Bone Broth: Slow Nourishment in a Fast World

I have spoken about bone broth a lot over the past year, and I will likely continue to do so for as long as I continue this work and live in this world.

If I had to boil down all of the shifting and healing I’ve done just in the last year to one thing, it would be bone broth.

And the immediate question that tends to follow that statement is:

Why bone broth? How could something so simple be the most monumental piece of a healing journey?

The answer is multifaceted, with many avenues to explore as to why bone broth has become so important to me.

When you look at simple bone broth—without added vegetables or herbs—the bones themselves are incredibly mineral rich. When bones are simmered slowly over time, their minerals are released into the water in a form the body can actually recognize and absorb.

I know I’m not alone in recognizing that I have lived most of my life in a state of depletion.

Between MTHFR (a genetic mutation that alters the body’s ability to filter and regenerate), depletion and damage from vaccines, a POTS diagnosis (one I no longer align with), two pregnancies, ignoring my nervous system, and not understanding how to nourish the body through food, my mineral stores were essentially nonexistent.

I have watched my body literally cannibalize itself to survive.

And yet, over the past year, I’ve started intentionally creating this one ingredient that now shows up in almost every dish I make.

Bone broth became a conscious way to hand my body the minerals and nutrients it had been begging for. 

Bones contain foundational minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and trace minerals such as zinc, iron, and selenium. These minerals are essential for nerve signaling, muscle function, hormone communication, bone density, and cellular repair.

When they’re delivered slowly through food, rather than in isolated supplement form, the body knows exactly what to do with them.

From that state of nourishment, I was finally able to begin shifting.

When it comes to my personal batches of bone broth, I’ve taken things a step further. I’m not only looking for nourishment; I’m looking for flavor, and for an easy way to invite plant medicine into daily life.

Bone broth can be as simple as bones, salt, and water cooked for hours.

But for me, bone broth is bones plus sacred goodness: onions, garlic, stinging nettle, turmeric, oregano, carrots, celery, and whatever else the moment calls for.

Every batch changes, and that matters. It’s me listening to what our household needs most.

I’ve also realized that we don’t need to go out of our way to make separate immune tonics or seasonal remedies when we’re consistently nourishing our bodies with minerals, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, antimicrobial herbs, and gut-balancing plants in every single cup of broth that gets woven into our meals.

Bone broth is deeply ancestral.

It brings us back to a time when every part of an animal was used and honored. There is something profoundly grounding and comforting about it.

For me, it comes down to making a meal that tells my nervous system: you are safe.

Our culture is deeply depleted. We’ve lost the old ways of truly nourishing food. Our meals no longer bring us back to center, and when you combine that with constant urgency, a sense of unworthiness around rest, and the inflammatory nature of modern food and lifestyle, it’s no wonder people are sick.

But they don’t have to be.

When I look at my own healing journey, I know I still have more to move through. And yet I can say with certainty that making bone broth a consistent part of my life was the shift I never knew I needed. If something this simple could create that much change for me, then it tells me that, collectively, the simple act of nourishment may be enough to heal us.

I was at the grocery store recently and noticed ready-made bone broth on the shelf. The price was wild for what you were getting, about $8 for two cups.

Yes, it was pure bone broth, so you’d be getting minerals, but none of the added herbs, intention, or love.

When I look at those prices, it makes sense why more people aren’t consistently cooking with bone broth. At that rate, I’d be spending $20–$30 a week on broth alone.

Because I talk about bone broth so often and because I truly believe in its magic, I wanted to share what making bone broth actually looks like for me. My hope is that this breaks it down in a way that makes it feel accessible, something you could pull into your own daily rhythm.

I make both beef and chicken bone broth.

For beef broth, I source bones from a local farm at about $4 per pound, using roughly two pounds for the full pot.

For chicken broth, I save the bones from bone-in chicken meals, rinse them, and use those.

We tend to prefer beef broth because it’s richer, but beef bones take longer to break down than chicken bones. Fully utilizing them requires longer cooking time, so it becomes a choice based on patience, flavor, and availability.

I cook my bone broth in a crock pot on my counter. It usually cooks for 4–7 days with chicken bones and up to two weeks for beef bones. During that time, I pull batches, add fresh water, salt, and herbs, and let it continue simmering.

The only true requirements for bone broth are bones, water, and salt.

That said, here are some of my most commonly used ingredients and why they matter:

Onions – Support liver detox and mineral absorption while feeding beneficial gut bacteria.

Garlic – Antimicrobial and circulatory, supporting immune repair without being harsh.

Shiitake mushrooms – Immune-modulating and mineral-rich, helping the body rebuild rather than stay in defense mode.

Carrots – Provide gentle carbohydrates and beta-carotene to support digestion and bile flow.

Celery – Deeply hydrating and mineralizing, supporting electrolytes and connective tissue.

Turmeric – Anti-inflammatory and liver-supportive, helping reduce chronic inflammation.

Stinging nettle – A powerhouse mineral herb that supports adrenals and long-term nourishment.

Oregano – Antimicrobial and digestive, helping prevent stagnation.

Parsley – Supports kidney filtration and gentle detox.

Thyme – Supports respiratory and immune health with subtle nervous system calming.

Bay leaf – Supports digestion and nervous system regulation, helping the body comfortably receive rich, mineral-dense food.

Mustard powder – Gently stimulates digestion and circulation, helping mineral-rich broth move through the body rather than stagnate.

Once everything is in the crock pot, I fill it with water, add about one tablespoon of salt per batch (sea salt, Celtic salt, or Himalayan), and include black pepper for absorption.

Chicken bones need about 24 hours on low to begin breaking down, while beef bones need closer to 48 hours.

After that, I strain the broth, usually freeze it, then add more water and another tablespoon of salt to the crock pot. I let it cook for another 24 hours before pulling the next batch. I watch the ingredients and refresh herbs and vegetables as needed, typically adding new ones every other batch while keeping the old ones in.

I cook my broth until the bones have given everything they possibly can. Chicken bones will soften enough to break or cut easily. Beef bones will allow a fork to pierce them. While some say broth becomes clearer when the bones are spent, that’s less reliable when using a lot of additional ingredients.

Once the final batch is pulled, if you have chickens, the remaining cooked bones and vegetables make an incredible meal for them.

I’ll also be embedding a video here that walks you through the process step by step.

If this resonates and you decide to make your own bone broth, the next question is how to use it. My answer is simple: in everything.

Soups, sauces, cooking grains or greens, or even as the liquid used to steam vegetables. Put it everywhere.

You seasoned it. You infused it with intention. You created magic in liquid form, and now you get to offer it to your body again and again.

Bone broth is a love letter to your body. And the more you cook with it, the more you’ll notice that when something feels off, the answer often comes back to nourishment.

Your body already knows how to take care of itself. It knows how to heal, detox, and create life. Bone broth is simply the remembrance; a foundational tool that allows the body to do what it was always meant to do.

Please feel free to comment directly on this blog if you have any questions or need guidance for starting your own bone broth batch! Let nourish and heal together!