As colds and flues start appearing, homemade chicken broth plays its historical role of nourishing and protecting those sick. As cold weather appears, it warms tummies and soothes you from the inside out. Chicken broth (or stock) is also an important source of calcium, especially vital for those you don’t drink or eat dairy, but highly beneficial for everyone.
Chicken broth is made from combining chicken bones, scraps of chicken, carrots, celery, onions and other flavourings. These ingredients simmer together for hours until the desired flavour is achieved. The liquid, or broth, is strained to get rid of all of the large particles. Chicken broth can be used in many recipes or enjoyed plain. It also provides several nutrients that are important for your health.
Here are some of the top health benefits of Chicken broth or stock:
- Plain chicken broth is naturally low in calories. An 8-ounce serving provides around 40 calories, which can be beneficial if you are monitoring your calorie intake.
- Chicken broth is also low in fats providing less than 2 grams per serving!
- Chicken broth is plain and easy for your body to digest. If you are suffering from some kind of intestinal distress, such as diarrhoea or irritable bowel syndrome, chicken broth is mild and unlikely to irritate your digestive tract.
- Since chicken broth is derived from both muscles as well as bones, it is rich in several important minerals. An 8-ounce serving of chicken broth offers more than 200 milligrams of potassium, which is 10 percent of your requirement for the day. Potassium is essential for a healthy heart, as well as muscle and skeletal contractions.
- Chicken broth is a vital part of gut healing diets such as the GAPS diet.
- The broth assists in the healing of many chronic intestinal disorders such as colitis, Crohn’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, leaky gut, and many others.
- The yellow fat from pastured chickens holds immune boosting powers!
- The calcium that leaches out of the bones into the stock is ready to be absorbed into your body, the perfect weapon against osteoporosis or weak bones in any way.
- Our bodies can create glycine on their own, which is why it’s not an “essential” fatty acid that we must get from eating. However, we don’t always produce in the right balance, especially if we don’t eat in the right balance. Chicken stock provides glycine in the right amounts.
This chicken stock/broth not only is healthy, but is a great treat for your taste buds too!