From the beginning of time—or at least since man discovered fire and our ancestor hunters came on the scene—humans all over the world have been boiling bones to glean their last bits of goodness after eating all the meat. Bone Broth is a time-honored traditional food that seems to have hit the mainstream recently. It’s touted as a “superfood” by athletes, nutritionists, and even the New York Times. From Portland to NYC, Bone Broth bars are popping up across the country, with patrons lining up for their morning “cuppa.” Cuppa broth, that is.
What is Bone Broth? It’s a broth made from bones (no kidding), cooked slow and low and long. It can be made from the bones of any animal, but you’ll be most familiar with chicken or beef Bone Broth. If you like a gelatinous broth (stay tuned for why that’s important), you’ll need to include enough bones with joints. Or in the case of chicken Bone Broth, heads and feet.
Bone Broth provides minerals in a state that’s easily absorbed by the human body, which is a good thing (even though it doesn’t provide as much calcium as previously thought). The consumption of Bone Broth also aids in digestion. And if it gels when cooled, you’ve hit the jackpot for your connective tissues, nails, and skin.
So what’s the dark side of Bone Broth? It lies in the “long” part of the “slow and low and long” cook time. Bone Broth simmers at a low temperature for many hours, long enough to allow the connective tissues to dissolve and the minerals to be drawn into the broth. Chicken Bone Broth needs to cook 6–24 hours. Beef, bison, or other large mammal Bone Broth needs at least 24 hours or up to 72 hours to ensure all the cartilage and tendons dissolve. (The bigger the bone, the longer this takes.) The result of such long cook times is a tremendous amount of glutamic acid. And that’s the dark side of Bone Broth.
As you may or may not know, glutamic acid and glutamate are highly regulated by the human brain. If you have a leaky brain, as those with a leaky gut often do, high amounts of glutamic acid can trigger seizures if you’re prone to them. Yes, seizures. It can also trigger other neurological symptoms you may already be sensitive to, including brain fog, migraine headaches, dramatic mood swings, stimming, and nervous tics, to name a few.
Many, many people—including the vast number of children in our country with nervous system disorders such as ADD, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorders—should not be drinking long cooked Bone Broth. I’ve heard from numerous moms in my Simply Being Well practice who told me how their children reacted with seizures after drinking Bone Broth, even just a small amount. The same goes for the many adults who have autoimmune disorders. They too should not be drinking Bone Broth. Why? Because autoimmune means leaky gut, and leaky gut means leaky brain, and leaky brain means glutamic acid sensitivity.
On the Bright Side—Meat Stock!
What to do? If you’re interested in the health benefits of Bone Broth, but you or your loved ones have been diagnosed with or exhibit any of the above symptoms, how can you avoid high amounts of glutamic acid? Meat Stock is your answer. It’s cooked slow and low and not long. The short cook time means glutamic acid levels will be low—and therefore, not problematic.
For more information about Meat Stock, including what it is and how to make it, see my new ebook Cooking Techniques for the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet, Part I: Meat Stock and Bone Broth, available for presale orders from Selene River Press. It’s delicious, nutritious, and easy to make. Your gut, your brain, and your budget will love it!
Next time: What is a leaky gut, anyway? How can you know if you have one, and what can you do about it?
Photo from depositphotos/movingmoment
Celebrated teaching chef, holistic Certified Nutrition Consultant, and Certified GAPS Practitioner, Monica Corrado, MA, has spent decades illuminating the connection between food and well-being and inspiring others to start cooking nourishing traditional food. With her cooking classes, lectures, and books, she has devoted her career to helping both children and adults—especially those who suffer from ASD, ADHD, Asperger’s, allergies, and autoimmune disorders—reclaim their natural health. Monica is also a gifted teacher of teachers. Her Cooking for Well-Being Teacher Training program, established in 2012, has produced graduates from all over the U.S., Hong Kong, Canada, and Mexico. Visit Simply Being Well to schedule a consultation or book Monica as a speaker for your next event.
