Your Most Prized Kitchen Tool

‘As Dr. Pottenger was wont to say: “A big stock pot is the most important gift a bride could receive.”‘

Excerpts of this article were taken from Why Broth is Beautiful, By Kaayla T. Daniel, MS CCN.

I do recommend you read the entire article because there is so much to learn about this wonderful healing food; broth!

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“Fifty years ago Pottenger pointed out a reason that raw food diets can be so effective in reversing disease and contributing to rejuvenation. “Man’s food in the raw state consists largely of hydrophilic (water loving) colloids. (attracts digestive jiuces for rapid and effective digestions-according to SallyFallon) The heat of cooking on the other hand . . . precipitates the colloids of our diet. This change in colloidal state alters the hydration capacity of our foods so as to interfere with their ability to absorb digestive juices.” Happily for those who prefer their food cooked, Dr. Pottenger went on to explain that this digestive problem could be easily remedied by adding one-half ounce to one ounce of gelatin to a cooked meal of meat, potatoes, vegetables and fruits.”

Gelatin and the Liver

“Early research has also indicated that gelatin helps the liver. This is plausible in that the liver uses the amino acid glycine for detoxification, and its ability to detoxify is limited by the amount of glycine available. Back in 1935, Reuben Ottenberg, MD wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association: “It has been suggested that the administration of extra amounts of proteins containing an abundance of glycine (such as gelatin) will help the work in the liver. This seems particularly plausible since the recent work of Quick, who has shown that the ability of the liver to perform this protective synthesis is limited by the amount of glycine available.”

Ottenberg concluded with the recommendation that patients with jaundice and other liver problems take 5 to l0 grams of gelatin per day either in the form of food or as a powdered medicinal supplement.

The big question is why so many early studies showing the healing power of gelatin have languished in obscurity. The easy explanation is that after the 1930s, pharmaceutical drugs were widely prescribed for ills that were once healed with gelatin.

Most commercial gelatins today are brewed exclusively from pigskins or cowhide and so include no cartilage or bones. Years ago, however, some commercial cartilages came from mystery blends of cartilage, bones, skin and other junked animal parts. All these combinations differed in terms of their physical and chemical characteristics and in their physiologic actions. Gotthoffer reported that even glue was sometimes sold as gelatin. Complicating matters further, some of the so-called “gelatin” studies were done with the isolated amino acid glycine.”

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“Remember also that the amino acids in gelatin, like all amino acids, can only be properly utilized when the diet contains sufficient fat-soluble activators–vitamins A and D–found exclusively in animal fats. So don’t hesitate to put cream in your broth-based soups and sauces, and include other sources of vitamins A and D in your diet, such as butter, egg yolks and cod liver oil.”

In your next bowl of broth or soup, whisk in a raw egg yolk for added nourishment. You won’t taste it at all. Of course make sure you know the source of your eggs, before eating them raw.

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According to Sally Fallon in Nourishing Traditions, there are many other important ingredients that go into broth . Cartilage is one that has recently been shown to be remarkable in treating cancer and bone disorders. Collagen has been used successfully in treating rheumatoid arthritis and it’s especially necessary for those of us with Lyme Disease. Spirochetes feed on collagen, so it’s important to nourish your body with broths and to use products with MSM added in like Dr Ron’s body care products.

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Cooking bone broth is very easy and effortless. When our steer is processed for the freezer, we make sure to ask for all the bones. You can take 2-3 good size bones and throw them in a stock pot of water. It’s recommended to add a dash of ACV (apple cider vinegar), due to it’s ability to draw out more minerals and calcium from the bones. I cook all my stocks, whether chicken or beef, all day (8-10 hrs). At night I put the pot in the extra frig and pull it out in the morning and cook it another 10 hrs. I’ve never had a pot not gel. Mine gel all the way through.

When I use one of our chickens for grilling, I collect all the backs and necks in a ziplock in the freezer. After I have a few then I can make a pot of chicken stock. It’s a bit tedious to pick out all the tiny little bones. But since they are cooked to the point of almost dissolving, it’s not a big deal to get one and chew it up….hey, more nourishment! And make sure when you get your fresh chickens you request the heads and feet too! They hold the secret to what is fondly referred to as Jewish Penicillin.

If I’m planning to make a pot of chicken soup or beef vegetable, I wait until the second day and after cooking another 4-5 hrs, I then add the veggies. If I want some plain stock then I’ll skim some off to freeze. It’s great having nourishing little stock cubes (freeze in ice cube trays), that can be thrown in whatever you’re cooking; sauces, rice dishes, veggies. I spend many a winter day, cooking pots of stock and freezing containers of chicken or beef soup. They make a great quick meal and are extremely healthy during the winter months, as well as all year.