Is Bone Broth Really Good For You?

Is bone broth really good for you? The benefits of bone broth include better skin, improved immunity, and healthier joints, bones, and teeth. I have had great results that I’m excited to share.

In a funny twist of fate, I look and feel better at 55 than I ever have in my life. In fact, people ask me all the time what I am doing to look younger every time they see me! It makes me wonder, is bone broth really good for you? I’ve included an easy bone broth recipe below.

Is Bone Broth Good for You?

I began my immersion into the world of bone broth a couple of years ago. I’m not a dip-your-toe in kind of person. I usually read a lot, decide if I want to try something, and then go for it.

I was fascinated by the claims I had seen and read about the benefits of bone broth and had made a few batches here and there.

(Read my update The Health Benefits of Bone Broth too)

Bone broth is made by simmering bones, usually either beef or chicken for long periods of time.

Then after cooking, the broth is strained and you use it as a nutritional drink. I’ve included an Easy Bone Broth recipe at the bottom of the post. 

As someone who promotes good skin care practices, I was especially curious does bone broth really work.

Does Bone Broth Really Have Benefits?

After reading that bone broth was good for your skin and body, I decided to start making batches on a regular basis and drink a cup or two every day. Along the way I got a lot of teasing.

As usual, the converts were minimal. But that’s okay.

I like my bone broth and I’ll probably have the last laugh someday when I have the bones and skin of a sixteen-year old at 80.

So Why Drink Bone Broth?

The biggest claim that bone broth makes, is that it’s better than Botox. It’s supposed to be great for your skin.

That is really what caught my eye. I love things that promote real beauty as a result of real health. I’ve read that bone broth delivers collagen, nutrients, and gelatin in an easy to absorb form.

This article from Dr. Perlmutter explains the nutrient aspect in more detail.

So, yes, it makes sense that the skin would improve with bone broth. To be fair, this is not an open and shut case—there are quite a few nutritionists who disagree.

I’ve had some positive results that I’m going to share, but first here are some of the claims that convinced me to give bone broth a serious try.

Why Bone Broth is Good For You

Bone broth provides collagen in a bioavailable form that your body can use. This is huge, because collagen is a huge business. Folks are spending billions (yes billions!) of dollars to get collagen in pills and topical treatments.

Bone broth is a rich source of collagen and gelatin. After about age 40, our body’s collagen production begins declining. Animal protein is the only food source of collagen though plant food sources can all help the body produce it.

The Health Benefits of Bone Broth

Bone broth fights inflammation and boosts Immunity through the amino acids it contains. These amino acids have anti-inflammatory, protective, and healing functions.

Bone broth is a good source of glucosamine and gelatin which strengthens bones and teeth and helps the joints.

Bone broth hydrates the body by providing essential electrolytes. I have found it to be the perfect pre-workout drink though others prefer it after their workout.

It doesn’t fill me up like food, yet I always have the energy to get a good workout.

Bone broth has many other reported benefits but these four caught my eye and to some extent, I thought I would be able to tell a difference from drinking bone broth.

Is Bone Broth Good for Your Skin?

I’ve been making and drinking bone broth for 2+ years now. I’ve had enough positive results that I plan on continuing my bone broth consumption. I’ve got my system for making and storing it and I think it’s worth this bit of trouble.

Want more tips on being beautiful? I share my story of how I learned to feel beautiful here!

Does Bone Broth Really Work?

Did my skin improve by drinking bone broth? This one is a little tricky for me. When I announced the Bone Broth Project, my son-in-law said it would be hard to tell since my skin was already pretty good.

However, my pores seem to have disappeared and I feel like my skin is staying naturally soft; I hardly have to use any moisturizers on my arms and legs.

The other thing I can’t miss is that my cheeks are full and I don’t have a single wrinkle.  People are asking me all the time what am I doing?

I’ve actually had two people question whether I am actually using Botox!

My Experience with Bone Broth

Did my nails get stronger? I don’t have any way of knowing what’s happening inside but I can report that my nails look and feel great. I don’t like to get manicures and since drinking the bone broth, I haven’t needed one.

My nails grow easily, even on my right hand which just didn’t happen before. Even the cuticles look nice. I used to have to use cuticle cream on them all the time and now I don’t. They feel very strong.

Did bone broth boost my immunity? I rarely get sick and I still don’t so it’s hard to say but I have really good endurance and energy.

Do I heal faster? I think so. I have had three moles removed on my face in the past year. Two were before I was drinking bone broth and one after.

This last one, which was the trickiest and the one my dermatologist warned me would leave a little scar, actually healed the fastest. In fact, after adding bone broth to my diet the first two scars disappeared.

I also just had a little dental work and it seems like it is healing super fast. While in these healing situations, I did up my daily consumption to two cups and added a little extra gelatin/collagen to my broth.

The Surprise Benefit of Bone Broth

I kept a journal for the first few weeks. There was a surprise benefit for me that I had not read about from other people. In fact, it wasn’t until I was reading over my notes that I realized that I kept saying the same thing.

“Mood mostly good.”

“My mood is very stable. I am able to better handle stressful things. I would say mood/emotions much more steady.”

“My mood continues to be steady. No other way to describe it.”

“I look for the good in things. I give people the benefit of the doubt.”

So for me the surprise benefit was that bone broth seemed to improve my overall mood and sense of well-being.

Of course I had hoped to have the physical benefits too. But seeing weeks of notes expressing how good I felt, I was pleasantly surprised by that.

Now, back to my daily cup of bone broth! (Bone Broth Resources follow the pic)

How to Make Bone Broth? An EASY Bone Broth Recipe

2021: I now make my bone broth in an Instant Pot. I now prefer to do it this way. Here’s How to Make Bone Broth in an Instant Pot.

Into a large stock pot with heavy bottom, add:

• 5–7 lbs. beef soup bones. The cleaner the better. Include knuckle bones or pig’s feet (totally gross but effective) to get extra gelatin.
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 onion peeled and quartered
• 2–3 carrots
• 10 peppercorns
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup of cider vinegar
• Water to cover

I throw everything into the pot at once and bring to a simmer then let it simmer for 24 hours. Then I let it cool until it’s easy to handle. That can be several hours.

How to Store Your Bone Broth

After the broth has cooled, I remove all the bones and vegetables and throw away. I set up a canning funnel and strainer over a jar and pour the broth in.

A layer of fat will form. This is a good thing! The fat will harden and seal the broth.

When you are ready to have a cup, remove the fat layer and throw away. Fill your cup and warm in the microwave or on the stove. Once the fat is removed, it’s best to consume the broth within a few days.

The broth can be frozen. You can freeze in wide mouth jars, but make sure you leave plenty of room at the top! Liquids expand during freezing and if your jar is too full, it will break.

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This is my go-to book about bone broth. The Bone Broth Diet by Dr. Kellyann.

This is the book that first got me excited about bone broth. Louise Hay, one of the authors of this book was 89 when she wrote it. She looked amazing and wrote with so much joy. I bought this book in Kindle and book form.

Here is the book where I found my bone broth recipe that I use. This is a fantastic cookbook as well. It’s one of my top 3 cookbooks. Everything I’ve made from this book has been wonderful.

I use a 12 quart stainless steel stock pot to make my broth. I make it once a week and this size is perfect for me.

A wide mouth funnel is essential!

I always use wide mouth jars for my broth so I can freeze them if I need to. The regular mouth jars can and do break when freezing. These are easy to find in grocery stores as well. They are great to have on hand for so many uses.