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Is this knowledge, the dark side of bone broth from Weston A. Price Foundation research? I find it astounding that it is suggested for cancer patients to use bone broth, I know many who feel so great eating it….but its not good for them
Glutamic acid: The suggestion of this article is supported by the TEDx talk: Unblind My Mind: What are we eating?: Dr. Katherine Reid at TEDxYouth@GrassValley, link at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL4SD5f2toQ The presenter is a mother of an autistic child, and microbiologist, who discusses glutamate dysfunction primarily due to today’s foods containing excess free glutamate foods.Dr. Reid’s website is: http://unblindmymind.org/
There are over 50 different ways to label free glutamate, aka MSG, which includes protein processing terms. A download of such terms is available on Dr. Reid’s website. Her child hugely benefited from a diet that reduced the free gluatmic acid loads and such diets include the casein/gluten-free diets. Perhaps this is why autistic benefit with casein/gluten-free diets as they reduce free glutamate loads. Actually, many diseases are associated with excess free glutamate. Glutamic acid is a non-essential amino acid as our bodies will manufacture it without the need to consume a food source. Chronic low grade inflammation (such as from SIBO, gut dysbiosis, or food intolerances, often leads to leaky gut and that can lead to leaky blood brain barrier, allowing increased cross over of glutamate into the brain. It is not known if one needs to be sensitive to glutamate for symptomology.
This issue of glutamine in bone broth and MSG sensitivity is addressed here by co-author of Nourishing Broth (considered by many to be the “broth bible”). It would seem that there’s a fine line there and that a balance should be struck in individuals needing gut healing (and brain healing) between avoiding high glutamine because of potential problems, and getting enough needed glutamine to aid healing (along with the other healing attributes in bone broths). If I recall correctly, the GAPS protocol recommends meat broth at the beginning intro stages and then less-long cooked bone broths until sufficient healing has taken place before graduating to longer cooked bone broths containing more glutamine. http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/bone-broth-msg-what-you-need-to-know/ Maybe Dr. Campbell-McBride should have spent more time on the topic in her book? Or maybe she could address the issue more thoroughly in a future edition?
Can you tell me if this would be something cooking food in a slow cooker or crock pot would cause?
There are 2 forms of glutamine that are mirror images of each other. Generally L-glutamine is the bioavailable form; D-glutamine is the form associated with MSG. I would guess that the form generated by organic pastured bone broth would be the beneficial form. There is no mention of this in the article. Could anyone expand further?
There are 2 forms of glutamine that are mirror images of each other. Generally L-glutamine is the bioavailable form; D-glutamine is the form associated with MSG. I would guess that the form generated by organic pastured bone broth would be the beneficial form. There is no mention of this in the article. Could anyone expand further?
I thought this article was going to be about lead. Long simmering can draw lead out of the bones. Lead is a toxin. No amount is safe. It’s still unfortunately found even in the bones from organic animals.
Can anybody please advise a recommended of slow-cooker time to cook chicken bones, to achieve the balance of enough time for the nutrients, but not too much time to bring out too much glutamic acid? The article doesn’t say. I cook mine 24 hours in a slow cooker, but seems like this is too much, and too dangerous. Thanks.
Hi there! We do not have any data about the length of time to cook chicken bones in a crock pot and avoid a large amount of glutamic acid. The tests were not done on crock pot stock. The main challenge that I find with making stock in crock pots is the difficulty in bringing the bones to a boil quickly, which you want to do in order to skim any scum the forms before putting the stock down to a simmer. So…I often advise my students to bring the stock to a boil on the stove and skim and discard the scum and then put into the crock pot to simmer. If you do that, then I would continue to err on the side of less time than more; perhaps 8-10 hours for chicken. That’s my best offering. However, you could also use “the canary in the coal mine” approach, which is to cook it as you do and then see if you have any symptoms. If you do, then back down the number of cooking hours.
HTH! be well! Monica
Hello Sandy! Hmmmmm. Funny, the finding about the glutamic acid was a by-product of testing that was done to ascertain levels of arsenic in both long and short cooked broth. Didn’t find any arsenic, but found the extreme levels of glutamic acid in long cooked broth. My thought is to stay away from long cooked bone broth. Slow and low…but not too long.
Be well!
Hello! Thank you for your question.
All we know is that the glutamic acid is extremely high in long-cooked bone broth. It contains approximately 3x as much as in short cooked. Whether it is from organic sources or not, it seems to be the high level that can trigger nervous system symptoms.
be well!
