Decoding The Science Behind The Best Tasting Bone Broth On The Face Of The Planet.

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Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

There's much more to bone broth than meets the eye.

Take the bones for example. Killer bones make killer bone broth, but not all bones are created equal. Knuckle, patella, femur, and feet bones actually make the best broth, because these bones have been proven to contain the highest concentration of white and red stem-cell marrow, as well as the highest levels of collagen – one of the major benefits of drinking bone broth.

The ingredients matter too. For example, you can achieve one of the most nourishing bone broths on the face of the planet when you combine marrow bones like those listed above (from pasture raised, grass-fed cows) with organic carrots, organic onions, organic celery, organic bay leaves, organic parsley, apple cider vinegar, a pinch of black peppercorn, sea salt, thyme and rosemary extract.

Bone broth packaging matters too. Most bone broth companies aren’t USDA approved and require their bone broth to be frozen. This makes shipping a hassle (not to mention expensive!) makes the bone broth hard to store, and requires the heavy addition of preservatives, nasty additives and extra sodium or worse yet, packaging that is chock full of pathogens and germs.

But this kind of information flies under the radar, so in today's podcast, my guest Justin Mares and I pull back the curtain on all things bone broth.  Justin is the founder of Kettle & Fire bone broth, the first ever fresh, never frozen organic bone broth company, and during our discussion, you'll discover:

-Why bone broth is supposed to form a gelatin when it's in your fridge, and why you shouldn't eat it if it doesn't “gel”…[9:52]

-Whether there's any actual research on bone broth, or just on the individual components of it, like glycine or glucosamine or collagen…[14:50]

-Which is the best type of broth: cow, chicken or fish…[22:37]

What the best kind of bones are for bone broth…[29:45]

-The difference between red-cell marrow and white-cell marrow, and which you should consume…[31:45]

-Why Kettle & Fire adds to their bone broth 100% grass-fed cows, organic carrots, organic celery, organic onions, organic bay leaves, organic apple cider vinegar, and reverse osmosis purified water…[34:10]

-The best temperature for bone broth to keep nutrients from degrading…[36:50]

-How can you actually get a packaged and shipped bone broth sent to your house without having a bunch of preservatives and artificial crap in it…[39:18]

-Why you should stay far away from any grocery store bone broths…[43:00]

-How bone broth can be used to lose weight, stay in ketosis, heal a leaky gut, fix constipation, and much more…[46:55]

Resources from this episode:

Kettle & Fire Bone Broth (that link gets you $10 off any order, and additional discounts if you add more bone broth cartons to your cart).

The study Justin mentioned about glycine attenuating the insulin spike that comes with glucose ingestion.

Ben's bark tea recipe

Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Justin or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!

Ask Ben a Podcast Question

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34 thoughts on “Decoding The Science Behind The Best Tasting Bone Broth On The Face Of The Planet.

  1. Josh says:

    Is anyone concerned about the 2g of carbs (i assume from the carrots). Perhaps a carb free version would appeal to alot of people. Would be interesting to know if that will ever be available..

  2. Soleil says:

    Thank you for sharing this. I was one of those people that didn’t believe what bone broth can do, thinking it was just a hype. But after I tried drinking Au Bon Broth, I changed my mind. I’ve been experiencing its benefits since then.

  3. Dwight Jessup says:

    Awesome info from Chris Kresser and Weston Price:

    https://chriskresser.com/the-bountiful-benefits-o…

    http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/broth-i…
    file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/westonaprice.org-Broth%20is%20Beautiful%20(1).pdf

  4. Alex says:

    I have some left over turkey in the fridge I wanted to make bone broth with in the crock pot. Any suggestions?

    1. Louis says:

      I know this links to another podcast but im pretty sure she was invited on this podcast once..

      anyhow she has a recipe here:
      http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/02/18/healing-fo…

  5. Des says:

    Hi – thanks for an interesting podcast. I was intrigued when you mentioned that people are using this for ultra distance races. Im keen to try it, but don’t want to get hooked unless there will be a powder/compressed (if thats the word to use) form available soon? One that we could use in a self-supported multiday event where you carry all your supplies with you for 7 days.

