The words broth and stock are often used interchangeably. Generally, stock is made from bones while broth is made from meat.  Some say that broth is typically seasoned, and stock is not. Mine is made from bones and simmered long as is stock. It does, however, have salt added to help to extract the goodness from the bones.

The further I dig in an attempt to compare and contrast broth and stock, the murkier the distinction becomes. So, suffice it to say that what we have here is a very simple recipe for something that is good for you and can be used in a variety of other dishes!

It’s easy to make your own soup stock or broth, whichever you like to call it! Many commercially prepared soups, broths,  and stocks contain gluten along with other undesirable ingredients. Homemade stock has health benefits and is delicious!

Leaky Gut and Bone Broth

You may have heard of leaky gut or increased intestinal permeability. Leaky gut is often considered to be the cause of multiple food allergies, because undigested food particles that should not normally pass through the gut lining leak out into the bloodstream. When the body senses something where it should not be, an immune response is triggered. This immune response is seen as any of a variety of food intolerances, which can lead to autoimmune disease. Bone broth contains collagen and amino acids that help to heal the damaged cell walls of leaky gut. Another food that’s very good for the gut is naturally cultured raw sauerkraut.

The Simplest Bone Broth

Whenever I cook chicken, I save the bones in a bag in the freezer. Sometimes I can get beef bones from our local butcher. Then when I have enough saved up to fill a big pot, I throw them into it with water, salt, and vinegar. It’s that simple! You can use all sorts of vegetable scraps; but I find that if I have to do all that, I just won’t bother to make it at all. You can also add nice flavour by roasting your bones first. But again, you can see how I feel about keeping things simple!

I use my slow cooker to make stock, because it gets hot enough to boil the liquid in a reasonable length of time. The longer you cook the soup stock, the more health benefits you will derive from it. One of the amazing bonuses that comes from stock is the gelatin or collagen that is released from the bones during hours of simmering. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, in her book Internal Bliss, recommends cooking your broth for 36 – 72 hours to make it more medicinal. I leave mine on low about 40 hours.

Soup Stock

Yield: 20 bowls

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes

CathysGlutenFree.com

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Ingredients

• bones, to fill pot
• water, to cover bones
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

Instructions

1. Put the bones into a large pot and cover with water.
2. Add the salt and vinegar and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 6 to 72 hours. You may need to add water as it evaporates.
3. After several hours, the stock will take on a nice golden brown colour.
4. When you're finished cooking your stock, strain it through a colander.
5. Ladle into jars. I use some right away and freeze the rest. Allow extra room for expansion in jars that will be frozen.