Hi Penelope! The issue, as far as I can tell, is two-fold: 1. the amount of bone to meat in the pot (Meat Stock, which is made with lots of meat compared to bones…about an 80/20 ratio, as in a whole chicken, is less likely to form a great amount of glutamic acid because of the amount of meat relative to the bones) and 2. the length of time it is cooked. Meat Stock, again, is cooked a short period of time. So if you were to make Meat Stock in your crock pot, and do it for a relatively short period of time, say, 1 hour on high and 6 or so hours on low, you are probably fine.
HTH!
be well!
Hello Jill! Thank you for your question. The reason I write about Meat Stock is because there is a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation out there. That’s why I wrote my book, Cooking Techniques for the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet: Part I-Meat Stock and Bone Broth…because there is a real problem of people trying to implement the GAPS diet and causing their seizure-prone children to have seizures due to the amount of long-cooked bone broth they are feeding them.
Dr. Natasha is clear in her book that Meat Stock is the stock that is used on the Intro Diet, and only Meat Stock is used during all six stages. She is also clear that the Intro is where you heal and seal the gut. Bone Broth is only used AFTER the gut is healed and sealed, that is, after the Intro is completed, which could take anywhere from 2 months to 2 years or more, depending on the severity of the case. I was blessed to take the two day GAPS Practitioner training with Dr. Natasha this past weekend, and she was clear throughout her training that Meat Stock is what heals and seals the gut, and it is the only stock to be used during Intro.
We are not sure why everyone misses this in her book, as it is written there, along with recipes. Dr. Natasha is very grateful that I have put together my book on Meat Stock and am doing my best to educate people on this point. I have been teaching how to make Bone Broth for years out of Nourishing Traditions, and have been teaching cooking for the GAPS diet since 2010. If you are interested in more information on Meat Stock, you may wish to take a look at my book. You can find it here on Selene River Press https://www.seleneriverpress.com/shop/cooking-techniques-for-the-gut-and-psychology-syndrome-diet-part-i-meat-stock-and-bone-broth/. It was reviewed by both Dr. Natasha and Sally Fallon Morell, with a foreward by Dr. Natasha.
Feel free to contact me with further questions.
be well!
Monica
Hi there! Thank you for your question.
Sally Fallon Morell, founder and president of the WAPF, reviewed the book.
Bone broth certainly has its benefits and is a healer! I am only concerned about the high concentration of glutamic acid in long-cooked broth made of bones…because of its ability to trigger nervous system symptoms–especially seizures in those who are prone to them. For those with a leaky gut (which, unfortunately, is the majority of Americans at this time), Meat Stock is the recommended stock that can heal it and seal it. Once the gut is healed, many symptoms will be relieved and one can go on to bone broth if desired.
Also, we have to remember that the difference in glutamic acid was just discovered in testing about 2 years ago, when we were looking for arsenic levels in chicken broth–long cooked and short cooked. So this information is new and must be taken into consideration, I think, given the amount of disorders that stem from a leaky gut and could be healed by a protocol with short-cooked Meat Stock playing a large role.
HTH!
be well!
Monica
Very useful, thanks Monica
you are welcome! :)
Why not cook in a pressure pot shorter time faster with good result
Hi Carol! I do not recommend pressure cookers for any cooking. Pressure cookers “cook” by extreme pressure and temperature. The extreme pressure and temperature severely denatures the protein in the food. While it may look like a good result, it is not a healthful result. In traditional foods, slow and low wins the race. No peoples in history ever cooked this way. Also, in this case, we are working to make a therapeutic, healing elixir for the lining of the small intestine.
Be well!
How the the primitive people make their broth or stock? How long did they cook it for? How did they mitigate against high levels of glutamatic acid? What about a gelatin product like Great Lakes Gelatin?
Should bone broth be avoided for those with brain tumors or brain cancer?
Hello Bret! I do not have information about how long they cooked their bones. My belief is that leaky gut and its related problems are a 20th century phenomenon. High levels of glutamic acid are not a problem when one has a healthy GI tract…when the small intestine is whole and functioning well.
In terms of gelatin, my understanding is that most gelatin is produced by cooking bones long, which would mean high levels of glutamic acid. However, it looks like Great Lakes Unflavored Beef Gelatin is not high from their amino acid comparison on the can.
