Mineral broth has numerous healing properties from energy restoration, digestion repair (great for leaky gut), as well as immune support.
Why is Mineral Broth Reparative?
Mineral broth is an amazing tonic for repairing and restoring the gut. Not only does it provide beneficial vitamins and minerals (like magnesium and potassium), but it also contributes to the repair of the stomach lining. Broth is the perfect warm beverage for cold, grey days, but it is actually beneficial to drink it all year round, as it has numerous health properties. From energy restoration to digestion repair (great for leaky gut), broth offers an array of health benefits, including immune support. Moreover, homemade broth is a wonderful beverage for picky eaters (a.k.a children), along with vegetable smoothies, to ensure proper vitamin and mineral intake. You may also cook soups, grains, or legume dishes using the below restorative broth recipe, which will give all your dishes an amazing flavor.
What are Minerals?
Minerals are naturally occurring compounds obtained through food and sometimes water, which are necessary for proper health and immune function. In fact, the following 15 minerals are essential for optimal health: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chloride, magnesium, iron, zinc, iodine, chromium, copper, fluoride, molybdenum, manganese, and selenium. Minerals are co-factors for hundreds of different enzymes in your body.
To be clear, the best way to obtain optimal levels of the above minerals is to eat a nutrient-dense, whole foods diet following the S.O.U.L standard–Season, Organic, Local and Unprocessed. Why is it important to use the S.O.U.L rule of thumb? Basically, if your fruit and veg is not seasonal, organic, local and unprocessed, chances are you are not getting all of your daily recommended values of vitamins and minerals for optimal health.
Healing Broth Recipe
Ingredients
Yields 2 quarts
- 1 1⁄2 pounds onions with skins, quartered
- 4 celery stalks with leaves, chopped
- 2 parsnips, scrubbed and chopped
- 1⁄2 pound shitake mushrooms
- 1 large beet, peeled and chopped
- 2 1⁄2 pounds winter squash or yams, chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 1 smaller celery root, rutabaga, or turnip chopped
- 1 2-inch piece dried kombu
- 1⁄4 c. dried wakame
- 1 pound fresh greens (spinach, kale, collards, chard) washed, patted, dry & chopped
- 1⁄2 bunch fresh parsley
- 1⁄4 c. flax seeds
Instructions
- Heat a heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium heat and add the onions and celery.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and cover the pan so the vegetables will release their own water content. This action is called sweating.
- After 5 minutes, remove the lid and give the onions and celery a stir; they should be slightly softened. Stir in the carrots, parsnips, and shiitake mushrooms and cover the pan again to seat the vegetables for another 5 minutes. The vegetables will continue to soften and release their juices.
- Add the beets, squash, celery root, kombu, and wakame. Cover with filterd water to a depth of 2 inches above the vegetables and bring to a soft boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 4-6 hours.
- Add the fresh greens and parsley during the last hour of cooking. During the last 20 minutes stir in the flax seeds.
- When stock is finished, strain through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into a large bowel. Press the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Place bowel of hot stock in an ice bath to cool.
- Store cooled stock in canning jars for up to 1 week in the refrigerator. (If freezing, leave 2 inches of headroom at the top of the canning jars).
Recipe from Flavors of Health Cookbook by Dr. Ed Bauman and Chef Lizette Marx
References:
Tierra, M. (1998). The Way of Herbs. New York, NY: Pocket Books
Mullin, G. (2010). Nutritional approaches to functional digestive disorders. Conference Recording Service, Inc., Berkeley, CA
Bauman, Ed. & Friedlander, J. (2015). Therapeutic Nutrition: Part 1. Bauman College: Penngrove, CA.
Murray, M. (2005). The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. Atria Books: New York, NY.
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