One of the things I have added to my diet since the fall is bone broth. I make it myself, in a slow cooker for 18 to 24 hours, or in the pressure cooker for 2 hours. I save bones from cooking, and get some big dense ones from the farm we get our meat from. She gives them to me for free! It seems to be doing some amazing things to my skin, hair and nails. In particular, I was distressed out how much hair I seemed to be losing in the fall. I think I had gotten too low on carbs, and it pushed my thyroid function lower. I have Hashimoto's hypothryoiditis. My understanding is that this can happen with extremely low carb diets. I started making the bone broth, and having a cup most mornings after I have my coffee. I love the warmth, and the richness of the broth. But this week, I noticed that I had tons of new hair growing on my scalp. Amazing! The hair loss was beginning to freak me out a bit. My nails are growing like crazy, and I have been getting lots of compliments about my skin, completely out of the blue. This is good healing stuff.
I have added back some starchy veggies and a little fruit to bring my carbs up to a better level for my biology. Even had some lentils the ohter day! Still very low compared to a Standard American Diet (so SAD), but definitely up from before. I am enjoying a little more variety in my diet. I think all this good nourishing food is doing it's thing to heal my gut.
I haven't stepped on the scale in about 2 weeks. Don't care too much about the number right now. Clothes feel fine, and energy is better. Weight loss has shifted from my primary motivation to a sideline. I want to lose weight, but feel like it will happen more easily when the rest is more in balance. A better hormonal balance is what I want right now.
Be well, and try some bone broth if you have the opportunity. It is good stuff!
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I like your idea of making your own broth, it sounds like it is really working for you now that you are doing so much better. Hang in there it will all start to fall in place.
14 Jan 15 by member: Kiwinana
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I love your standard American diet (so sad). I agree totally!!! I haunt small ethnic stores searching out different whole foods. Do you just cook bones and nothing else? I've never heard of just bone broth. Chicken broth I'd save the bones and any bits of meat toss them in a pot with some onions, celery, seasonings and make chicken broth, did the same beef and pork. So are you just meaning beef broth?
14 Jan 15 by member: wholefoodnut
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Hi Wholefoodnut! I use bones, with some water, and chop up an onion (skin and all) in quarters, roughly chop up a carrot, add some fresh ginger slices, and salt and pepper. I use whatever bones I have on hand. The last batch was beef and chicken. Sometimes it is just one or the other. I am reusing the big honking beef bones. I have read it is possible to use them 3 times to make the broth. I let them cool off a bit, and toss them in a ziplock bag in the freezer till the next batch. This last time I got three knuckle bones. They were loaded with collagen. So the broth is very gelatinous when it cools. I love the warmth in the morning, but I also really love the healing powers it seems to have. Great stuff, and it is virtually free!
15 Jan 15 by member: yduj57
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Thanks, thinking the corner market sells these huge dog bones for 99 cent a #. It would be good broth for soup and other things as well. They are usually way too big for my dogs. might make some this weekend.
15 Jan 15 by member: wholefoodnut
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Bone broth is interesting!
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Stopping in the restaurant supply after work for some good parmasean, I'm out. Will see if they have bones for soup. Also going to an African market that I've never been to. Will see what they have.
16 Jan 15 by member: wholefoodnut
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Stopping in the restaurant supply after work for some good parmasean, I'm out. Will see if they have bones for soup. Also going to an African market that I've never been to. Will see what they have.
16 Jan 15 by member: wholefoodnut
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A lot of the people who get the bones from the CSA give them to their dog. Not here! Actually, after cooking the bones twice in the pressure cooker, they were too soft for the dog. Roasted a chicken tonight, so I have those bones to go in with the beef bones for another batch. Running low! Cooked some cabbage with a little bacon and onion in the pressure cooker with the broth. It is my new comfort food. Amazing stuff!
16 Jan 15 by member: yduj57
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My husbands grandmother used to cook bones for the broth. Especially turkey bones! : ) I didnt realize the benefits of it!! Thanks for sharing,...I am going to have to start doing that too!!