Hello Flora! Thank you for your question. The best answer I can give is that if high levels of glutamic acid could be problematic for the brain, (that is, trigger seizures and other nervous system symptoms in those who have leaky brain membranes), I would probably opt for Meat Stock instead of Bone Broth. I have no data, just connecting the dots, here.
Meat Stock is much easier to make, takes less time to make, is a meal in a pot, and will provide a tremendous amount of nutrients. HTH!
Leaky gut may not be the main reason people react to the glutamate, it may be due to polymorphisms in the GAD genes – the GAD enzymes helps to balance GABA and glutamate and if there is a polymorphism there, or co-factors such as magnesium and B6 are not sufficient, then an imbalance between GABA and glutamate is likely. GAD status can be checked with a 23andme test and then run the results through Livewello or similar.
Hi Sally!
Thank you for your message and for sharing this information. I am aware that there are other reasons that people may react to glutamate. My work is currently focused on leaky gut…what causes it, and how to heal it…and bringing to light a challenge that is being experienced by those who are drinking long-cooked bone broth. Many people are not aware of the differences between bone broth and meat stock, and the glutamate issue.
Be well!
Monica
I have epilepsy and recently have been having seizures again after 7 years with none. Could it be all the bone broth I’m consuming. I was told it was excellent for my health and now this. I’m so confused…I was told eating paleo and consuming bone broth would improve my health.
Hi Kylie, I am sorry to hear. The information that long-cooked bone broth contains a high percentage of glutamic acid is fairly new. Certainly, the majority of people do not know about it or its ability to trigger seizures and other neurological symptoms.That was the catalyst for me writing my book on Meat Stock and Bone Broth—too many people without this very important information. You can find the book in the Shop here at Selene River Press.
I would move to short-cooked meat stock, which does the healing and has a much lower glutamic acid content. The GAPS diet (Gut and Psychology Syndrome nutritional protocol) is very healing for all symptoms, especially those that are neurological. I would suggest that you check it out!
my best,
Monica
How long is really long? I make my bone broth in the pressure cooker with vinegar added in an hour and half to 2 hours, remove and crush up softened bones and cook another half hour. This gels nicely.
Why should we have to pay for a recipe? If you are really concerned for people, you would just offer up how to make it, not seek to profit off of people you know are struggling for answers. That is GREED!
Hi Lea! I don’t suggest a pressure cooker for making broth or anything else. The extremely high temperature plus the extremely high pressure denatures the protein molecule structures too much. Also, I just look to traditional peoples and cooking methods, and it has always been slow and low.
be well!
Hi Alyeska! Thank you for your comment and question. I don’t know the answer to that. I do know that practitioners often prescribe a supplement of L-glutamine for gut healing.
If bone broth is giving you headaches, that is a signal that Meat Stock would be better for you.
be well!
Hi Mary,
Thank you for your message.
The book is a lot more than a recipe…it is the culmination of years of study and work, specific to this protocol. It was written with the desire to help a lot of people who are not clear on the difference between bone broth and meat stock, to save them time and help speed their recovery. I recommend my book (which is $10) for anyone who wants to have access to all the research I’ve done over the years, including the most recent stuff. It’s a lot more than just recipes!
Also, there are a lot of recipes for both bone broth and meat stock online for free (in fact – right on this blog: https://www.seleneriverpress.com/tis-the-season-for-meat-stock/ and here https://www.seleneriverpress.com/medicinal-bone-broth-for-winters-woes/) – check them out!
And finally, in our world, money is what it takes to put food on the table for our children and a roof over our heads. Writing is one of the ways I do this.
My best to you,
Monica
Would crushing beef bones with a hammer make it easier to cook for a shorter amount of time to pull nutrients?
Hello Leila! Yes, that is a wonderful thing to do!! (Just be careful to shield your eyes!) ;)
Hi Monica! I’m Badal, from India. I am 20 years old. I consume goat bone broth 4-5 times a month to especially strengthen my bones. It takes me 4 hours to cook them in a pressure cooker until the bones soften and everything dissolves and yes, it gels. My bones started to make some noise and felt weak which concerned me. So, would bone broth really help me strengthen my bones, joints and ligaments?
