When you hear the word broth, you probably think of soup right? A nice hot soup on a chilly fall day or a nice hot soup on a freezing winter evening. Chicken broth, beef broth, vegetable broth. It's all very delicious. The broth is like hot chocolate, it warms you up on the inside and outside. It makes you think of cuddling up on the couch with a hot mug on a cold day to watch a movie. Enter bone broth... a broth you can sip in one of those hot mugs on a chilly day and watch a movie with. Oh, and the wellness benefits are astounding!
My Research On Bone Broth
In 2017, I decided to make a lifestyle change to add more wellness and relaxation in my life. I wanted to feel better and perform better throughout my day. Being a teacher, I felt the kids were not getting enough out of me especially in the afternoons because my energy felt depleted. I wasn't giving them enough energy and it showed. Kids react to your energy in the education world. You have low energy, so will they. High energy and excitement equal kids who get excited about learning. I started taking things away from my diet, adding cleaner foods, and practicing self-care, and somewhat trying to biohack my body into doing better.
As I was researching how to perform better, I found an article about the benefits of bone broth and decided I wanted to try it. Many of the articles said to make your own because of all the companies who had extra ingredients that don't need to be in there. There was no way I was able to make my own broth, I just don't have the time. I started searching for a bone broth that had organic high-quality ingredients, no added natural flavors, or dyes. I searched for a while but had no luck. I almost decided to stop searching because I couldn't find one that was good enough. A lot of bone broths had yeast extract in it which is something I didn't want or think a broth needed. December 2018 is when I found one I thought was a good one. I was walking down the supplement aisle at Whole Foods and a certain label caught my eye because it was a label I have seen many times. It was Jarrow Formulas. I take a lot of their supplements already so their red label caught my attention. They make a bone broth powder that you can mix in hot water to drink. I was pretty excited! The ingredients looked good enough. I took it home and tried it. It was so good! It tasted like broth that you get from soups in a can. I continued to drink this brand for 9 1/2 months.
Problem with Jarrow Formulas Broth
I had been drinking Jarrow Formulas bone broth for a while. I was still really enjoying the flavor and I was getting some benefits from it. I felt that my joints felt better especially after getting up in the morning. But I didn't feel I was getting the multiple benefits the article talked about. I decided to look at the container again to make sure there were no ingredients that didn't agree with me such as tomatoes or gluten but I didn't find any. I looked all around the container to make sure I didn't miss anything when I came across a very small warning label! :( It was very small, almost like the fine print you have trouble reading on coupons. The warning label read: This product can expose you to chemicals including lead.
How did I miss this label??? Because they strategically placed it. Why would I look at the side of this container? I only looked at the front to see what it was and the nutrition/ingredients label on the very back. This label is on the side where no one would look. Well, needless to say, this label was a WARNING. I stopped buying this brand and started searching for a replacement. I still wanted to drink bone broth but not one that could expose me to chemicals.
Enter Kettle & Fire
During my recent research, beginning of October 2019, I found Kettle & Fire bone broth. I had heard of them before. Many of their company values lined up with my life values. I checked out the ingredient list, nothing scary in them. All organic ingredients, grass-fed beef, and pasture-raised chickens. I liked what I was seeing. They also had soups made with bone broth which I thought was interesting especially since we are currently in soup season, my favorite season, FALL.
I decided to get a carton to try. I got one of their newest flavors, Chicken Tumeric Ginger. I tried it Wednesday, October 16th, 2019. Just 3 days ago and I was wowed!!! I could not believe how much better they taste was compared to Jarrow Formulas. It tasted as I made it at my own house! The carton lasted only 3 days as well because it was so good and I wanted to keep drinking it. I bought my first few cartons from Amazon to try. I didn't want to subscribe to anything if I didn't like it and then be stuck with something I wasn't going to drink. I would recommend that route for my readers as well in case you don't enjoy it as much as I do (we all have different taste buds). But I was sold. I am now on a monthly subscription to get 6 cartons of bone broth every month from the company. A great bonus is I get to choose the flavors I want in my subscription and change them at any time. I can also add the soups made with bone broth, too! I'm very excited to share this find with others and encourage my readers to try bone broth, it's so yummy! And it's fall, a perfect time to try it on the chilly nights of fall and winter.
Benefits of Bone Broth
One benefit I have already noticed after 3 days of switching to Kettle & Fire is how my skin feels. I have problem skin, even at the age of 29, especially on my face. If I eat something that causes inflammation such as tomatoes, canola oil, and lately, grain-fed beef my face will show it. Not only that, my face hurts. After 3 days of drinking this bone broth, my skin feels good and it doesn't hurt. My face has more of a glow to it as well. Along with inflammation comes oily skin and since I am taking extra steps by drinking bone broth to get rid of inflammation inside my body, my face has been less inflamed which has left my face less oily. The reason I am feeling these benefits is because of the collagen in this high-quality bone broth. Collagen is best absorbed orally. All the new skincare products that have collagen listed as an ingredient- don't use them. You are paying extra for nothing. Collagen molecules are too big to be absorbed through the skin. Buy collagen products you can drink such as collagen powder and bone broth. The collagen in bone broth is healing you from the inside out, starting with your gut.
Another benefit I've noticed is how my body feels because bone broth promotes better gut health and decreases inflammation in the body. Again, this is due to collagen. I've noticed my joints hurt less, especially in the mornings, and my gut feels better. One way to know your gut is healing is your skin health. Another way to know your gut is healing is based on how you feel. Your gut can cause lingering symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog. I feel those less and less every day I drink bone broth. And I only drink 5 ounces a day.
Other benefits of drinking bone broth that you may be interested in are better joint mobility, stronger hair and nails, better quality sleep, and enhanced results if you are practicing keto, paleo, or intermittent fasting lifestyles.
Your Certified Brain Health Coach,
Ashley, Owner of SustainaBRAIN