16 Jan 15 by member: mjTN68
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I used to always use the carcass of poultry for broth, still do. Haven't tried just using say beef bones, I usually add some with some meat in them. What is CSA? will run to the Mexican butcher this weekend if my corner market doesn't have any. Mexican store looked too busy last night to even find a parking place. None @ the restaurant supply. Love my pressure cooker. If I make a big batch I could use my pressure canner, used to always use that when my kids were younger and had a houseful.
17 Jan 15 by member: wholefoodnut
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Making your bone broth.... talked my 87 yo neighbor. She's basically on clear liquids until she sees her doc on Monday, has had a slew of tests in the last few days. She has been just drinking chicken bullion cubes. I took her a quart container of organic veggie broth today. Anyways I'm adding some immune system ingredients and will take her some tomorrow. So far in addition to yours I'm adding a garlic clove, extra ginger, a few bay leaves, dried shiitake mushrooms, and a new Mexico dried pepper. Corner store had a big joint bone so 5# of bone with some fat. Will chill the broth and skim most of the fat off. Some in hers will be good for her I think since she hasn't eaten much for a few days. Mine I'll skim all the fat I can, my body rebels. Bought dog bones 99 cents a pound, a couple small ones in another package, my pups are loving them. ;))
17 Jan 15 by member: wholefoodnut
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Wholefoodnut, that sounds great!Love the addition of the dried pepper and mushrooms. I do add a splash of Red Boat fish sauce. It adds a touch of "umami"; that rich taste that the mushrooms give you. Made three quarts this A.M.
CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Usually it is for picking up veggies, but this farm raises livestock. All pasture raised. The cows roam the fields, unless there is too much snow, and the chickens are out eating bugs and whatever else chickens eat when they roam around! Once a month I pick up a new cooler full of frozen meat, and return my empty one. I agree to a certain amount of meat per month for a six month period. We started out at 25# for the month, but that wasn't working out...too much when life had too many complications to cook regularly enough. Went down to 20#, and that is close to what we need. I usually also get the bones, and some eggs, and sometimes some extra bacon, or bacon end pieces, or smoked chicken. I like that it is locally raised, and pastured. Nice to support farmers who are caring for the animals as animals, not just meat. The difference in the quality of meat is visible. The color of the beef is a deep burgundy color instead of pink. The eggs are not all uniformly the same color and size, because different chickens are eating different things every day. Food the way it used to be, not really all that long ago.
17 Jan 15 by member: yduj57
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Love that idea of CSA, we used to buy most of our meat, eggs, milk, other basics directly from friends who farmed when I lived in the country. Big difference when I knew how everything was raised. I'm guessing that's a Thai fish sauce brand. Have some a different brand, will add some. Thinking immune system for my neighbor. I do not like her surviving on dang fake chicken bouillon cubes and gator aide one of her friends brought her, no nutrition, just salt and flavoring. Gator aide some electrolyte and too much salt, she has had heart and kidney problems she does not need all that sodium. Really my grandparents cooked real food not processed. Actually it goes back to the early 50's when all the processed started appearing. TV dinners, general mills cereals, Campbell's soup, Oscar myer hot dogs and cake mixes I believe are the huge culprits in the obesity epidemic and junk foods.
17 Jan 15 by member: wholefoodnut
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it is tasting good, added some Thai fish sauce. Will skim the fat off in the am and take some to my neighbor. She so reminds me of my mom. She is too independent and proud for me to just take care of her, besides I work full time. I really need to start checking on her daily instead of sporadically and giving her brother in Illinois frequent updates.
17 Jan 15 by member: wholefoodnut
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thank you both for sharing such valuable information!! I use beef bouillon cubes to season my green beans ... never thought about it being fake!! lol I am going to have to find a place to start getting good bones for broth!!
17 Jan 15 by member: mjTN68
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Read the ingredients on those cubes, mostly salt. I do have a jar of chicken extract in my frig it s real meat made for restaurants, i use it rarely and sparingly when I do, it also has quite a bit of salt Will strain the broth off today, skim the fat, there was quite a bit of fat on that big joint. yuduj, I will toss the bones in the freezer for later.
18 Jan 15 by member: wholefoodnut
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I said a garlic clove it should I should have said a small head of garlic .
18 Jan 15 by member: wholefoodnut
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