The 'bone broth' diet - celebrity fad or weight loss wonder?

Broth in a steel pot on the stove
Broth in a steel pot on the stove




Want to lose a stone in just three weeks? As long as you don't mind consuming simmered animal bones, the bone broth diet might be for you!

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Nutritionist Dr. Kellyann Petrucci claims that you can lose up to 15 pounds in 21 days by eating bone broth for two days of the week and sticking to a paleo diet for the other five days. That means cutting out grains, processed food, sugars, beans, legumes, white potatoes, refined processed oils, artificial sweeteners, dairy and alcohol.

During the two non-consecutive fast days, you will consume either six cups of bone broth or five cups of broth and a 7pm snack each day. Not only is bone broth nutritious, it fills you up without containing many calories.

"Bone broth is rich, complex, hearty, and soul-satisfying. Sipping thick, gelatine-packed bone broth is like eating a T-bone steak or Thanksgiving turkey. It warms you up, from head to toe. And it has virtually zero carbs and very few calories, so it's sin-free and you can indulge in as much as you want," she says.

Other health benefits
In her bestselling book Dr. Kellyann's Bone Broth Diet, she reveals the many health benefits of bone broth, which she describes as "liquid gold".

Bone broth contains the amino acids glycine and proline, which your liver needs to remove toxins from your body, and contains essential fat-burning minerals.

As well as helping you lose weight, bone broth is packed with collagen - a protein which strengthens your skin and helps combat wrinkles.

According to Dr Kellyann, consuming bone broth helps you to digest food more efficiently and heals the gut – easing digestive problems such as constipation, diarrhoea, and wind.

Not only that, but it helps heal your joints thanks to a generous supply of glucosamine, chondroitin, and other glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and is an efficient anti-inflammatory.

As Dr Kellyann explains: "this is why bone broth is not just a modern craze, but also one of the world's oldest healing and anti-ageing foods."

Celebrity fans
Gwyneth Paltrow wrote about the many benefits of bone broth on her site Goop recently, while Shailene Woodley told MTV News that she eats the broth for breakfast.

Actress Salma Hayek told Extra: "It's very good for all your health and it's full of collagen, when you drink it, it's like fat... I think people are afraid of fat, and fat is your friend."

How to make bone broth
Of course, the older generation has been simmering animal bones to make a nutrient-rich broth for years, and there are many cultures that still make bone broth from scratch.

If you're going to make your own, it's a good idea to bulk cook in batches, and speak to your butcher who can help you find quality bones. If you can afford it, Dr Kellyann suggests getting bones from organic or pastured/grassfed animals, which are the best nutritionally. If you can't afford organic meat or poultry, she suggests removing the skin from chicken and any fat from non-organic meat bones.

If you're making beef bone broth, the best bones are knuckles, joints, feet, and marrow bones. That's because these have the most cartilage, which is rich in collagen. To add more flavour to beef broth, add meaty bones like oxtails, shanks, and short ribs.

If you're making fish bone broth, opt for high-quality, wild-caught fish and steer clear of oily fish like salmon and mackerel. Instead, opt for things like sole, snapper, halibut, turbot, or cod.

You can find lots of free recipes on Dr. Kellyann's site. If you don't have time (or a good local butcher) you can buy it ready-made.

For example, Love Life sells Osius bone broth via Amazon UK. The bones used are from organic free range chickens with access to pasture throughout the day and the carcasses and feet are sourced from a single poultry farm in Herefordshire.

The marrow and knuckle bones are simmered for 24-36 hours to extract the nutrients, and then organic vegetables and herbs are added for the last four hours of cooking to enhance the flavour.

The broth is delivered frozen to maintain freshness and reverts to a jelly state as it defrosts.

Have you tried the bone broth diet? Leave a comment and let others know if it worked for you.

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