How have you physically and mentally navigated the stress of the holidays?
Despite the feelings of celebration and gratitude, all the festivities (and work required to prepare) can leave us feeling depleted. So, whether you need to recover from a holiday party where you overindulged, a stressful family event, a hard pre holiday party workout we have some help for you today.
The same advise also applies if you are recovering from a bigger illness or injury. The goal is the same. Put into your body what it needs to recover and minimize stress on your digestive system in the process.
Our secret . . . Bone Broth!
Although you may have seen it in the media a lot lately, bone broth is not a “fad”. Backed by many cultural traditions and years of advice from wise grandmothers, bone broth has many healing properties. It’s why we eat chicken noodle soup when we are sick.
It’s not only great to heal from sickness but from physical injury as well. So whether you have a new injury, chronic pains, or are achy from a training session – bone broth can help you recuperate faster. Here are 7 ways bone broth with help you recover faster.
Protects Joints
Our body has a natural protection for our joints called cartilage. It’s a rubbery substance that acts like a natural cushion. Glucosamine and chondroitin are often used to protect the integrity of the cartilage in the joins. It’s often taken in supplement form because as we get older our stores become depleted.
An easy and less expensive option to supplementation is to drink bone broth where both glucosamine and chondroitin naturally occur. You will be supporting your joint health, flexibility and and comfort.
Builds Bone
When you make bone broth from scratch, a gel forms at the top – do not throw this away. This substance is gelatin and one of the most valuable components of bone broth. It provides the building blocks that are needed to form and maintain strong bones.
Gelatin allows bones to glide against one another without friction, takes pressure off joints and supports healthy bone density.
Digestion Friendly
Got tummy trouble? Whether it a temporary stomach bug or chronic pain and bloating, bone broth will come to the rescue. It is easily digested and soothing because it doesn’t have to be broken down. The long process of simmering the bones draws all the nutrients into the bone broth. Your body has less work to getting the vitamins and minerals into a form your body can absorb.
In addition, the nutrients we discussed above all work to heal and repair damage to the lining of the digestive system to make it less inflamed and more durable.
Improves Immunity
As bone broth supports gut health it also supports the immune system. Gelatin, amino acids, glutamine, and proline are all present to allow your body to have a help seal up the gut so invaders don’t get into your blood stream.
In addition, bone broth promotes health sleep, more energy, and a better mood – all things that make your body more resilient when faced with illness.
Rebuilds Muscles
The amino acids in bone broth help build, repair, and maintain the health of muscle tissue. This is why athletes often take BCAAs (branch chain amino acid supplements) before a workout.
Glycine, an amino acid found in high amounts in bone broth, is found to protect muscle loss. In fact, studies show it helps stop the expression of genes associated with age related muscle protein breakdown.
Connective Tissue Repair
Collagen is a protein found in connective tissues through our bodies – bone, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and skin. It is basically what holds us together. In this way, it is important to regenerate damaged tissue cause by injury or again.
The breakdown of collagen is bone broth is what produces gelatin – both beneficial to not only our insides but our outsides too. Studies show taking in collagen improves health of your hair, nails and skin – even smoothing wrinkles.
Metabolism Boost
Glutamine is an amino acid also assists metabolism. It helps us maintain energy and burn more by sending nutrients – especially nitrogen – to our cells. Arginine also breaks down nitrogen to improve circulation to send nutrition throughout the body.
All of these factors allow bone broth to help us bounce back or just feel healthier in general. But are you wondering how you get all these benefits into your body? You can supplement with each of these things individually or you can get it from the source.
Head over to Facebook and “LIKE” our page so you don’t miss the bone broth recipes we will post this week.
Or, if you want to know even more about using bone broth to improve your health, e-mail amanda@peakpotentialpt.com to get a Free EBook on using and cooking with bone broth.
