French chefs have a term fonds de cuisine, which translates to “the foundation and working capital of the kitchen.” Bone and meat stock provide just that, the foundation of both the kitchen and ultimately one’s physical health. Two of the most common questions that individuals embarking upon the GAPS Diet have is, “Is bone broth really that good for you?” and “Do I use stock vs broth?” What is the difference between these two anyway and is one better for gut healing than the other?
To add to the confusion, these two words are often used interchangeably by the most educated of chefs. However, for purposes of the GAPS Diet, a temporary diet to heal/seal the gut wall and resolve autoimmune issues, Natasha Campbell-McBride MD uses the terms “meat stock” and “bone stock”. In this article, I will use “stock” when referencing meat stock and “broth” for bone stock.
Stock vs Broth: Start with Meat Stock When Healing The Gut
Stock is used in the beginning stages of the GAPS Diet, especially during the Introduction Diet where the primary focus is in healing the gut. Broth is ideal for consuming once gut healing has taken place. The significant difference is that the stock (meat stock) is not cooked as long as broth (bone stock).
Stock is especially rich in gelatin and free amino acids, like proline and glycine. These amino acids along with the gelatinous protein from the meat and connective tissue are particularly beneficial in healing and strengthening connective tissue. These nutrients are pulled out of the meat and connective tissue during the first several hours of cooking meaty fish, poultry, beef and lamb. The larger the bones, the longer the cooking time.
In Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Dr. Campbell-McBride explains how to prepare stock (meat stock) to be used during the early stages of the GAPS Diet. Her recipe can also be found at the end of this article.
Stock prepared in this way supports good digestion, as well as promotes proper secretion of hydrochloric acid, which is needed for breaking down proteins in the stomach. Lack of adequate hydrochloric acid can lead to a myriad of symptoms including acid reflux, skin disorders, anemia, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, vitiligo, asthma, food allergies and more. Gelatin, a major component of meat stock, also assists in the proper digestion of proteins ensuring optimal growth in infants and children. Gelatin improves the integrity of collagen, which is reflected in the improved appearance of the skin as well as in the lessening of digestive tract inflammation.
Additionally, gelatin enhances the digestibility of grains and legumes cooked in it. Both grains and legumes are eliminated in the beginning of the GAPS Diet, with grains avoided completely until one is ready to transition off the GAPS Diet. Once gut healing is complete and the digestive tract function is restored, properly prepared grains and legumes will be best enjoyed prepared using meat stock or bone broth.
Stock or Broth: When to Introduce
Bone stock or broth is introduced after the Introduction Diet as gut healing has advanced. Some with longstanding gut issues find that if they introduce broth (bone stock) early prior to the sealing of the gut, they have reactions to the free glutamates that result from the longer cooked gelatin. Those who are sensitive to MSG will generally be sensitive to these free glutamates until their guts are healed.
The timing on when a GAPS person is ready to progress from meat stock to bone broth is individual. Those children who are autistic or ADD/ADHD and who are suffering from seizures or tics are among the people who should avoid free glutamates until their guts are healed. Free glutamates include not only MSG but glutamine and glutamic acid. These are excitoxins and can have a damaging effect on neurons. This is why I do not recommend using nutritional formulas containing glutamine in cases of the above mentioned conditions as well as Crohn’s or Leaky Gut Syndrome. Excitotoxins encourage inflammation in the gut and brain, the exact situation we are trying to heal.
Uncomfortable die-off reactions, as well as symptoms of nervous system agitation, are signs that your digestive tract is best served staying with the meat stock. Die off reactions can include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, constipation and skin eruptions or rashes. Making the transition gradually from stock (meat stock) to broth (bone stock) is advisable. Cooking broth at a very low temperature (slow simmer) will minimize the formation of free glutamates.
Excellent broth (bone stock) recipes can be found in Sally Fallon Morell’s Nourishing Traditions Cookbook. This timeless cookbook should be in every kitchen. Broth is an invaluable addition to the diet of young children and all who desire optimal health. Broth is rich in all the minerals necessary to build strong teeth and bones. Broth serves as an excellent replacement for milk in the diet of those who are lactose intolerant.