I was taking l-glutamine and I ended up having severe reactions to it. It gave me dermatitis on my face and I wanted to kill myself. I was very angry. I finally figured out that it was the glutamine causing both of these things and 3 days after stopping I was feeling much better and the dermatitis resolved itself. I don’t recommend this for anyone.
Nutrition alone won’t suffice to strengthen your bones, you need to complement it with strength exercise such as calistenia or free weight.
No references to this claim??
No, that is earning a living from your work. Wanting to benefit from your work is not greed, but I’d day wanting the benefit of someone else’s work, for nothing, really is. Do your own research if you don’t want to pay for the work she did, and let’s learn that words have meaning.
Hi Jack! There is a chart in the book that shows the analysis that was done of short cooked (meat stock) and long cooked (bone broth)—three samples of each sent to a lab. We were looking for arsenic, actually, as there were some questions about the presence of arsenic in long cooked bone broth. We didn’t find that, but we did find that the amount of glutamic acid in bone broth was extremely high in comparison to the short cooked meat stock. The ability of glutamic acid to trigger neurological disorders has been documented by Russell Blaylock. MD, a neurosurgeon. His book, Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills, is a good place to start.
Also, I and others who work with children and adults with neurological disorders have seen them experience those symptoms when they drink long cooked bone broth.
Thanks for your question!
Be well!
Hi Badal! Thanks for writing! I don’t recommend pressure cookers because they cook at too high a temperature and pressure. Those extremes will denature fragile protein molecules.
Yes, bone broth and meat stock will help strengthen your bones, joints and ligaments, because they contain the building blocks your body needs to build and repair-gelatin and collagen. However, remember that neither is very high in minerals, though those that are contained in bone broth are in an electrolytic form, which makes them very easy for your body to utilize. Bones need calcium, and calcium that the body can absorb. That means raw dairy or cultured raw dairy (I am writing a book on that now–you can find it here on Selene River Press “Cooking Techniques for the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet: Culturing Dairy”) or you could take a Calcium Lactate supplement. (No other type of calcium can be utilized by the body…)
Hope that helps!
be well!
Hi Xabi! You are right! Weight-bearing exercise is very important for strong bones. One must take in calcium that the body can absorb (raw dairy, cultured dairy such as yogurt, creme fraiche or kefir), and then drive it into the bones with weight-bearing exercise.
Thank you for the reminder!
be well!
Hi Loren,
Thank you for sharing your story.
Yes, our bodies can have extreme reactions to glutamine. Glad you figured it out and things are better!
be well!
What is in the scum that is advisable to remove?
Monica, THANK YOU for all of your comments below and the article above. It’s certainly all very enlightening! My 16 mo old has all kinds of food allergies that result in severe red, itchy skin from the neck to the toes. It’s been a HARD year. Even despite all the eliminations (his and mine), we are still weeding through. My latest discovery is that he might also be HIT, histamine intolerant. As you probably know (long cooked) bone broth and all fermented foods are very high in histamine. Do you know if meat stock cooked as you recommend it is NOT high in histamine? I am trying to find a gut healing protocol for the poor guy but don’t want to aggravate him further. He’s been on the GAPS recommended “baby biotic” for many months and I used to give him bone broth and ferments, but have since stopped given my hunch that’s he’s HIT. Appreciate your advice!
“the shortened cooking time is a product of the increased pressure, not increased temperature at all.”
Please read. Your assertion about the pressure cooker is incorrect. http://wellnessmama.com/77757/pressure-cooker-nutrients/
Also, my understanding is that protein starts to denature at 118 degrees. Slow cookers, ovens and stove tops all denature proteins.
The other dark side of bone broth is that the bones come from an animal that wanted to live but instead suffered horrible cruelty and was then brutally murdered. The animals used for bone broth no doubt endured extreme stress, fear and pain so that a bunch of selfish uncaring heartless people could consume something that they absolutely don’t need to eat.
also add vinegar to pull minerals from the bones into the broth. about a tablespoon per quart of water.
bone broth and meat broth are not equivalent, to say so is misleading.
And while we’re on that, can you say for sure that the plants you eat don’t suffer the same extreme stress, fear, and pain? Because science says they do. The only way to not have a negative impact on other living beings is to cease to live. So stop imposing your judgment on other living beings until you’ve figured out how to exist as a breatharian.
