No Bones About It — v i c k i h a l l

There is something so comforting about sipping on a nice cup of soup, and lately I’ll take any extra form of comfort that I can get. Bone broths have become super popular over the past few years. Known to be healthy and full of important vitamins and nutrients, a cup of broth can not only be warm and tasty, but also good for your health. It's full of collagen protein, electrolytes and amino acids that we don't really get in our western diets, so it’s great for joint health, skin and gut health as well. This highly nutritious broth is commonly used in soups as a base. But sipped on, it’s recently been touted as THE health drink of the moment.

Bone broth has been around for a long time and it's nothing new, but now it’s becoming much more mainstream and can be found in most major grocery stores. Whole Food offers a large selection, but you can regularly find it at your local grocery store in the frozen foods section. If you live in the Leaside/Davisville area of Toronto, you can even buy it to sip on (like a coffee) at Drink Juice on Manor Road.

With so many brands available you’ll want to separate the good from the not so good. First, make sure it's organic, grass fed and pasture raised. Those words on the packaging are very important. After water, bones should appear next on the ingredient list. Anything with the word ‘base’ or ‘stock’ in it should be avoided. Companies that are cutting corners will use broth or stock concentrate base as the first ingredient and are generally coming from rendering facilities that use the lowest quality bones you can find. Gross! Without actual bones on the list you are missing out on powerful nutrients and amino acids (collagen & gelatine) found in the connective tissue of the bones. Regular stock and broths are decent for cooking if your’e in a pinch, but have zero nutritional benefit and simply add flavour. So spend a little extra and get the good stuff.

You can also use dried form as well. Be sure to look for a high quality brand like Organika. This Canadian company makes a convenient powder form bone broth that is nice to have in the cupboard for when a craving strikes. Think of it as a healthy alternative to Lipton-Cup-Of-Soup. - minus all the sodium and mystery ingredients.

Bone broths can also be found at some organic butcher shops. Sanagans Meat Locker is one of my favourites. Back when the world wasn’t shut down, my family and I would spend a cold winter day at the AGO, then walk over to Kensington Market and pop into Sanagan’s to get a nice steaming cup of Bone Broth to warm up and sooth our souls. Honestly…it totally soothed my soul- I kid you not! Ahh…I miss those days.

Of course you can make your own, which I have also done. It’s super easy and makes the house smell amazing. Well…amazing until around 3 a.m. when you wake up to the smell of simmering onions, meat and spices, which if that doesn’t bother you, then feel free to get your crockpot on. As much as I love making my own broth, I have to admit 24-36 hours of cooking smells in the house is a bit much for me. But if I have a sick friend and really want to send them a little extra love and good vibes, I will make a batch and send them a jar or two. Totally worth it then. Here’s a great recipe from Epicurious to follow. But since its so easy to find pre-made bone broth, I always make sure I have some waiting in the freezer for when I need a little extra warmth and collagen boost. And let’s face it, I’ll take any extra help in the collagen department these days… (wrinkles be damned)!

So if you haven’t tired Bone Broth yet, what are you waiting for? It’s delicious & nutritious.