So, you have either made bone broth or bought it, now what? This is where I feel it depends on the person, the health issues and the goals or desired outcome. There are those that are looking to maintain good health and take preventative measures against aging, collagen loss, and enhanced immunity, arthritis, etc. Perhaps you have picky eaters in your home and are concerned about nutrition (I do!). Getting kids to eat enough protein or vegetables can be a challenge but, what is great about soup is that you can either chop vegetables small and add them in that way, but even if they do manage to pick out the veggies the nutrients are still in the broth! Adding garlic, onions, carrots and celery adds great flavor and are great for our immune systems! If your picky eater won’t eat soup or drink broth, slip it into other dishes - add it to rice (instead of water), pasta sauce, stir frys, mashed potatoes, etc. If you are dealing with health issues that need healing, I encourage a different approach. In the case of depression, anxiety, autism, ADD, tourettes, IBS, colitis, there is clearly a root cause and a major cause is damage to the gut and inflammation. Anytime you get to the root cause you are helping and allowing your body to function the way it is supposed to! The good news is that you can heal that damage. These are my own personal recommendations based on what has worked for me:
- Commit to consuming broth for a minimum 4 weeks daily to see results. Drink the broth daily on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. For severe symptoms, twice a day.
- Identify foods that are contributing to inflammation and eliminate them! If that's tough then start with reducing them. This is a process, it takes time to change habits. Some people will undergo testing with a naturopath to find out if they have any type of food allergies but often times we just know if we have a sensitivity or intolerance. Food allergies manifest themselves in different ways. Allergies present themselves in a spectrum of symptoms. At the severe end is anaphylactic shock and death, so that one is usually pretty obvious! But, on the milder end are sensitivities and intolerances and these are less obvious, resulting in things like skin irritation, stuffiness, frequent colds, and difficulty losing weight. When we have inflammation we are not absorbing nutrients properly and despite eating healthy we can be malnourished. The thyroid and the liver are targeted and struggle to keep up.
- My recommendation... start by cutting out gluten. ASAP. I have been cooking gluten free for so long that its easy and comes second nature but for those that don't know how, message me. Maybe I’ll blog about that at some point. Whether or not it is gluten or the GMO or the chemicals sprayed on food is what I am not sure about. Once in a while I will have some baguette from Ace Bakery (they are non GMO) and I am totally fine! But I do it rarely and I drink broth so sometimes I don’t know. But, for sure IF I am going to have gluten I make sure it is clean.
- Eat less. Yup. Your damaged gut is like a cut on your finger and every time you eat anything you are irritating and aggravating your wound. So it’s like constantly scratching at your open sore every time you eat. If you want it to heal, let is rest a bit. You don't need as much food as you think, so eat what you need. Quality, not quantity, and yes habits are hard to break!
- Protein and fat. If you are successful at eating less and no gluten your body will feel hungry. Hunger comes from the brain, not your gut. I can’t say enough about avocados because I eat a half one at breakfast and a half one at lunch in my salad. And almonds, I love almonds (especially when they are chocolate covered!) I eat a fairly high fat and that feels right for me. I think its important to get in tune with how your body feels when you eat and digest. Try to get in touch with what is happening from the moment you decide to eat to the moment you eliminate. This is a relationship you have with yourself and you need to nurture it and appreciate it!
- Cleanse. If you really feel disciplined and want to kickstart your road to health, do a cleanse. There are so many online it’s crazy. Personally, I think you need to take a look at what you can reasonably accomplish and pick a short time frame. True story I started a cleanse once that involved grapefruit, salt and no food... I lasted till 1:00 because I was at an arena with my son and had a breakdown... hot dog and chocolate bar! Ha so now my cleanses consist of lemon water in the morning, daily cleanse tea, clean eating, and reduced food intake for a bit. I can tell when it’s needed because I won’t feel right.
- Exercise. I run, and this helps me with the whole twisting motion and it feels like a massage to my intestines. I believe an elliptical does this motion as well and either way that torso movement is helpful. I love bridges and any movement that feels good on the inside. The endorphins released from exercise are great for the mind as well.
There’s more that I could write about but I’ll save that for another day! I look forward to any messages or comments!
