You're sick and tired of feeling like crap all the time. Your immune system is constantly on tilt and your colds never seem to go away for long. They always come back. Welcome to the club.
Bone broth is a healing beverage, but most people don't use the right type to nourish a sick and run down body. They find some garbage brand at the grocery store, only to find that it doesn't work.
I'm here to put an end to the madness.
Learn how bone broth can heal your cold or sickness and boost your immune system so you get out of the sick cycle once and for all.
If you want the cliff's notes, I'll spill the beans here. The most healing bone broth for sickness is made by Bluebird Provisions. It's the highest protein and healing nutrients you'll find anywhere.
Now onto what you're here for.
What is bone broth?
Bone broth is a superfood beverage made from bones, connective tissue and meat that is simmered in water over a stove for a 8-24 hours.
The long simmer helps extract the electrolytes, protein, vitamins and minerals -- all of which work together to cure your cold.
You can make many different types with various ingredients, including using meat, vegetables, bones and more.
It is the perfect way to get your daily collagen intake. This is helpful for gut health because of the anti-inflammatory properties. And since all health starts in the gut, you'll want to do what you can to take care of it.
I love it because of the versatility. You can use bone broth in recipes for soups, stews, gravy dishes, smoothies and more.
Looking for a product recommendation? Read my bone broth review which ranks the top products this year.
Chicken Bone Broth For a Common Cold
Bone broth is a great way to help you recover from the nasty effects of colds. It is full of nutrients like glycine and electrolytes like potassium and magnesium to hydrate your worn out body.
One study showed that thatchicken broth helped clear out inflammatory white blood cells in the lungs and throat of those who are sick. With less of these in the area to block things up, it shortens the duration.
The funny thing is that researchers still argue about what it is exactly in chicken broth that does this. Regardless, it got rid of a cold faster.
Bone Broth Health Benefits For Sickness
Bone broth benefits for sickness include fighting nausea, hydration, immune system benefits, nutrients and minerals for gut health and to shorten the duration of cold and flu symptoms.
Let's go through each briefly below.
1. It May Help Fight Nausea Symptoms
Broth can help reduce nausea and gut issues in many people. This is due to the gelatin content.
Gelatin is almost identical to collagen except for one thing. It gels in cold temperatures where collagen does not.
The reason I bring this up is because the gel helps coat your gut and intestines with amino acids to heal them up. This gets rid of any inflammation, while promoting digestion to get things moving.
This can help relieve symptoms of the flu.
2. Electrolytes When You're Dehydrated
Almost 97% of Americans are deficient in potassium and 60% are estimated to be deficient in magnesium. It's not wonder we get sick all the time.
They are crucial to maintaining proper energy levels and the building blocks for healthy cells. Dehydration is common during illness, so it's important to drink lots of fluids to stay replenish what you are losing.
Bone broth is a great way to replenish fluids and electrolytes, which can help improve the symptoms of dehydration or respiratory tract infections.
I would recommend drinking it on it's own with some grated garlic. Or use it to make mashed potatoes or chicken noodle soup. Checkout my delicious recipe.
3. Bone Broth For Immune System Benefits
Bone broth is a great way to improve your immune system because of the unique blend of amino acids found in it.
These include glycine, proline, glucosamine and glutamine, which work together to boost your immune system.
Glycine in particular helps increase antioxidant status in your cells to protect you from illness.
4. Nutrients For Digestion and Gut Health
Bone broth can help with gut health because it makes all other food easier to digest, while providing nutrients your body can absorb.
The first way it helps is by increasing production of stomach acid and gastric juices to stimulate digestion. Sounds gross, but bear with me. Gelatin is directly shown to do this. And a properly made bone broth is full of it.
Glutamine is another amino acid found within it. I would argue it is the most under-rated protein. Why? It helps keep our intestinal walls strong, preventing damage from occurring and healing what is already damaged.
Those suffering from IBD or IBS claim that it can help cure chronic diarrhea, constipation and even food intolerances.
5. Detox Support From Vitamins and Minerals
Bone broth is rich in minerals that help flush out toxins. The detox word carries a lot of baggage, for good reason.
