Are You Getting Enough of This Powerful Protein?

I have used bone broths and collagen as a form of natural healing in my life and in the lives of my family members. The older I get, the more I find how essential these foods are to my body. I first noticed how crucial it is to consume these foods about twenty-one years ago when my daughter had IBS. I made her tons of soups made with collagen-rich bone broths and she had at least one cultured food at every meal. In a month, she began to heal in a powerful way. As I've gotten older, I notice how much they help my skin and joints stay stronger. They also give me bursts of energy, keep my blood sugars stable, and also help me when I do strength training. It's no coincidence anymore. I have gone from learning to knowing that they really help me in so many ways and there is no turning back for me. These foods are mainstays in my diet and I love them. The benefits of bone broth and collagen as a traditional food are many. To start with, they have powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-aging qualities. They do an amazing job of helping to fill in the missing amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) in the diet.

Gelatin, Collagen, and Bone Broth

Gelatin is made from cooking collagen. Gelatin is a degraded form of collagen. Therefore, they have virtually identical nutritional profiles. It is the most plentiful protein in humans and animals and gelatin boosts our collagen levels. Collagen is found almost everywhere in the body, but it is most abundant in the skin, bones, tendons, and ligaments. It also helps to hold our tissues together and gives strength to our skeleton. The gelatin we consume comes from collagen in animal skin, bones, ligaments, and tendons. It also greatly increases collagen stores in us, which leads to many impressive health benefits.

Most vegetarians and vegans will object to these animal foods, but I have found I don't do well without them. Some people have difficulty assimilating vitamins, minerals, protein, and other factors from only plant foods. I found that I need a proportion of nutrients from animal foods to achieve optimum health. Without it, I'm cold all the time and have low energy. My teeth started to experience decay, and my immune system seemed to struggle more. I also had terrible anxiety that was overwhelming and debilitating and something I never want to experience again. Everybody is different, but my personal body makeup needs these special proteins that come from the foods I eat. I do eat a ton of vegetables which is very important too. I appreciate that so many non-meat eaters have developed new recipes that have made vegetable (prebiotic) foods in so many new ways. It truly helps me find balance because I need all of it to stay healthy.

Collagen peptides, or powdered gelatin, are 98–99% protein and abundant in amino acids.They are the richest food source of the amino acid glycine. Glycine is used by your body to create proteins, needed for the growth and maintenance of tissue and for making important substances such as hormones and enzymes. Glycine even helps us sleep and reduce inflammation. Studies show that your body can make it, but most people won't make enough to cover their needs.

Bone Broth

When you buy collagen supplements they contain one thing: collagen. But bone broth contains multiple nutrients including naturally-occurring chondroitin sulfate (found in bones and cartilage), hyaluronic acid (found in the synovial fluid of joints), and nearly twenty other forms of amino acids. It is also rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and other trace minerals — the same minerals needed to build and strengthen your own bones. It also provides vitamin A, vitamin K2, minerals (zinc, iron, boron, manganese, and selenium), as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.