However, in most cases we find that once the gut is healed, raw milk is well digested. Regardless, once homemade broth is introduced, it will be a welcomed staple to your diet. Both stock and broth can be made from the same bones. It is simple to begin your stock and after cooking for several hours, remove the carcass for deboning. Reserve the meat for eating and then return the bones to the pot with fresh water. Continue cooking for 6 to 48 hours, depending upon the type of bones. Stock and broth can be stored in the refrigerator for several days with the layer of fat on top to prevent oxidation or frozen in the freezer for several months. Unused stock or broth in the refrigerator may be reheated, cooled and returned to the refrigerator for several more days before consuming.
Fish Meat Stock
Ingredients
2 medium non-oily fish, such as sole or snapper
4 or more quarts of purified water
2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar made at home or purchased from the store (glass only)
Assortment of vegetables, as desired
- 1-2 medium yellow onions
- 2-4 carrots
- 3-4 celery stalks
Bouquet garni (tie together using cooking twine)
- Fresh bay leaf
- Fresh thyme, rosemary, sage
Celtic Sea Salt, 1-2 teaspoons, to be added in the last 10 minutes of cooking
Parsley, to be added in the last 10 minutes of cooking
Instructions
Rinse fish in purified water. Remove meat from the fish and reserve for cooking. Place bones, fins, tails, skin and heads in the pot. Add remaining ingredients. Fill pot with purified water. Allow the pot and its contents to stand for 30 minutes, giving the raw apple cider vinegar time to draw minerals out of the bones. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Add parsley and salt during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the fish bones and other large parts. Strain the stock. Set aside remaining ingredients for preparing fish broth (fish bone stock).
Chicken, Pheasant or Turkey Meat Stock
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, pheasant or turkey
2-4 poultry feet, optional
1-2 chicken, pheasant or turkey heads, optional
4 or more quarts of purified water
2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar homemade or purchased from the store (glass only)
Assortment of vegetables, as desired
- 1-2 medium yellow onions
- 2-4 carrots
- 3-4 celery stalks
Bouquet garni (tie together using cooking twine)
- Fresh bay leaf
- Fresh thyme, rosemary, sage
Celtic sea salt, 1-2 teaspoons, to be added in the last 10 minutes of cooking
Parsley, to be added in the last 10 minutes of cooking
Instructions
Rinse chicken, feet and heads in purified water. Cut whole chicken in half down the middle lengthwise. Place these in the pot. Add remaining ingredients. Fill pot with purified water. Allow the pot and its contents to stand for 30 minutes, giving the raw apple cider vinegar time to draw minerals out of the bones. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Add parsley and salt during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the chicken and other large parts. Debone and reserve the meat for eating. It will be delicious. Strain the stock. Set aside remaining ingredients for preparing chicken bone broth (chicken bone stock).
Beef or Lamb Meat Stock
Ingredients
4-5 pounds of bone marrow and knuckle bones
3 pounds of meaty ribs or neck bones
1 calf’s foot, if available, cut into pieces (optional)
4 or more quarts of purified water
2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt
4 ounces raw homemade apple cider vinegar or purchased from the store (glass only)
Assortment of vegetables, as desired
- 1-2 medium yellow onions
- 2-4 carrots
- 3-4 celery stalks
1 teaspoon dried peppercorns, crushed
Bouquet garni (tie together using cooking twine)
- Fresh bay leaf
- Fresh thyme, rosemary, sage
Parsley, to be added in the last 10 minutes of cooking
Instructions
Place the bones, meat and joints into a large pot. You may roast the meaty bones in a pan in an oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You may roast the meaty bones in a roasting pan until well browned, for extra flavor. Place these in the pot. Add remaining ingredients. Fill pot with purified water. Allow the pot and its contents to stand for 60 minutes, giving the raw apple cider vinegar time to draw minerals out of the bones. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 3 to 4 hours.
Add parsley during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the beef and other large parts. Debone and reserve the meat for eating. It will be delicious. Strain the stock. Set aside remaining ingredients for preparing beef or lamb bone broth. Additional ingredients to consider for variety would be garlic, ginger and lemon rind, to name a few. Avoid adding starchy vegetables to your stock.
Bone Broth (Bone Stock) Recipes
To make bone stock (broth) you may follow the above recipes and after deboning, add additional purified water and continue cooking according to these recommendations:
- Fish Bone Broth – simmer for 4 hours.
- Chicken, Pheasant or Turkey Bone Broth – simmer for 12 to 24 hours.
- Beef or Lamb Bone Broth – simmer for 36 to 48 hours.
Bon appetit!
