The winter flu season and BROTH!

The flu season seems to be upon us, as nearly every family I know has been or is currently being hit with some sort of flu. Ours included! Zach and I recently had a mild case of the flu that we were able to get over in a matter of a couple of days, with mild discomfort.

This brings me to the point of this blog entry: Homemade Broth and Stock! Foods made with real broth and stocks have all but disappeared from our homes. Canned and "boxed" imitations, so readily available at the store have taken their place. This is a very unfortunate thing, as real broths and stocks can be one of your best defenses against the myriad of germs and viruses that make the rounds every winter.

Why? Broths and Stocks made from bones, simmered for hours on your stovetop, contain real geletin, which not only heals the lining of the entire digestive tract, but provides an atmoshphere where the digestive tract can funtion as your "primary immune system". When your digestive tract is unhealthy, many foreign organisms (including bacteria, viruses, and pieces of food - which contribute to food allergies) are able to pass through to your bloodstream. These organisms are now in your body, causing you to become sick. With a healthy gut, these organisms are NOT allowed through, and pass out of your system, w/o your knowledge that you were infected at all! Sally Fallon write, in Nourishing Traditions, "Modern research has confirmed that broth helps prevent and mitigate infectious diseases. The wise food provider, who uses a gelatin-rich broth on a daily or frequent basis, provided continuous protection from many health problems." (NT p. 117)

Stocks also have many more health benefits, some of which include:
*Stocks contain the minerals of bone, marrow, cartilage, and vegetables (if organic vegetables were used to make it) as an electrolyte solution, and are extremely nutritious. Electrolyes are a form of nutrients that the body can assimilate completely and immediately. Rather than buy all those expensive "electrolyte drinks", you can be comforted with a bowl of real chicken soup when you are sick! Furthermore, the minerals (from the bones you used to make it) in the electrolye form and assimilated and used to build your own stong bones!

*Stocks, also, while not a complete protein in and of themselves, are considered to be a "protein sparer". This means that they "allow the body to better utilize the complete proteins that are taken in." (Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions p. 116). So, when you make a soup with real stock and use only a small amount of meat, your body will assimilate more of the protein than you would have had you eaten that same small amount alone. You can use your small amounts of leftover meats in soups, for a highly nutritious, economic meal!

*The Geletin in stocks, that is not present in "canned broth" is also healing to your joints and cartilage. Consuming real broths and stocks will serve as a protection against arthritis and other bone disorders.

So - how do you make real broths and stocks? Simply simmer some chicken or beef bones in a large stock pot of water all day! Throw in a spash of vinegar, and you'll draw out more of the minerals, further fortifying your broth. Add some organic veggies (carrots, celery, onions) and you'll add more minerals that these veggies have from the soil. Put in a piece of peeled ginger (an inch or so) and you'll add an immune-boosting quality to your broth.

I frequently roast a whole chicken. At the end of the meal, I take the leftover "carcass" and put it in a gallon sized freezer bag. When I'l low on stock, I simply take it out, put it in the largest pot I have, add my veggies and sometimes ginger, fill it with water, toss in a splash of vineger, then bring it to a simmer. It simmers on low all day, filling my home with a wonderful aroma. At the end of the day, I remove the bones and veggies with a slotted spoon then fill 1 c, 4 c, and 8 c freezer containers. I then put these containers in the freezer to use in soups, to cook brown rice in, to use in place of store-bought chicken broth in various meals (such as chicken pot pie, or to make the sauce for my homemade chicken enchiladas), and to make gravy - which we consume often!

We consume foods made with real stocks and broths frequently, each week. Especially during the winter, we probably consume some sort of stock atleast every other day.

This brings me back to the point I made at the beginning of the post: Zach and I had a *mild* case of the flu, that we got over very quickly, on our own. I firmly believe that since making the changes to whole foods eating, that we have significantly improved our immune systems, to the point that we rarely need medicines to get over common "bugs" that seem to knock everyone else we know out, along with the secondary infections that come with that. After discussing this at length with our family doctor, he concurs. Because our bodies are not overrun with junk foods, preservatives, msg, chemicals etc, our immune system can be in reserve for when we really do get a bug. Add to that the positive effect of nourishing your body regularly with real food, you have vitamin and mineral reserves to fight off infection when it comes. A healthy gut (which is your first line of defense) further aids this, as it prevents most bugs from "getting through to the bloodstream". I can't prove this of course, but what I can tell you, is that I can count on 1 hand the number of times that our entire family (everyone included) has been to the doctor for a "sick visit" in the last 4 years combined! I believe the frequent use of stock and broths play a vital role in that.

Not to mention - foods made from real stocks and broths don't compare with their "canned counterparts". The taste alone is enough to encourage you to put in the minimal work required!

Shauna

*The information in this post is not intended to be medical advice, but is rather, a summary of what the author understands of the principals presented in the book "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon, and should be construed as the author's opinion only.