Hi there
Yes, vinegar is used in long cooked bone broth. It is not used in meat stock, because of the amount of meat in the pot. (Vinegar acts on the bones, not the meat.) :)
Hi Clarissa
Thank you for that; I will take a read. I prefer not to cook at high temperature and high pressure. I am a “Slow Foodie” and a traditional foods cook. I know our ancestors cooked meat and or bones, or whatever they were cooking slow and low.
Yes, all cooking does denature proteins. It is a question of how much.
be well!
Hey Jackie! The scum is “impurities” from the bones. Since bones are the manufacturers of blood, and since no bones are entirely clean of meat, the impurities are likely blood particles, etc.
Skimming the scum makes for a cleaner broth or stock, if you will. I’m not sure leaving them in would be a hazard–just change the mouth feel and the clarity of the broth or stock.
That is correct. Thanks!
Thank you for the information. I think my son has leaky gut. When/how can I read the article, “what is leaky gut, anyway…” Thank you
Then what do they eat? Lots of veggies and most meat has large amounts of glutamic acid…seeds…You name it. Also, studies show it actually is protective from neurotoxicity….
I cook my chicken bone broth for about 4 hours at high pressure then 2 hrs at low in my electric pressure cooker. I use chicken wings which break down quicker than chicken feet. My broth is beautifully gelatinous when cooled. Will this high-pressure method avoid the glutamic acid problem?
Hi Shannon! Here’s the link: https://www.seleneriverpress.com/what-is-a-leaky-gut-anyway/
Have a great day!
Hi Susan! I really have no idea. We have not done any tests on pressure cooked bone broth so I cannot say. If I find out any info, I will surely post about it!
be well!
Hello Sarah! Thank you for your message. I do not know if the short cooked meat stock is low in histamines, but I would think it would be. I know GAPS can be hard with those with histamine intolerance, but there are ways to implement it low-histamine. I would be happy to talk with you about it. If you would like to, I offer a complementary conversation on my Wellness Consultations page, http://simplybeingwell.com/Consultations.html
be well!
Hi Leslie! I am not clear about your question…who are you referring to? “Then what do they eat?” Thank you for clarifying!!
Hi Alyeska! I would love to hear how you are doing on meat broth.
be well!
Well it’s a good thing I don’t usually have bones to simmer (boneless, skinless chicken breasts), or fish…..whatever beef we have either doesn’t have bones or we don’t think to cook them…..
You really do not need that long in a pressure cooker, I’m surprised it is still gelatinous with those times. I cook chicken for 100 minutes at high pressure in an instant pot (which is lower pressure than a stove top) and it gels/sets up beautifully and the bones are so soft you could mash them with a spoon if you chose!
I have watched some people on you tube cooking bone broth and then pressure canning it for there pantry is that ok ,,,,,,And they use it for anything calling for beef broth is that ok
Thank you.
Wow, this really worked for my coworker, Peggy Sue.
Hi Sam! So great to hear!
Be well, Monica
I have heard of people canning their bone broth. They say it works well!
Aminoacid-studies.com should be read and reread to understand the benefits of bone broth. Negatives can perhaps be related to food handling and not obtaining clean bones to use for broth. Not every “organic” bone is truly organic, thus producing broth that would cause problems. Food handling is crucial. Boiling to bring broth back up to a clean state is important after the broth has been refrigerated. Making sure the glass container used to store the broth is sterile is also something to be considered. The devil is in the details!
actually vinegar tenderizes meat….
So my daughter had brain cancer in 2014 and 2015. I would assume I should not be giving her bone broth then? Is meat broth still healthy and if so are there benefits? If so can you tell me some of them? Thank you! Would you suggest store bought, powdered collagen?
Can you please provide the research that is the basis for your claims? I’d like to learn more as to whether this is causative or correlative and what sorts research studies were specifically conducted to show results for either.
Dr. Axe – https://my.draxe.com/healing-leaky-gut
I’ve definitely got leaky gut. When I mentioned it to two different doctors, one laughed and the other told me it was all in my head.
