As I research other posts about more intense thyroid stuff I
want to take this opportunity to kick off our next revolution. Yes, you heard
that right – I want to start a revolution….. in the kitchen. And I want you all
to do the same. I promise it will change your life forever. We will start with the meat on
your bones.
I began making my own stock regularly a few months ago and
the main purpose of such an undertaking was to get more gelatin into our diet. “Gelatin?” I hear you ask. Yes, gelatin.
Gelatin
has a funny reputation, certainly I thought it was bad for you at one point, well it is used to make jelly and anything as tasty as jelly has to be bad for
you right? But before that was the sheer horror that it had come from cows feet or
pigs trotters (groooooosssssss – my younger self would have said). But for my baby boys first birthday last year
I made jelly using gelatin leaf from the shops and that all turned out fine, not
gross at all! Especially the fizzy wine adult jellies…..but that’s a tale for
another day. My point being, I had not yet started my healing journey and was
not aware of the wonder stuff that is gelatin. And broth.
(Before I go any further I just want to clarify - gelatin is
what makes the broth set and go jelly-like when cooled).
Anyway, perhaps it’s because I am a highlander but simply
hearing the word ‘broth’ is healing to me. It is such a soft and soothing word.
Thinking of broth conjures an image of a deep, steaming bowl of tasty scotch
broth with veggies, barley, peas, lentils and a piece of meat somewhere tucked
away in there. Hot, sweet, soupy goodness. (I have to stop and get a pan on
soon before I salivate over my keyboard I think…)
So you get the picture. I already think broth is good.
The revolution comes when I make my pan of broth with actual
bones. Stock that I have prepared myself by simmering the animal bones in the
slow cooker for around 24 hours. Forget
your stock cubes or your boullion. Get the bones from your butcher and fire them in
the slow cooker for a day. Real food and real tasty too – you will not taste anything as good EVER, I can assure you.
Now the added bonus – what it does for your health.
Well for a start…bone broth heals your insides (remember I
talked about them – your insides – in my Food for thought post – it got pretty
technical). The broth will start to mend your gut lining and that of your intestines.
This could lead to an easing of food allergies or intolerance's.
Broth provides you with the basic building blocks for your
body – boiling down the bones releases all those minerals that built them up so
strong. And you get to consume that – nourishing your own body.
Suffer with sore joints? Consuming bone broths is shown to
be anti-inflammatory so as well as healing your stomach, it will heal the other
areas of your body where inflammation can occur like your joints.
Specifically for thyroidians like myself, bone broths will
aid liver function and boost your metabolism. Need I say more? No, but
I will.
Bone broth, or more specifically as in all these cases - the gelatin in broth, is
full of protein so you can cut down the amount of meat in these dishes if you
need to keep costs down.
And at the end of the day, I find it very therapeutic. There
is something deeply satisfying about creating such a nourishing and wholesome
food for your family. From scratch, just like your parents, grandparents and/or
great grandparents would have done (though perhaps they didn’t use a digital
version with two heat settings, a timer and a warming function)
So that’s the latest – get your bones on. Start the
revolution!
If you are interested in reading more I have listed a few articles here on the subject. Bone broth is a huge subject and everyone has their own methods - tell us how you make yours! www.facebook.com/MyThyroidTherapy
Some great articles on broth:
