Broth, Glorious Broth!
With it being cold/flu/sick-ish season, I wanted to write to you today about broth and stock made from animal meat and bones, and a few other special ingredients.
In our medicine cabinet, you will not find much over-the-counter of anything. I'm not saying the OTC items don't work and aren't necessary from time to time, but throughout the course of our family's health journey, we've realized how important it is to develop our immune system using wholesome sources of nutrition instead of taking a pill to lessen symptoms and in turn not healing the body as a whole. In today's world, I must disclose that I am not a doctor and have no medical background, only a mother's intuition and years of studying beyond the headlines.
What you will find in our toolbox for overall health though, is daily doses of REAL elderberry syrup (not junk at the store with added preservatives, sugar, dyes, etc) and meat broth and stocks.
We purchase our ingredients for making elderberry syrup locally; ask me where, I'll hook you up! We choose to use elderberry syrup because it is rich with antioxidants and vitamins that promote a robust immune system. It has thousands of years of history and evidence behind it showing that it is an effective choice for naturally building your immune system and may also lessen symptoms when ill.
As for the broth and stock, we make that ourselves. Using meat and bones from the chickens and cattle that we raise, we have a consistent supply of it and use it frequently.
This is an extremely effective way to add value to your purchase.
For pennies on the dollar, you can use bones or scraps of meat that you would have otherwise disposed of and create something unbelievably healthy out of instead.
During the cooking process, minerals, vitamins, collagen and more are leeched from the meat and bones. The herbs and vegetables you add to the pot make it even healthier and tasty yet.
Broths and stocks also have thousands of years of history in being used medicinally and for promoting overall health. Broth is made including meat from the animal while stock is made strictly using the bones and connective tissue. Each make me giddy because they are so packed with nutrients!
Some health benefits I've researched include:
Essential Fatty Acids (we must ingest these because our bodies need them but cannot make them on their own)
Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium (good for bone and muscle development and maintenance)
Iron (essential for growth, energy, making certain hormones, effective blood flow)
Selenium (helps promote cardiovascular health, helps manage cardiovascular disease, stroke, cholesterol)
Vitamins, Vitamins and more Vitamins (you can rest assured that if you're cooking a chicken from our farm, it is packed with natural Vitamin D because of all the exposure the birds have to the outdoors!)
Click here for your guide on making your own chicken broth.
I've heard people talk about the anti-aging properties of broth and stock as well.... maybe I'll get lucky and look 26 forever!
Take advantage of this byproduct that you can make easily on your own - take health into your own hands.