I know a ton of folks who are regularly drinking bone broth to actually heal the gut and have autoimmune issues. This is the staple food of the GAPS (gut and psychology syndrome) and I have never, ever heard of anything like this. Is there any data? Do you have a source for these adverse events? Is this really a thing? If it is, I’m shocked I have never heard anything about it. My wife drinks this daily and we used to drink it several times a day when we were doing very strict GAPS. We used to comment how we hadn’t felt as healthy in the last 10 years as when we were on GAPS.
Hi Susan! Yes, it is very important to bring bone broth back up to a boil after it has been refrigerated. Skim and discard any scum that rises to the top and then proceed with drinking or using in a recipe! Enjoy!
:)
Hello Damon! Thank you for your message and question. The study was done by Kim Schuette of Biodynamic Wellness. You can see the study here: http://www.biodynamicwellness.com/stock-vs-broth-confused/
The research about glutamic acid and its affect on brain function as an excitotoxin was done by Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board certified neurosurgeon years ago. Here’s the book: Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks!
Hi there! I hope you will be trying Meat Stock to help heal your leaky gut! Be well!
Hello, Chris! Thank you for your message!
I understand your confusion! There has been much confusion in the GAPS community and among GAPS Practitioners (CGPs) about bone broth and meat stock. My work is to teach traditional cooking techniques–I have been teaching traditional food cooking (Weston Price/Nourishing Traditions) for the past 10 years, and cooking for the GAPS diet for the past 6. I was blessed to take the training to become a Certified GAPS Practitioner last October. The reason I am writing my books “Cooking Techniques for the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) Diet–Part I being Meat Stock and Bone Broth” is to help clear up the confusion. Dr. Natasha’s book The Gut and Psychology Syndrome does not actually have long cooked bone broth in it at all. Meat Stock and the recipe for meat stock is in the book, and it is what is used to heal and seal the gut lining during the “Intro” Diet. Somehow patients and practitioners (CGPs) missed the word “meat” in “Meat Stock”, and have been making “stock” which is actually bone broth for the diet.
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride has read, approved, and endorses my book on Meat Stock and Bone Broth–what they are, how to make them, and when they are used. AND, happily, she is now making a point to differentiate them in both her CGP training as of 2015, and the talks that she gives on the GAPS diet. Yay! My hope is that my work will help to inform those CGPs that took the training prior, so that they can start letting their patients know about Meat Stock and its role in the Intro Diet, which, according to Dr. Natasha, is where all the healing and sealing happens.
Also, in terms of glutamic acid and its affect on brain function as a neurotoxin or excitotoxin, it comes from the work of Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon who wrote on the issue in his book: Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills. We found out about the high levels of glutamic acid when batches of chicken broth (long cooked bone broth–24 hours) and short cooked broth–was sent to a lab for amino acid analysis. You can find the original study here: http://www.biodynamicwellness.com/stock-vs-broth-confused/
Hope that helps!
Be well!
Monica
Hi there! Thank you for your message.
It is my understanding that meat stock is best when dealing with brain issues–remember that the issue with bone broth is that broth that is cooked long –24 hours or more–will be high in glutamic acid. Glutamic acid can work as an “excito-toxin” which can trigger neurological symptoms in those individuals that are prone to them. So, I would use short cooked meat stock for your daughter.
Both bone broth and meat stock are chock full of benefits: they provide the body with easily absorbed minerals, because they are in an electrolytic state, they provide the building blocks of the body–amino acids (glutamic acid is one of them) and also collagen, which has numerous benefits throughout the body.
I don’t recommend powdered collagen as it is a processed food fraction, and I am much more in favor of whole foods. Often, processed powders contain denatured molecules that can cause problems in the body.
Hope that helps!
My best to you!
I’ve been meaning to do this but haven’t gotten around to it yet.
http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/broth-is-beautiful/
http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/broth-is-beautiful/
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I Googled this because I took powdered bone broth for about 2 months. It definitely helped my gut – I can even take aspirin now without hurting my stomach. However, I ended up having a mini stroke. After a week, started taking it again, not thinking it had anything to do with it, & my mini-stroke symptoms returned but not as strong. It may be a coincidence, but now I’m afraid to take it again. Has anyone had anything like this?
