When it comes to eating an anti-inflammatory diet and healing an autoimmune disease, there are several key foods that are important. Bone broth is one that I absolutely love. It’s the perfect food when you are not feeling great. Plus, it’s great for your gut, which is usually one of the root causes of autoimmune diseases. Here’s why I love bone broth and how you can add it to your daily eating pattern.
Good for Gut Health
One of the biggest benefits of bone broth is its impact on the gut. While the research doesn’t strongly support this claim, the nutrients in the broth may help strengthen the gut lining and lower inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract.
Leaky gut is commonly associated with autoimmune diseases. When someone has this condition, it means that their intestinal lining is permeable. This means that bacteria, viruses, and other harmful substances are not completely blocked from entering the body’s circulatory system. When they make their way through the intestinal lining, the body recognizes these foreign objects as invaders and the body mounts an inflammatory response against them. And when you have an autoimmune disease, the more inflammation means the more active your disease is. So leaky gut is not something you want to have.
There are a few key ingredients in bone broth that support gut health. Gelatin is one of the main components. It is formed when bones are simmered and collagen is hydrolyzed. In one recent study, bone broth lowered inflammation in mice with ulcerative colitis and reduced their symptoms of the disease. Glycine and glutamine are amino acids found in this broth. Both of these lower inflammation and help keep the gut lining intact.
Supports Bone & Joint Health
Bone broth is also great for your bones and joints. Bone health is dependent on several vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin D. Calcium is abundant in bone broth, as is phosphorus. Additionally, glycosaminoglycans help with joint health. These are naturally occurring polysaccharides in the body. Hyaluronic acid, which is found in the synovial fluid in the joints, is an example of a glycosaminoglycan. These are also found in the broth.
An interesting study in rabbits found that supplementing with glycosaminoglycans with collagen slowed the progression of osteoarthritis.
Helps with Detox & Inflammation
Bone broth can also help with detoxification and inflammation. Glutathione is the body’s most potent antioxidant. Glutathione is made from glycine, cysteine and glutamic acid. Both glutamic acid, or glutamate, and glycine are found in bone broth. The liver is your body’s natural detoxification organ and the glutathione system is key for this process to happen. Therefore it’s critical that you support your glutathione production by feeding it the key ingredients it needs to make this master antioxidant.
Include Bone Broth in Your Diet
If you aren’t a fan of bone broth and don’t want to just sip on it, here are some other creative ways to work this broth into your daily routine:
- Use bone broth as a base for soups and stews,
- Cook your whole grains like rice and quinoa in bone broth instead of water,
- Saute vegetables in bone broth, or
- Make a bone broth smoothie.
If you need more help including healing foods into your daily eating plan, please contact me. For more tips and tricks for managing your autoimmune disease symptoms with diet and lifestyle, follow me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
