diabetes, which can be very damaging to your heart. Given that bone broth can reduce glucose levels and improve insulin regulation, you can understand why it’s heart-smart.

Improves Skin Health

Bone broth is rich in three important nutrients: collagen, keratin, and glycosaminoglycans.

• Collagen is needed for healthy skin tissue, as it’s a protein that keeps your skin fresh, young, and taut. It will improve skin elasticity and prevent wrinkles and sagging.
• Keratin is needed for healthy hair, but it also plays a role in maintaining healthy skin.
• Glycosaminoglycans are a complex carbohydrate that protects your skin, promotes cell proliferation, increases retinoic acid (which hydrates your skin), and speeds up cellular turnover.

The combination of these three potent nutrients leads to much healthier, fresher, and younger skin.

Boosts Muscle Performance

Bone broth contains glycine, an amino acid that is vital for the production of myoglobin and hemoglobin, both of which transport oxygen through the cardiovascular system. Increasing the production of these two proteins can enhance oxygenation of the muscles and tissues.

Glycine also helps to increase levels of creatine. It raises anaerobic exercise capacity, increases lean muscle mass growth, enhances muscle repair, and stimulates the production of human growth hormone.

Themagnesium and phosphorus present in bone broth can increase levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) energy, the only type of energy your muscles can use to contract.

Gut-Friendly Benefits of Bone Broth

Bone broth is very effective for both healthy digestion and healing gut problems.

Not only does the gelatin in bone broth help to maintain the layer of intestinal mucus that protects the inner lining of your intestines from bacteria, it also helps to balance gut bacteria and encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria.

Research [4] has shown that bone broth can “support the enhancement of gut health, alleviate inflammation in the intestinal barrier, improve intestinal barrier function in health and disease states, particularly in inflammatory bowel disease, as well as enhancing nutrient absorption.”

The glycine in bone broth can help to reduce chronic inflammation (a marker of digestive tract problems), and it can protect against gastric ulcers. The glutamine in bone broth will also improve the intestinal barrier, decreasing the risk of leaky gut syndrome.

Supports Bone and Joint Health

The nutrients present in bone broth are excellent for the health of your bones and joints. Bone broth delivers a broad spectrum of bone-building minerals, including calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Bone broth is also rich in collagen, the most abundant protein in the human body—but also the most needed. Collagen can help to prevent osteoporosis, while the Vitamins C, D, and K2 present in bone broth will support the formation of new, healthy bone tissue.

The glycosaminoglycans are vital for healthy joints, as they provide lubrication that encourages a full range of motion. Collagen is also needed for the repair of damaged joint tissue, leading to a reduction in joint pain and stiffness.

Bone broth is rich in the nutrients chondroitin and glucosamine, both of which can reduce joint pain and increase flexibility. The gelatin in bone broth may even facilitate restoration of synovial fluid, the lubricating fluid between your joints that is essential for healthy, easy movement.

How to Include Bone Broth in Your Diet

As you saw above, there are a lot of very real benefits to regularly drinking bone broth or adding it into your meals. The question, now, is: what’s the best type of bone broth, and how can you consume more in your weekly balanced diet?

Store-Bought vs. Homemade Bone Broth

Both store-bought and homemade bone broth are equally beneficial to your health. The only really important factor you need to consider is the sodium content.

Because store-bought foods need to have a certain shelf life, manufacturers add in a lot of sodium (or sodium benzoate) as preservatives. Sodium inhibits the growth of microbes, bacteria, and mold, ensuring the bone broth stays fresh for longer and doesn’t spoil.

Unfortunately, sodium can cause your body to retain more fluid, which in turn causes high blood pressure and causes your heart to work harder to pump blood. High sodium levels have been directly correlated to cardiovascular strain and heart conditions, including hypertension.

For the sake of your heart, either buy low-sodium bone broth, or make your own at home without all the added salt.

Tips for Homemade Bone Broth

Making bone broth at home is incredibly easy.

