You’re probably deep in the grips of winter. All throughout the southeast, winter is bearing down and there’s no end in sight. Well, that’s not entirely true. After the snow, comes a few days of spring like weather fooling you into thin jackets and short sleeves, then another round of icy roads and freezing temperatures! There’s nothing you can do about the weather. It is what it is. You can, however, kill two birds with one stone and just maybe make it out on the other side.
It’s the beginning of the year and you no doubt either made resolutions or a personal goal to eat healthier. So why not brave the cold temperatures with a nice bowl of soup? Soups are a healthy, hearty, foolproof option to warm your bones when the weather is on attack! Unless you are eating a cream-based soup, most soups are ultra-healthy. Proteins—either from meat or beans like chickpeas or pintos—veggies, and herbs are all staples and just about all you need to make a great dish! They also lend themselves to creativity and individualism. Even if you are following a recipe, there are often suggestions, built-in, of how and what you can substitute to make it your own and appealing to you and your family. Soups are eaten when it’s warm, as a viable one-pot meal option and some swear by it when you’re sick. The curative properties of chicken soup are academic but a new (or old, depending on who you ask) soup making the rounds of studies, BLOGS, and talk shows is bone soup.
Bone soup (commonly referred to as bone broth, or soup stock) is a liquid made by boiling animal (chicken, cow, etc.) bones in water with a bit of vinegar. After 2 to 48 hours of low and slow simmering, the liquid in the pot is kept and the bones are discarded. The end ingredient is a broth that contains all of the valuable nutrients that are found in animal bones that can be canned, frozen or used immediately. According to “Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,” the liquid left is highly nourishing and is valuable both as a food and as a medicine. The broth is believed to: prevent/treat mineral deficiencies, reduce anxiety/insomnia, heal wounds and benefit skin, and protect bone health.
WOW, I know right! So much benefit from so few ingredients. You’re going to make soup anyway—it’s still cold, and you are still looking for ways to eat healthier—so why not use this flavorful, health beneficial broth as the base for some of your tried and true soup recipes? Stay warm and healthy!
Bone Soup/Broth Recipe Suggestions:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/337123-bone-soup-nutrition/
