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
I would like to say that I’ve been consuming lots of bone broths for 2+ months and felt much better than on a previous low-carb diet. After reading this article I’ve been consuming meat stock only and have felt tired, sore and moody all week. I would like to think this is die-off but it seems strange to me.
Update, spoke to autism paediatrician today and he has told me to carry on with the fluconazole antifungal for 3 months and maybe longer and possibly at a higher dose and he does not recommend soil based probiotics but instead of prescribing antibiotics he says to try lactobacillus gg which is made by culturelle because that will crowd out the bad gut flora and give him a starting dose of 1 billion which is quite low to see how he responds and whether I should continue with it gradually increasing to 10 billion. There has been a lot of studies done on lactobacillus gg with many positive outcomes. He told me not to waste my money on food intolerance testing as this is not reliable and only allergy testing is reliable. Introduced another vegetable today and he has tolerated this well.
Hi, I just wanted to update on my son, I have been giving him pure rice bran oil, I started with 1 teaspoon a day mixed in a little avocado evening times and it is having a very healing effect on him. It also helps him to sleep at night. There have been a lot of studies done on rice bran oil (pubmed) which have shown anti inflammatory responses and it has high vitamin e content and gamma oryzanol in it which is very healing. My son is now currently on difflucan at 5 mils per day. Since being on the difflucan some of his food intolerances have improved and he is now eating green beans, suede, broccoli and sprouts. I would also warn on taking soil based probiotics as in some people they can become spore forming and sometimes strong antibiotics will be needed to get rid of the bacterial infection and there is almost a 50% chance of the condition coming back within 6 months. Trenev probiotics should be a good option. Bone broth is not tolerated very well but he gets away with it once a week in a small dose.l
Is it fine to replace the apple cider vinegar with lemon juice? I cannot tolerate the ACV for some reason. Thanks so much!
Not a problem. I use lemon juice all the time.
Thank you for your information. I have read alot of people reacting to the glutamine in bone broths? Any comments on that please?
Long cooking meats creates excitotoxins, precursors to glutamate, the excitatory neurotransmitter. If one has symptoms from the broths, a GABA/Glutamate imbalance could be possible. The following link is geared towards children on the Autism Spectrum. I’m not on the spectrum but have this imbalance and avoid excitotoxins as much as possible. http://www.dramyyasko.com/wp-content/files_flutter/1279663001Neuroprovokers8.pdf
Thank you Christine. Too bad something so healing can negatively affect some of us. We sure are complex! And wonderful too! 🙂
Hi,
I’m new to all this, can someone please tell me if the recipies for the chicken and fish meat stock above require the chicken/fish to have been cooked beforehand or can it be raw?
Thanks
Hi Leon,
I have always used raw fish heads and bones for fish stock but if you had baked a whole fish you could probably toss that carcass into the pot as well. For chicken or beef stock I have used both raw and cooked depending on what I have on hand. The flavor changes a little between cooked or raw but both are still tasty and both should have similar nutritional values. My determining factor is usually what we are having for dinner. If I bake a chicken I’ll toss the cooked carcass in the pot and add a couple raw chicken backs and feet in with it. If not I’ll use all raw backs and feet. Beef bones I will typically roast in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes first. It adds a richer flavor but I have been know to be lazy on occasion and just put the raw pieces in the pot. Hope this helps!
What a fantastic blog! Thank you!
I’m just about to take a leap into the world of stock so I’m glad I’ve come across your great advice.
I’m hoping someone could help me- I don’t want to keep the pot bubbling on my stovetop or oven so was wondering if there is any electric auto versions to make my “meat stock”?
Im nearly buying a crock pot but I see that it takes an age to heat up and for something that takes 2 hours on the stove I wouldn’t know timings etc can anyone suggest any alternative machines/devices? If crock is a good choice can someone please give me some ballpark timing?
Thanks in advancejimi
the reason Natasha uses word meat stock and bone stock is because in Russian there is only one word for stock or broth from animal – meat or bone (chicken, beef, et.). Interestingly enough, there is a different word in Russian for fish broth-stock (fish bone or fish flesh).
I’ve been making stock for many years and broth just recently and just now found out it’s affect on my digestion and why I’ve had rashes erupting when I try to sleep. It’s all fitting in the skin rashes after eating wheat, the night ones from bone broth. I’ve got to stick to the stock until my gut is heal. Thanks so much.
But your gut should be ok as you’ve been making stock for years. Reverting back to stock until you get healed doesn’t make sense.
Thanks for the info, I do not have a face book account and I suffer from blepharitis which makes my eyes irritated and it gets worse when I sit infront of the computer but I will have a go at the face book page and see how I get on. I have been testing out chicken stock cooked for 2 and a half hours and then 2 and a quarter hours but he again is struggling with tolleration so I will try cooking a stock for 2 hours. I use a Swan slow cooker and Waitrose organic chickens after we roast them and I use the leftovers and I get a set jellied stock each time. However I am going to change the slow cooker to a Visions glass saucepan as the chicken is in the slow cooker some time for it heats properly and that could be what the problem is. He is on Biocare calcium EPA and Higher Nature vitamin d in sunflower oil and these are tollerated very well. I also have been using Biocare childrens multi vitamin and minerals but these have disappeared from the website and they have not replied to my email asking if they are bringing them back but I have a good stock of them. I have split his meals up so he does not eat 3 meals a day but 5 smaller ones so I can get nystatin into him at 3 droplets per time.
You may also find the website Kersten’s Kitchen helpful. Kersten Chapman has extremely food-sensitive children and her family was limited to six tolerated foods for several years before she started on GAPS. She took it very, very slowly – e.g. a quarter teaspoon of meat stock once per week – to begin with but has seen huge improvements in their health and the range of foods they can tolerate. She is also active on a couple of facebook groups. She’s put a bunch of her frankly genius recipes (who knew you could make nice things with just 6 ingredients) into an e-book. And no, she’s not paying me to advertise for her! 🙂 Good luck with healing your son!