Bone broth is really awesome, but because of the nature of SIBO, having Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth can make anything difficult, including bone broth. Over the last three years, I have made broth on average 3 times a month. I have tried a lot of different recipes, tried different bones, made some great broths and even thrown away a couple of batches. So, I have a few tips and tricks to help get this awesome food into your diet and to help use bone broth as an addition to your treatment for SIBO.
Tips and Tricks
Start With Beef Broth
By far the most flavorful broth is beef broth made from short ribs or marrow bones and beef. This is a great place to start if you are introducing broth to your diet. Most recipes call for garlic and onion which can be good or bad for those with SIBO, but mostly bad. My recommendation is to get your flavor from other vegetables and herbs instead of garlic and onion. Click this link for my SIBO-safe recipe for Beef Marrow Bone Broth.
Making Bone Broth Fight SIBO
A great way to add an extra punch against your SIBO to your broth is to add antimicrobial herbs. While you likely can’t treat your SIBO with broth alone, making your broth work for you as both a healer and a fighter is a plus. The best antimicrobial herbs to use to add to your broth are oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
Making Broth Taste Amazing
The best ingredient to add to your broth to make the flavor awesome is to add meat. Broths made with bones and meat offer the best flavor and most nutrients.
Game Bones
If you have access to game bones, I find them to be the most nutrient dense bones. Wild animals tend to be happier animals and I often get really thick broths from game bones that I can’t get with beef bones. The problem with game is that the flavor is a lot stronger and can be very distinct. If you begin your bone broth introduction with elk bones or even deer bones you may not like it. Start with beef.
Pork Bones
Pork bones are super flavorful, especially if they have been smoked. The problem with pork bones is that usually they come with so many additives like nitrates, sugar, and garlic that broth made with these bones can cause digestive distress. If you can find plain pork bones go ahead and try a broth but if you can’t it is best to stay away until you are in a healthier place in your journey.
SIBO Specific Concerns
Notes on Chicken Broth
Chicken broth is the easiest broth to make but it is harder to tolerate with SIBO, and chicken feet can be the worst. The reason for this is too much cartilage in the bird. When you make chicken broth, you use the whole carcass, not just the bones. This makes for a more slippery broth that has a greater amount of nutrients that are great for you but also easier for the SIBO bacterias to eat as well. Depending on which low carbohydrate diet you are on, chicken broth may or may not be legal. If you are struggling to get calories and nutrients into you or have a severe infection it is wise to stay away from chicken broth until your infection has calmed down.
Knuckle Bones
Bones come in all sorts of different conditions depending on the butcher. Big knuckles bones with lots of ligaments, or cartilage attached make for really thick broths but can also be more difficult to digest for those with SIBO. Stay away from these for now and stick to the cleaner bones that have more marrow and less cartilage attached. You can add meat flavor by adding stew meat into your broth.
Common Questions
Is there a right or wrong way to make broth?
Technically, no. But I have made some seriously disgusting broth. For example do not throw raw frozen bones into a crock pot without roasting them. Sure the nutrients aren’t going to change and if you can’t taste anything you will be fine, but whoa raw frozen bones make for overwhelming and unpleasant broth. In short, if you care about flavor then absolutely there is a wrong way to make bone broth.
Are organic and grass fed important?
Absolutely. The nutrients in bones are concentrated. If the animal the bones came from was unhealthy and had access to toxins in its diet then those toxins will be in the bones. If you can afford organic and/grass fed it is absolutely worth the extra money.
Store-bought vs homemade?
Most pre-made bone broths contain ingredients that are unfriendly to SIBO that can make symptoms worse like yeast, onion, sugar, garlic, and other thickeners. However! You are in luck if you want to try a pre-made bone broth designed especially for people with digestive issues. You can try it here at GutRXGurus.
Is perpetual broth a real thing?
Yup. Here is a link for Perpetual Broth. Basically, you make broth in your crockpot and then scoop out broth when you need it, and remove anything mushy and add new water, meat, bones, and vegetables throughout the week. Perpetual broth or perpetual soups are very common in other countries. On weeks that I can be home more we prefer the perpetual broth method. I will even add in meat scraps, pieces of liver, and more bones to keep the broth thick.
Final Thoughts
Bone broth is awesome. It does taste a lot like soup, because that is what it is. I want you to know that you do not have to go all out to make this the most gorgeous culinary meal you have ever experienced. But a few intentional steps will make a big difference in your bone broth experience. Click here if you want my recipe.
If you would like more information on bone broth including the specifics of history and what is so great about it nutritionally, try these links. Broth is beautiful. And the Benefits of Bone Broth.
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