Meat Stock vs. Bone Broth
One of the most essential things to understand on the GAPS diet, is that Meat Stock and Bone Broth are different foods and behave very differently in the body. Yes they are both full of glycine, gelatine, collagen and connective tissue, but they also have some distinct differences.Meat StockMeat stock is first to be introduced as it is high in the properties that heal and seal the gut lining. It is incredibly soothing and acts like a glue, sealing little holes and irritations in the gut lining. You will notice if you drink a cup of stock your lips will stick together which is a good sign of what it is doing internally. It is cooked for a short amount of time making it low in histamines, glutamine and other proteins that many sensitive individuals react to. Meat stock is also much better tasting and most people enjoy it on its own. Meat stock should be made of:
- Meaty Bones
Meat stock is made from a combination of meaty bones. You can use any type of bones you like, but they should have a good amount of meat on them. Some examples include a whole chicken, chicken wings or legs, beef soup bones, ossobucco etc. I suggest that these bones make up 50% of the mixture.2. Gelatinous BonesIt's also important to include bones that are higher in connective tissue in the stock. These increase the amount of gelatin and collagen in the stock helping it to solidify when refrigerated. Gelatinous bones include: chicken feet, wing tips, pigs feet, beef knuckle bones and oxtail. I suggest that gelatinous bones make up around 30% of your bones.3. Marrow BonesFinally, marrow bones are recommended to add to your meat stock. Marrow is incredibly supportive to the immune system. It is high in stem cells and essential to your blood health. Marrow bones generally do not have much meat on them. The nutrition comes from the inside. After your stock has simmered for a few hours you can take the marrow bones out and eat the marrow (found in the middle) or blend it into soups later. Generally these bones come from bigger animals like beef or lamb bones. If included, these can make up around 20% of your bone combination. Bone Broth- Everyone has a different definition of what qualifies as bone broth but we will stick to the GAPS definition for now. Bone broth uses bones as the base. They can be fresh or previously cooked or a combination of both. They do not need to have a certain amount of meat on them and it is generally cooked for somewhere between 12-24 hours. During this process the actual bones (not just the meat) are broken down and minerals and proteins are released. When bones are cooked for this amount of time they tend to disintegrate in your hands with a firm touch. Broths are very nutrient dense but are also very high in histamines and other amines that more easily leak into the blood stream. This can cause an immune system response so it is not recommended to be introduced until much later on the diet.