Gut Health

All disease begins in the gut. – Hippocrates

In an earlier post we introduced the benefits of bone broth as part of a healthy diet.  Here we focus on bone broth as it relates to gut health.  “Tens of millions of Americans suffer from digestive disorders.”  This statement from Nourishing Broth book, hits home, really close to our home.  It was Doug’s struggles with acid reflux that started us down the path of learning about grassfed beef and real food as the true source of healing.

Back in 1937, Dr. Francis Pottenger and others may not have known the exact science behind the healing power of bone broth, but these were a list of gut related conditions they knew broth would relieve:

• nervous digestion, slow digestion
• diarrhea, gas formation
• heartburn, vomiting
• children allergies

We brought up Dr. Pottenger in a prior post.  (If I just could have understood in elementary school how his cat research related to my health, oh how much pain could have been avoided!)

So what has happened over the years that millions of folks deal with gut issues daily?  For one thing, broth went out of style.  With the advent of antacids and other pills to pop, broth was just “old school”.  Broths disappearance and the appearance of the modern standard American diet (SAD) and our guts were primed for trouble.

Current science points out a number of digestive power components in broth.  First of all it is rich in glycosaminoglycans, used by the body to form healing mucus.  The mucus in our intestinal tract protect us from foreign substances entering our body including food, microbes, heavy metals and toxins.  When our mucus secretion becomes depleted, the result is a “leaky gut”.

Have you heard the term “microbiome”?

Early on in our cattle operation we learned that cows cannot digest grass!  A cow is entirely reliant on trillions of bacteria (microbiome) within their gut to digest grass.  The bacteria break down the grass and release nutrition to the cow for life.  We have a number of visual techniques to quickly diagnosis the status of a cows microbiome on a daily basis.  Guess what, we are entirely dependent on trillions of microbes everyday to stay alive also.  When our microbiome is happy we, are happy.

The mucus in our digestive system provides a safe home for our microbes.  The mucus protects the bacteria from our bodies normal process that tries to expel them.  The presence of the bacteria stimulates production of mucus, a wonderful cycle, that is if our bodies are healthy.  The happy beneficial microbes help us absorb and transport nutrients across the gut barrier within our body.  Unfortunately a compromised “leaky gut” allows foreign microbes and toxins to keep us in a state of inflammation or disease.

As science learns more about our microbiome, pharmaceutical companies will surely look to develop pills to help manage and promote healthy gut microbes.  WHY WAIT?  Broth is a tried, true traditional food added to all gut healing diets to help address:

• allergies, candida, parasites
• bloating, gas, acid reflux
• constipation, diarrhea, IBS
• and all other leaky gut issues…

Looking for more information?

1. Broth Is Beautiful – WAPF
2. Why Broth Is Beautiful – WAPF
3. Book – “Nourishing Broth” (information used in this post)

Want to try making your own broth?

1. Certified Grassfed Beef BONES at DS Family Farm, drop us an email!
2. Dr. Axe Beef Bone Broth Recipe (try it in your crock pot)