The bone broth recipe comes down to a few simple steps:

• Step 1: Add in bones. Choose the bones that suit you best: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, etc. For extra flavor, brown the bones in your pot before adding the water.
• Step 2:Add seasonings. Add in aromatics like onions, carrots, celery, and garlic if you want, along with whatever herbs suit your taste (bay leaves, oregano, parsley, dill, thyme, etc.).
• Step 3:Add water. Add 4-6 cups of water for every pound of bones you’re using. The more water you use, the more broth you end up with.
• Step 4:Add vinegar. 1-2 tablespoons of white or apple cider vinegar will help break down the bones, cartilage, and marrow, but won’t drastically alter the flavor of the finished product.
• Step 5:Boil, then simmer. Bring the pot to a boil (shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes), then turn the heat down low and let it simmer for 12 to 24 hours. Add more water as needed.
• Step 6:Drain and season. Drain the finished liquid through a fine-mesh sieve to get out any chunks of boiled fat, meat, or bone. Discard the solids and pour the finished product into jars or containers. Season as desired.

If you don’t want to spend 12 to 24 hours watching your stove, you can also streamline the process by making your own bone broth using a crock pot, slow cooker, or InstaPot. Set it to low and let it run for anywhere from 18 to 36 hours. The longer it cooks, the more flavor and healthy nutrients you extract.

Bone Broth Serving Ideas

There are so many ways you can incorporate bone broth into your daily meals:

• Serve it as an appetizer. To open your palate before your meal, serve a small cup of warm bone broth. The salt and umami will set your tastebuds dancing and prepare you for the main course.
• Cook grains with it. Next time you cook rice, quinoa, barley, millet, or any other grain, replace the water or regular broth in the recipe with bone broth. The finished product will be significantly tastier and richer in nutrients.
• Add it into sauces, gravies, soups, and stews. Any time you’re making a recipe that calls for adding water or broth to make a sauce, gravy, soup, or stew, switch it out for bone broth.
• Add into roasting pans. Before you put your beef roast, pot roast, ham, turkey, chicken, or veggies into the oven, add a bit of bone broth into the pan to add moisture and enhance the flavor.
• Use it as a marinade. Add in a splash of your favorite bone broth when making marinades for your meat. It’ll dial up the richness and umami and bring new depths of flavor to your meal.

Get creative with your use of bone broth, and you’ll find there are no end of ways you can incorporate it into your daily diet!

Conclusion: Why Bone Broth is a Superfood

By now, it should be clear why bone broth has gained a status as a “superfood”. It’s not just rich in protein and nutrients, but it’s also amazing for your health: it’s heart-smart, anti-diabetic, great for your skin health, muscle-enhancing, gut-friendly, and will reduce inflammation and support joint health.

If you’re not consuming bone broth, you’re missing out on one of nature’s most potent healing and restorative remedies. Add it into your weekly diet and you won’t regret it!

Bone broth lays the foundation for vibrant health—from your gut and skin to your joints, heart, and blood sugar levels. But to amplify these benefits and support your body at a cellular level, consider pairing your nutrition with targeted supplementation. That’s where Restore Life comes in.

Restore Life contains science-backed ingredients to make you look and feel younger. Plus, it also has some exceptional benefits for your skin, blood sugar, bones, heart, joints and cellular health. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you lose belly fat with bone broth?

Bone broth is not a weight loss food, but it can be a crucial addition to your weight loss and fat-burning diet. Though low in calories, it’s packed with muscle-building and fat-burning protein, which is incredibly satiating, will help you feel full, and reduce your daily calorie intake.

Does bone broth help hair growth?

Bone broth is rich in the protein collagen, which is crucial for good skin health but also plays a role in the growth of hair. Collagen stimulates the follicles, strengthens hair shafts, and can even improve the thickness of hair. It also contains the amino acids needed to produce hair.

Can you overdo bone broth?

Yes, it is possible to overdo bone broth. Consuming too much bone broth may lead to excess sodium intake, particularly if you’re eating store-bought bone broth. People who only drink bone broth as part of a crash diet (excluding other foods) may find themselves nutrient-deprived. Experts typically recommend [5] sticking with 1-2 cups of bone broth per day.