More Information
Bone Broth and MSG: What You Need to Know
Healthy and Easy Bouillon Cubes Recipe
Minerals in Bone Broth (what the research REALLY says)
My Youtube playlist on all aspects of making bone broth
How to Make Beef and Chicken Stock
Thank You! I feel like this is exactly what I needed! We are day 7 on intro and teetering between stages. I was already makes bone broth before starting GAPS and natural just continued making it. I am one who is MSG sensitive and had NO idea there was such a difference between the two. Im half discouraged having done it partially wrong but sure hope that with this info and cutting out the bone broth I will be moving right along on this GAPS journey to BETTER HEALTH:) could this explain why my little one gets little red spots on his face after eating bone broth?
Can broth and/or stock be made in a crockpot? With the amount of broth/stock I go through, cooking on the stovetop is very energy and time intensive. I have begun making it in the crockpot but am not sure if I am getting the same benefits. (Sometimes it gels and sometimes it does not. )
Yes, you can do it in a crockpot, although it may take a very long time to heat up to a simmer. You might be better off using a enamel or stainless electric roasting oven which has a much wider and more controllable temperature range.
Agreed! I used my crockpot to have stock or broth going all the time! The benefits are the same as long as it stays at a low simmer–whether or not it gels just depends on the ratio of gelatin to water. You are still getting the benefits (as long as the bones are healthy & you cook long enough) if it doesn’t gel–it just means there is too much water & the gelatin is diluted. Usually if you just barely cover them with water, it will gel!
When making my bone broth in crock pot It often bubbles after only 12 or 24 hours. It is on the lowest setting. Is this a bad thing? I don’t want to use the stove. Crock pot seem safer and more energy efficient. This first commenter was afraid the crock pot would not get hot enough.
Is it from small amounts of fat on the bones?
Thank you.
What would you recommend freezing the broth or stock in? Not plastic, that tends to break. Glass breaks, too.
Thanks,
Stephanie
I freeze my broth in glass jars and have been for years and have only broken one (didn’t leave enough head space at the top of the jar to allow for expansion) are you breaking the glass jars because of dropping them? Or because you are trying to thaw them too quickly? I run my jars under warm water (not hot water) when trying to thaw them quickly. But really it’s easier to thaw them overnight in the fridge.
I have never actually broken a glass jar, but have heard of people who have. Thanks for those tips, Suzanne. I will try it.
Stephanie
I freeze in glass too. Like Suzanne said, make sure you leave enough head space and don’t thaw too quickly. I also learned to not put the jars in the freezer when the stock is still hot inside the jars. I fill the jars with hot stock but then put them in the frig for a couple hours before sticking them in the freezer.
I used to freeze mine in glass mason jars but decided to try a new way & now love it! I first measured out 1 cup of broth. Then I poured it into ice cube trays. I wanted to know how many cubes it would take for 1 cup. For mine, 10 cubes = 1 cup so I can pull out accordingly for recipes. I freeze the ice cube trays. Once frozen, I remove the frozen broth from the trays & store in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. They are so easy to take out just the amount I need for a recipe & not have to worry about defrosting.
I’m interested in your thoughts about venison stock/broth.
sooo….That giveaway… I’m not seeing a winner…
I have been making a lot of beef broth lately and have read somewhere that the fat should be skimmed and discarded. Is it true that the fat should not be eaten but rather thrown out? The reason I came across had something to do with the potential oxidation of the fat that may occur during the prolonged slow-cooking process. Is it possible for the fat to be “rancid” from cooking on low heat for many hours (24+ hrs)?
Thank you!
I think once you’ve used the meat for the meat stock, you’ve stained the stock, removed the meat to be eaten. The only thing that you put back into the pot are the bones. Without fat, you won’t have any problem with rancidity and the recipes for meat stock are 4 hours or less. The longest time is for the beef or lamb stock and I think their fat is the most able to tolerate heat without oxidation.
What a great information-rich article! Stocks and broths have become a “lost art” in the modern kitchen. Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers knew what a vital tool these were and were seldom with out them! Thank you for bringing awareness back to the very nutritious and healing properties of stocks and broths!
Kim will be a speaker at this year’s Wise Traditions Conference in Santa Clara, November 9-11, 2012!
Yay! Excellent information, presented in an easy, concise manner. It is a great complement to your videos. Thank you, Sarah, for hosting her. I’d love to read more from Kim.