    1. Justin says:

      We are looking into compressed bone broth formats, but unfortunately don’t think we will do a powder. The only way to create a powder from bone broth is to spray dry or bleach it, both of which denature the proteins in the broth and seem to rob it of many of the nutrients that make it so valuable.

      That said, I have heard of people making it at home dehydrating their bone broth and making a bone broth “brittle” – that may be worth looking into.

  6. Ben W says:

    Great podcasts as usual.

    Been making bone broth for a couple years now. How ever up here in Alaska, 100% grass fed/finished bones are harder to come by and expensive when you do.

    Gonna give your product a whirl, a bit on the spendy side considering how cheap good broth can be made in the lower 48, but it’s worth a shot.

    A quick question. Any experience making bone broth with wild game animals(moose, caribou specifically)?

    Thank you and i look forward to getting my first order.

    Also it would be nice to have an every other month subscription option.

    1. Justin says:

      I have not had experience making bone broth with wild game (though I’d like to).

      Also, you can edit your subscription so that it comes every other month! Just log into your account, or email [email protected] and we’ll help you out :)

  7. Louis says:

    You break my heart :(

    I come to order and see state/province (i get all excited), go to choose Canada as the country… IT’S NOT THERE </3

    And that's with or without the promo page/code

    – The brothless man

    1. Justin says:

      Sorry Louis :(

      However, I do have good news – we sell via Lucky Vitamin, which does deliver to Canada! You can check it out here – https://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-1169306-kettle-and…

      1. Louis says:

        yayyyy!

        1. Federer says:

          Don’t order it. I did from luckyvitamin and it’s tasteless which is not a surprise as it has 0 fat in it—which is what would have given it some taste. Justin is obviously a sincere fellow but this stuff is basically mineralized water. Stick to making your own. I repeat do not waste your money.

  8. Kimberly says:

    I’m wondering if there are any studies out there about the use of chicken bones (free range) that have some soy or corn in their diets vs pastured chicked feed an organic/no soy/no corn diet? I buy truly pastured chicken locally from an amazing ranch where their feed is organic/no soy/no corn but don’t have the chicken bones available (and if they were, I don’t think I could afford them) so I get those at our local butch whose chicken has some corn/soy in their diets, which I’m not fond of, but I haven’t been able to find any other options.

    1. Justin says:

      Not that I’ve found. There are not a ton of studies out there just yet around hte efficacy of bone broth.

  9. Megan says:

    Hey Ben and Justin ,

    Thanks for the great podcast. Two questions:

    1) Bone broth made in the pressure cooker (it does become gelatinous). Thoughts?

    2) We know bone broth is high in glutamine – a beneficial amino acid… sometimes. What are the implications with cancer, both for those with and looking to prevent? Is there a reason to be concerned with over-consumption of the glutamine in bone broth?

    1. Justin says:

      Hi Megan. To answer your questions:

      1. Sorry, not understanding your question. Are you asking if bone broth made in a pressure cooker becomes gelatinous?

      2. From my understanding of glutamine (granted, I am not a doctor), it appears that this is a contentious topic in health science. I’d reference a few of the studies in the below article, but at this point I personally believe that the evidence points towards glutamine supplementation being a good thing for cancer patients.

      Article – http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/aidan-goggins/glu…

      1. Megan says:

        Hey Justin-

        Thanks for your replies! To clarify: I was wondering if making bone broth in the pressure cooker is as good as slow cooker or crockpot. If it becomes gelatinous, is that a good indication that it is a good method?

  10. Mile says:

    I grow up on bone broth, and it is part of everyday diet where I’m coming from, and it is funny to me how people using it here in North America. We never eat (especially not drink it is not a beverage) bone broth on its own and never eat it in morning or evening. You consume bone broth as a appetizer before lunch mixed with chicken liver and vegetables, and than you have your lunch. If you want to have meal (lunch) that is made with bone broth than you can cook stuffed narrow squash or stuffed peppers in the broth. I never heard anyone consuming bone broth in morning or for a diner.