I have started using grass fed beef marrow bones in the instant pot under high pressure for 35 minutes. It makes the most amazing bone broth. i add salt, pepper corns, three carrots, two or three stalks celery, laurel leaves 2 and some parsley and half a 6 quarts of water but i use filtered water. I let it cool, strain, bottle and left the fat cap form which I remove in one piece. It is delicious just the way it is, or for a soup base. no problems with glutamate here.
A friend just sent me this post. I had my son on the GAPS diet when he started having seizures- I had come across something about glutamic acid and it being a neurotoxin. I never could find out anything related to the use of stocks and broths, so this is enlightening.
I’m wanting to know if I can still use my “stock” kits, which are chicken feet, heads, and sometimes backs, for a meat broth? Also, I canned up some broth, which has to be at a real high temp. I was concerned about what that might do to the fat that is the stock, but now have concerns that the high heat used for canning also would increase the glutamic acid (?).
Hello, Jamie!
Yes, you can certainly use your “stock” kits…although a Meat Stock is made with mostly what I call “meaty bones”, that is, meat with a bone that has a joint in it. It would be great for you to add some meaty backs or a leg or two into your kits to make a meat stock. Then, bring it to a boil, skim and discard any scum, and put to a simmer with the lid on for about an hour and a half (to 3 hours most). This will make a really good–delicious and nutritious- meat stock, that is low in glutamic acid.
I don’t believe canning would increase the glutamic acid, because though canning uses high heat, it is for a very short period of time.
Thank you for your questions, and be well!
Monica
Hi Martha! Great. For those who do not have a leaky gut, high glutamic acid will not be a problem. Enjoy!
Hi Suzi,
While bone broth does contain gelatin that will heal your gut, powdered bone broth is produced by long cooking, which is one of the reasons bone broth is high in glutamic acid. Glutamic acid can trigger neurological symptoms, as it is regarded as an “excito-toxin” (Russell Blaylock, MD, wrote a book with that title that explains a lot.) So yes, it is possible. And yes, some people who have had neurological symptoms (from headaches and migraines to stimming and seizures) have had them triggered by high glutamic acid. If you would like to continue to heal your gut, try making meat stock, as that is what is recommended by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, author of the Gut and Psychology Syndrome. I have also written a book on the subject to try and clear this all up! It is available on this site.
be well!
Monica
Hello, Wilson!
Thank you for the link!
My book and article are based on the Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride and some lab analysis of short cooked and long cooked broth, which showed the high concentration of glutamic acid in long cooked bone broth. Long cooked bone broth and it’s high glutamic acid is problematic to those who have leaky guts. Sally Fallon Morrell wrote her article in 2000, and is writing to the general audience regarding its attributes, before we had this additional information, and, 16 years ago. Sally reviewed my book on Meat Stock, saying the following:
“Are you new to making broth? Do you have a lot of practical questions? This book will answer them all, and then some. If you need encouragement, advice, and inspiration, this is the place to start.”
—Sally Fallon Morell, author of Nourishing Broth (with Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN) and Nourishing Traditions (with Mary G. Enig, PhD), President, Weston A. Price Foundation
Thank you again for your link, and be well!
Monica
http://www.jneurosci.org/content/17/22/8804.short
Bone broth is toxic to the enteric nervous system.
So, are there any powdered bone broths that you can recommend? I have purchased bone broth collagen by Ancient Nutrition–Dr Axe and Jordan Rubin–who are Weston A. Price enthusiasts. Now I’m not sure I should use it. They don’t post how much glutamic acid is in their product, but they do say it is “prominent” in the bone broth powder. I found your article shared by Katie Kimball, Kitchen Stewardship. She recommends using Vital Proteins collagen which has 2,239 mg glutamic acid per 18g of protein – about 12.7% of the protein is in the form of glutamic acid–which is average or below average levels of glutamic acid. http://www.vitalproteins.com/collagen/collagen-protein-gelatin.html
Thanks for all your research!
~Wynter
Why is my 10 month old grandson reacting to a teaspoon of chicken broth with reflux and a flare up of eczema?
I am so glad the article has been helpful to you.
Best,
Monica
Hello sunil35, I hope the article was helpful to you. Meat Stock is used exclusively on the Intro Diet, and for the first several months or more if someone starts on the Full GAPS Diet.
My best to you,
Monica