Nourishing, Gut-Healing Bone Broths

For those of you recovering from celiac disease, food allergies/intolerances and/or leaky gut, homemade, nutrient-dense stocks or bone broths can be an amazing way to correct nutritional deficiencies and actually rebuild the wall of the intestines.  

Homemade stock or bone broth is a mineral-rich infusion made by boiling healthy animal bones (poultry, lamb, beef, bison, or fish) with vegetables and herbs/spices and can be a powerful remedy for healing the digestive system.  Stock or bone broth delivers minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus in an easily absorbed form, which can help combat the nutritional deficiencies that a compromised digestive system causes.  Bone broth contains a variety of beneficial amino acids, including glutamine, which has been shown to rebuild the intestinal wall and heal leaky gut.  Sound good? The best part is that it is very simple to make!
 

Chicken Stock:
2 chicken carcasses or 2-3 lbs of bony chicken parts (necks, breastbones, wings, etc.)
4 quarts cold filtered water
2 T raw apple cider vinegar or lemon
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped
Herbs of choice (rosemary, thyme, etc.)

1. You can make your stock on the stove or in a crockpot.  For the stove, place your bones in a large, stainless steel pot with water, vinegar, and all of your vegetables.  Let stand 30 min-1 hr.  Bring to a boil and remove scum that rises to the top.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 6-24 hrs.  The longer you cook the stock, the richer and more flavorful it will become.  For a crockpot, follow the same procedure as above and then transfer to a 5-6 qt crockpot after you have removed scum and brought to a boil.  Turn crockpot on low and slow cook for 24 hrs.
2. Pour finished stock through a strainer into a pyrex bowl or other pot and allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator.  After a few hours, you should have a gelatinous stock with a large layer of chicken fat on top.  Skim off the fat and use for cooking and sautéing. Place the remaining stock in containers to freeze.  Mason jar work well.  Just make sure to leave an inch or so of head room.  I usually just leave the fat in my stock instead of skimming it off and simply strain my stock directly into pint mason jars for freezing. 

*Use your delicious stocks in soups and stews or to replace water when cooking your grains.  Some folks also choose to drink an 8oz cup of stock each morning as part of a gut-healing protocol.