Heal Your Stomach With Bone Broth

November 07, 2017 1 Comment

Heal Your Stomach with Bone Broth

 

Three magical words: gelatin, collagen, stomach health. These words mix together to create the nutrient-packed drink, bone broth, which has been growing in popularity amongst nutritionists and fitness experts.

As a nation, we battle multiple gastrointestinal illnesses. According to recent surveys, about 74 percent of Americans struggle daily with digestive symptoms, such as bloating, abdominal pain, or chronic diarrhea. Unfortunately, some of these digestive problems cannot be treated with medicine, leaving individuals to live with these symptoms. Curing many of these stomach problems, bone broth contains important building blocks of the body that aid in healing your gut.  

One of the main and plentiful proteins in the body is collagen. This structural protein is found in the skin, connective tissues, tendons, and bones. Found in collagen are important amino acids that benefit the stomach and intestines. One of these amino acids, known as glycine, can help improve digestion through the release of more stomach acid.

Many are under the belief that gastrointestinal issues are caused by too much acid in the stomach. However, this is incorrect. These digestive problems are actually a result of LOW gastric acid. Glycine plays a vital role in reversing stomach pain by raising acidity levels. This allows food to be better digested, further preventing heartburn and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). Typically, GERD or heartburn is caused by insufficient production of gastric acid that leaves undigested food in the stomach. After awhile, the undigested food begins to build up, creating pressure within the stomach. As a result, acid is pushed into the esophagus, leading to that burning feeling in the throat and chest. Bone broth can aide in reversing these digestive issues as it contains glycine. With glycine increasing gastric acid to ensure that all food is properly broken down and digested, gastrointestinal issues tend to decrease.

Known for aiding in detoxification, glycine can also help remove toxic substances that are in the stomach or intestine, further improving your digestive health. Not only does this amino acid carry benefits for your digestive system, but it also is a precursor amino acid to glutathione. Glutathione is an important antioxidant that aids in detoxifying the stomach.

As we age, collagen levels decrease due to various causes such as processed foods, radiation, nutritional deficits, and stress. Though collagen can be found in certain foods, it is difficult to consume as collagen is in parts of animals that aren’t normally eaten. One way that has become popular to consume collagen is through bone broth, whether homemade bone broth or bone broth protein powder.

By now, the health benefits of collagen alone should encourage you to start consuming bone broth or bone broth protein powder. However, the list of benefits continues to grow when the chemical state of collagen changes. When heat is applied to collagen, a different type of protein is formed, known as gelatin.

This powerful protein is packed with more amino acids that boost gut health and metabolism. In addition, gelatin can seal holes within the intestine and cure constipation or chronic diarrhea. These amino acids that gelatin consists of include proline, arginine, glutamine, and glycine, which we talked about earlier in the previous paragraphs.

Here are some additional health benefits of these amino acids:  

Proline

This amino acid can be produced by the body through the breakdown of another amino acid, glutamate. Though proline may not directly be associated with healing your gut, this amino acid does wonders for your skin. Proline makes up about 15 percent of collagen, creating many benefits for the health of skin tissue. For example, proline helps with skin elasticity –making you look younger –and enhances the smoothness of the skin. In addition, proline can reduce the appearance of cellulite and plays an important role in joint health. Even better, the proline in bone broth can help save you money that would be otherwise spent on expensive wrinkle creams!

2. Arginine

Known for stimulating human growth hormones, arginine can boost your metabolism. With a faster metabolism, individuals often experience weight loss as a side effect. This amino acid can also aid in restoring kidney function.

3.         Glutamine

This amino acid is a miracle worker for the digestive system! Glutamine is known for helping “Leaky Gut Syndrome” and protecting non-leaky guts. “Leaky Gut Syndrome” is a condition that occurs when the tight junctions in the intestinal lining separate. These “tight junctions” are the entryway “between the intestines and what is permitted to pass into the bloodstream” (7 Signs and Symptoms You Have a Leaky Gut). When the intestinal lining splits, small holes are created that allow food particles to enter directly into the bloodstream. This can result in food intolerances, autoimmune diseases, and cravings. However, glutamine comes into play here and can help fill in those holes, rebuilding the intestinal wall.

       

With all of these benefits, bone broth serves as a magical elixir to heal your gut and enhance your overall well-being! By simply adding bone broth to your diet–whether by bone broth protein powder or as simply the broth itself–your stomach acidity will be better regulated and symptoms of a gastrointestinal ailment can be reduced.

1 Response

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.

Name *

Email *

Comment *

---

Also in Blog