If you’re not sure whether to eat bone marrow or not, this article will show you the amazing benefits of eating animal bone marrow.
Africans, Asians, and Native Americans have eaten animal bone marrow for many years. Not mainly because of its health benefits but its delicious taste.
Bone marrow is a jelly-like fat found inside animal bones. Just because you haven’t heard the mainstream media rave about it doesn’t mean it isn’t healthy. Research shows that this odd food can greatly improve your health.
Bone marrow nutrition facts
Below are the calories and nutrients in 14 grams (½ ounce) serving of beef bone marrow. The percentages of recommended daily intake (RDI) are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Calorie: 126
Unsaturated fat: 7 grams (10% of RDI)
Protein: 0.04 grams (Insignificant since most people need between 50 to 175 grams of protein per day)
Calcium: 1% of RDI
Vitamin A: 1% of RDI
Benefits of eating animal bone marrow
1. Lowers risk of diabetes
According to research, eating animal bone marrow or bone marrow supplement can lower risk of diabetes. Bone marrow is a good source of adiponectin, a hormone that helps improve insulin sensitivity.
Diabetics can benefit from eating bone marrow regularly. Suck it straight from the bone or make bone marrow broth.
2. Aids digestion
For many years, the Chinese have used animal bone marrow to improve digestion. Well, it turns out that they’ve been right all along. Researchers say that people with the leaky gut syndrome, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and gluten intolerance can benefit from eating animal bone marrow.
They argue that the collagen in bone marrow helps repair damaged tissues in the intestines.
3. Makes skin look younger
Animal bone marrow is a good source of collagen and as you may know, collagen helps keep the skin looking young and vibrant.
It’s necessary to eat collagen-rich foods as we grow older since we start to lose collagen in our mid-20s. The more collagen we lose, the more our skin becomes saggy and wrinkly.
Increasing collagen intake can also help reduce joint pain, boost metabolism, increase muscle growth, and strengthen your hair, nails, and teeth.
4. May help fight cancer
Back in the 1950s, a Swedish oncologist found that administering bone marrow to children with leukemia boosted their energy and normalized white blood cells.
Bone marrow can also help fight other types of cancer because it contains conjugated linoleic acid, which is known to inhibit cancer cell growth.
5. Helps break down fat
If you’re hesitant to eat bone marrow because of its high-fat content, realize that eating bone marrow can actually help you lose fat.
In the study I mentioned earlier, the hormone adiponectin was found to help break down fat. And this makes a lot of sense because studies show that obese people have low levels of adiponectin.
6. Reduces inflammation
Time magazine called inflammation the silent killer. And they were right on the money because inflammation has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and many other diseases.
Adding bone marrow to your diet can help reduce inflammation. It contains proline, glycine, and arginine, amino acids which help fight inflammation.
7. Strengthens the immune system
Eating animal bone marrow heals leaky gut and consequently strengthens the immune system. A leaky gut doesn’t just weaken the immune system, it hinders weight loss, blocks absorption of nutrients and causes digestive problems.
If you want to use bone marrow to strengthen your immune system, make sure it’s from grass-fed animals. Remember it’s not just what you eat that’s important, but what you eat ate.
8. Improves brain function
Children in infancy who can’t chew food can benefit from eating animal bone marrow. It can improve their brain activity and function.
Bone marrow contains fatty acids, which are good for the brain. In fact, eating enough fats can help relieve depression and prevent memory loss as you age.
9. Helps repair body cells
Eating animal bone marrow can help repair body cells, thanks to collagen. This nutrient has also been shown to stop bleeding gums and speed up healing of wounds.
It’s also worth noting that bone marrow contains stem cells which help form white and red blood cells.
How to make bone marrow broth
If you’re used to regular bone broth, it’s time to try something new. Here’s how to make bone marrow broth.
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds of grass-fed soup
- 1 package (2-3 pound) of marrow bones
- Clean water
- 12 cups chopped vegetables (leafy greens, carrots, and so on)
How to prepare
- Put the soup and the bone marrows in one large pot. And then add water to it.
- Heat up the mixture until it boils and then let it simmer for 2-3 hours.
- Cut your veggies as the soup cooks.
- Remove the bones from the broth after 2-3 hours.
- Add the chopped veggies to the broth.
- Heat up the mixture until it boils again and then let it simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the bone marrow, meat, and other tissues from the bones as the veggies simmer.
- Put the bone marrow, tissues, and meat from the bones in a blender.
- Add some broth to the blender and then blend the mixture until it’s smooth.
- Pour the mixture from the blender into the veggies.
- Serve your delicious broth and enjoy! Put the remainder in the fridge.
Roasted bone marrow recipe
If you get bored with bone marrow broth, try this recipe.
Ingredients
- Grass-fed bone marrows
- Fresh herbs (I recommend thyme and rosemary)
- Sea salt and black pepper
How to prepare
- Line a cookie sheet or pan with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350°.
- Place the bone marrows on the parchment paper fat side up sprinkling with desired fresh herbs, salt, and pepper.
- Cook for about 45 minutes or until slightly bubbling and brown. Remove, serve, and enjoy.
Final word
Clearly, eating animal bone marrow can improve your health. Just make sure it’s from grass-fed animals.
There are many ways to add bone marrow to your diet. You can spread it on toast, use it is a garnish, or use it in sauces or simply suck bone marrow from bones when you cook meat. I almost forgot…you can also buy bone marrow supplements on Amazon.
[related_posts_by_tax posts_per_page="4"]
