8 Incredible Health Benefits of Bone Broth

A cup a day keeps the doctor away. The health benefits of bone broth can help you feel better and look younger—and it's easy to make at home.

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Bone broth made from chicken in a glass jar, with carrots, onions, and parsley in the background
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The health benefits of bone broth have been hailed across cultures and time thanks to its bountiful vitamins and minerals. It’s packed with good stuff, including iron, selenium, calcium and vitamin K. It’s easy to make at home using mostly your kitchen scraps.

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clear Chicken broth with pieces of rooster meat on bone and vegetables in a metal casserole on dark wooden table, view from above; Shutterstock ID 776860549
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Heals Your Gut

The next time you have a gut feeling, it’s going to be a good one. The amino acids in bone broth can help lower inflammation in your intestines, helping improve digestion and easing discomfort. Bonus: Reducing inflammation in your body can also help you look younger and feel more energetic. Find more foods that fight inflammation.

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Country style: the chicken broth and the ingredients on the table.
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Makes Skin Glow

The next addition to your beauty routine, bone broth contains gelatin, which helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Drinking a cup a day will help your skin look smoother and firmer—and will cost a lot less than expensive creams. Find some other great foods for your skin.

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Clear beef broth, bone broth, bouillon in white bowl and vegetables on wooden table
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Helps Joint Health

Aching knees? Gelatin also improves the connective tissue between joints, which get worn down as a result of use and damage. It helps bolster the amount of collagen, which will not just ease aches and pains, but protect your body against future wear!

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Ingredients for preparing chicken bone broth in a pot chicken, onions, celery root, carrots, parsley
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Aids in Weight Loss

Warming and satisfying, bone broth is low in calories but rich in benefits. The gelatin can help you feel full, so you’ll consume fewer calories while getting more nutrients. You can also add it while making quinoa or soup to feel more satiated.

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Bone broth
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Boosts Your Immune System

Grandma may have been onto something when prescribing chicken soup for colds. The magnesium in bone broth, along with other vitamins and minerals, helps power the immune system. To best draw out the nutrients, add a splash of apple cider vinegar to your broth.

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traditional beef broth with vegetable, bones and ingredients in pot
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Fights Insomnia

Drift off to dreamland with a cup of bone broth before bed. It contains glycine, which has been shown to enhance sleep quality, especially when paired with calcium and magnesium, which also promote a restful snooze. Pair it with these foods for a truly relaxing meal.

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Bone broth made from beef, served in a green soup bowl
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Strengthens Your Bones

This broth contains bone-strengthening minerals like phosphorous and calcium, which are the building blocks for healthy bones. Getting sufficient quantities can also help ward off osteoporosis. Learn the difference between stock and bone broth.

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Chicken bone broth served in a soup bowl, with onions, carrots, parsley and garlic in the background
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Improves Heart Health

The health benefits of bone broth will keep your ticker in tip-top shape. The essential amino acids it provides help lower your risk factor for heart disease and stroke, and have even been found to reduce the size of heart attacks. Try making heart-healthy recipes, too.

Kim Bussing
Kim Bussing is a writer and editor living in Los Angeles. She has written for publications including Reader’s Digest, Modern Farmer, Clean Plates and Vice, among others, and she is working on her first novel. She is always on the hunt for the perfect gluten-free cinnamon roll.