But bone broth is full of glycine, which helps your liver naturally clean / detoxify itself. It works together with glutathione (the master antioxidant) to lower oxidative stress in our bodies.
It helps to remove toxic heavy metals like mercury and lead from the body, as well as improve our use of free-radical fighting antioxidants.
6. Bone Broth For Flu
Bone broth is a rich source of nutrients which can help shorten the duration of a cold or flu.
Electrolytes are the main benefit. Bone broth is full of potassium and magnesium, which help shorten the duration of flu symptoms because they replenish the lost fluids better than anything else.
Especially when you don't feel like eating, it helps to nourish your digestion and boost energy.
How To Use It to Kickstart the Healing Process
There's countless ways to use bone broth to kickstart the healing process. Aside from drinking it straight, you can make smoothies, oatmeal, cook your grains in it, sautee or steam vegetables in it and make soups, sauces and salad dressings.
A little goes a long way, so any addition into your day will add up.
Smoothies
Replace milk, juice or nut milk with chicken bone broth for extra nutrition in your smoothies. You won't notice the taste difference because of the mild flavor.
Or you can do what my mom does and pour it into ice cube trays and freeze. Then pop 1-2 ice cubes into your blender with your smoothie ingredients.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is how I get my bone broth in the winter months. I simply add one 1 tbsp of bone broth powder ontop of my porridge after it is warm.
I'll also add some brown sugar and cinnamon and I don't notice the taste. For more information, checkout my ultimate guide to bone broth recipe ebook.
The Cold Buster Latte Drink
The best way to stop any cold of flu in its tracks. Mix the following together in your mug.
- 1 cup bone broth
- Juice of 1⁄4 lemon (or 1 tbsp)
- 1 clove raw garlic, grated
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (or 1⁄4 tsp powder)
- A pinch of Himalayan salt
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 sprig of rosemary
How to Find The Ultimate Bone Broth For Sickness
There's a few things you need to look out for when finding the best bone broth for sickness. These include the nutrition facts, ingredient lists, sourcing, animal welfare standards and how it is made.
Protein Content
For nutrition, it should have at least 10 g protein per serving with 0-1 g of carbs and fat. This ensures you are getting enough of the healing amino acids like glycine, proline, glutamine and glucosamine.
Anything less will be a waste of your money because you're not getting the nutrients needed.
Look for Shady Ingredients
When you look at any food product, always check the ingredient list. The first / second ingredient should say 'bones' or 'bone broth.' If it says something like 'chicken stock,' broth or just 'chicken' (with no bones) then it is not a legitimate product.
Next you want to search for junk fillers like yeast extract and natural flavors. Anything with either of these two belongs in the trash. They are additives that manipulate flavor to make them taste better. But they are high in allergens and mess with your gut health.
Sourcing and Animal Welfare
Most brands do not tell you where their animals come from... for good reason. That is because most use factory farmed beef or chicken. Even Organic does not always mean the animals are raised in a natural, low stress environment. There are massive Organic farms in the USA.
Sometimes you need to do some extra digging into websites and product pages. Brands who are proud of their sourcing will tell you where they come from. Animals sourced from the USA and Canada are generally kept in better living conditions that those from overseas or South America.
How it's Made
Finally, you need to know how the product is made. Look for something that tells you how long it was simmered for. It doesn't need to be 24 or 48 hours.
That is overkill, if you know what you are doing. Many brands can get their cook times down to 6-8 hours. But it takes a lot of knowledge and expertise to get there.
The best option given this criteria is the chicken bone broth powder from Bluebird Provisions.
Closing Thoughts
Bone broth is a delicious and healthful beverage that can help to cure your cold and flu symptoms faster. This is because it heals your gut, detoxes and boosts immunity all in one.
It is packed with vitamins and minerals, which can help fight nausea and shorten the duration your sickness.
Bluebird Provisions offers a great selection of bone broth, so be sure to try it out on Amazon Prime for free shipping.
Have you used bone broth when you're feeling bad? Did it help? Leave a comment and let me know.
