Bone broth – we are big fans of this ancient creation; we use it through our winters here and sometimes in summer. So, if you are heading into the cooler weather and wanting to mix it up and add some spice into your life, here are our top 5 ingredients we recommend chucking into the pot:

Turmeric 

Organic fresh or ground powdered turmeric is an amazing ingredient that takes first place on our list. You only have to have a quick google of the word turmeric nowadays and hundreds of pages pop up with long lists of benefits on our health. It also gives the bone broth a beautiful golden color too!

Cayenne Pepper 

Contains capsaicin which is a major principle of this pepper. Cayenne pepper exudes thermogenic properties that improve energy expenditure while consisting of very little energy itself which is incredible[1]. It will definitely add a bit of warmth to your life and bone broth.

Ginger 

Sometimes you can feel a little off, and a bit queasy having an empty stomach but don’t feel like a big meal just yet, if you’re just having a light sort of day with it all, chuck in some ginger with your bone broth. It's both warming and settling on the stomach. Ginger has long been used in traditional literature as a helpful tool in gastrointestinal upsets[2].

Cloves 

Are brilliant for their antioxidants partnered with antimicrobial activities[3]. It is both beneficial as an antioxidant but also acts as a natural preservative for the bone broth too. They also add a great depth of spice and enhance their partnered spices. Just make sure if you aren’t using ground cloves, to strain them out so you don’t bite down on a hard clove.

Garlic 

this one is a no brainer, it adds so much flavor and depth to the bone broth. Very few people dislike garlic, but it also has a tonne of benefits outside of flavor alone. There are multiple compounds in garlic that contribute to antimicrobial effects, anti-protozoal effects, anti-fungal effects, and anti-viral effects[4,5]. Maybe it would keep vampires away for real!

There you have it, our top 5 easily stored and easily accessible ingredients we recommend chucking in your bone broth! So much flavor and a tonne of benefits.

References

1. Janssens, P. L., Hursel, R., Martens, E. A., & Westerterp-Plantenga, M. S. (2013). Acute effects of capsaicin on energy expenditure and fat oxidation in negative energy balance. PloS one, 8(7), e67786. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0067786
2. Lete, I., & Allué, J. (2016). The Effectiveness of Ginger in the Prevention of Nausea and Vomiting during Pregnancy and Chemotherapy. Integrative medicine insights, 11, 11–17. https://doi.org/10.4137/IMI.S36273
3. Cortés-Rojas, D. F., de Souza, C. R., & Oliveira, W. P. (2014). Clove (Syzygium aromaticum): a precious spice. Asian Pacific journal of tropical biomedicine, 4(2), 90–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2221-1691(14)60215-X
4. Bayan, L., Koulivand, P. H., & Gorji, A. (2014). Garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine, 4(1), 1–14.
5. A quantitative assessment of the antimicrobial activity of garlic (Allium sativum). Rees LP, Minney SF, Plummer NT, Slater JH, Skyrme DA World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 1993 May; 9(3):303-7.