  11. Dalles says:

    Hey Ben and Justin, great info in this podcast, thanks heaps.

    I make a lot of bone broth at home and I wanted to know is there any benefit in adding turmeric for it’s anti-inflammatory benefits to bone broth or would I be better of incorportaing turmeric elsewhere in the diet?

    If yes, what’s the best form to add, fresh or powdered and at what stage?

    A lot of time I’ll add some turmeric powder when I make a batch and then if I think of it I’ll add some more when I’ warming an individual batch up.

    Thanks again in advance.

    1. Justin says:

      Hey Dalles,

      Thanks for listening. There are definitely benefits to incorporating turmeric, and a bunch of our customers do so. I don’t know that it makes a huge difference what stage you add turmeric at, but I would recommend going with the fresh stuff.

      Ben might have some better ideas here, as I haven’t dived too deep into the benefits of turmeric just yet.

  12. Roger says:

    Hi Justin,

    I bought a frozen mix of beef bones at whole foods. When I put the bones in the water it turned green inside what I believe was a cut thigh bone. Is that normal? I cooped out everything I could to clean it so none remained. Any tips for this if it happens again?

    1. Justin says:

      Hi Roger,

      To be honest, I have no idea – this has not happened to me before. Sorry!

  13. Frank says:

    Justin,

    Can you address why your bone broth remains liquid even when refrigerated? Is this because there is water added or is it part of the preservation process? When I make bone broth at home, it seems to gel when refrigerated into a pretty stable and hard gel.

  14. Frank says:

    Justin/Ben,

    Can you address why your bone broth remains quite liquid even when refrigerated? We make bone broth at home from time to time and it usually turns into a pretty stable gel. I’m just curious if there is added water or if it has something to do with preservation?

    1. Justin says:

      Hey Frank,

      The broth should gel once you open it and put it in the fridge at home. We test samples from every batch to ensure that it gels. Feel free to email us if yours doesn’t for some reason – [email protected]

      Thanks,

      Justin

  15. Raymond says:

    Hi Ben.

    Recently began really listening to you (Vermont conference) and am floored at the depth of your knowledge and expertise. Thank you for sharing so much of it.

    Also, the deals you help find with these companies are outstanding. Thank you again.

    I make my own broth, but it IS a PITA and time consuming, so I was looking for a producer of excellent bone broth, but at a reasonable price. The people on this podcast seem perfect.

    Question for them. Would you be open to offering a military and/or subscription discount?

    Thanks again.

    1. Justin says:

      Hi Raymond,

      We are indeed open to offering a military and subscription discount. If you subscribe on our site, we automatically give you a 25% discount – https://www.kettleandfire.com/products/beef-bone-…

      Otherwise, if you want to email me after you place your order I’ll give you a further military discount. My brother is an Army Ranger, so I really respect and appreciate what you all do.

      Thanks,

      Justin

  16. Jake says:

    Just curious if there is a specific time of day that is better to drink bone broth? Also, is it better to drink on an empty stomach or with food?

    1. Justin says:

      Hi Jake,

      We have not seen there is a better or worse time to drink it. Personally, I like to drink it in the morning.

      I also have not seen any research as to whether or not it’s better to drink on an empty stomach or with food. Thanks!

      Justin

  17. Gary Rossen says:

    I am most of the way through so I am not sure if you addressed this. I don’t eat beef. What about Chicken bone broth? Is there a plan to make that? Is it just as good…or not? I heard it may have extra Lead depending on the feeding practices used.

    Thanks, Gary

    1. Justin says:

      Hi Gary,

      We are working on a chicken bone broth now! It should be out in late December of this year, and will use only chickens from 100% organically raised chickens – so no fear of lead.

      Thanks,

      Justin

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