Say what? Yup, your eyes are not deceiving you. Those are egg shells in my bone broth. I was going to start by telling you about all the miraculous properties of bone broth. I mean if you google it you will find tons of articles that say it is good for joint health, gut health, immune system, beautification of skin, decrease cellulite, strengthens the enamel on your teeth, and I am sure there are more claims that I have not hit on. The problem is that all of those claims are not all scientifically proven. Just because you are pulling out minerals and compounds from bones does not necessarily mean it is going to go straight into our bones, skin, and teeth.

So here is what really happens:
Collagen is digested and turned into amino acids which are the building blocks for whatever our body needs. It does not go straight to our joints or immediately plump up our skin.
A Harvard study involving patients with rheumatoid arthritis found that the collagen (specifically chicken collagen) diminishes the immune system response from attacking our cartilage and decreases inflammation. The degradation of cartilage in patients with osteoarthritis is also caused by a similar autoimmune response.

Ok, so what about all those other claims? I think that the combination of the anti-inflammatory properties as well as all the incredible nutrients that are derived from bone broth is miraculous enough for me. I am smelling the goodness coming from my own huge crock pot full of bones, veggies, and egg shells simmering right now as I am writing this.

Oh, right, the eggshells. I kind of got on a bit of a tangent on the bone broth and forgot to mention the egg shells. Well, let me tell you about those eggshells. This is the first time I have put them in my bone broth. As I was researching bone broth I came across a few sites where people were doing this and I wondered why. Egg shells are made of calcium. Not only that but it is potentially the best form for your body to absorb. It also contains iron, magnesium, sulphur, manganese, phosphorus, silicon, gelatin, collagen, and zinc. Since it takes many of these elements to build strong bones and joints (not just calcium alone) it is in my honest opinion a great addition to bone broth. I would recommend that only pasture raised eggs should be used if possible or at least organic eggs.

So here is my recipe for bone broth.
* Bones from grass fed beef or chickens (with no hormones or antibiotics) I like chicken but you can use beef, veal, or a variety together
* Save your cooked bones from dinner
* Chicken backs, necks, wings(I get mine from Earthfare since they are free of hormones and antibiotics)
* Chicken feet(tons of nourishing gelatin)
* Peppercorns 1-2 Tnl
* Apple Cider vinegar 1-2 Tbl (this helps pull the minerals out of the bones)
* Celery cut into chunks
* Carrots cut into chunks
* Onions cut into chunks
* Garlic 4-6 cloves
* Bay leaf
* Egg shells (as many as you want but I think 4-8 would be good.)

Place everything into your crock pot (you can also use a stock pot on the stove or your instant pot. I like the crock pot because I don’t have to keep an eye on it or continue to add more water as it basically self waters).

Start it on high and cook for 1 hour then turn it down on low and let it go for about 24 hours. I start it in the am and then let it go all day and all night and then the next morning I shut it off and let it set for a bit to cool down. Pull the bones, veggies, and shells out and discard. Using a fine mesh colander strain the broth and refrigerate. This will allow you to scrape the fat off the top. You should have something that looks like gelatin. Amber colored jiggly meat jello.

Now you can warm it and enjoy it. I like to add a little miso and sea vegetable. Or just a little sea salt. Sip on it whenever you are craving something bad for you.