What’s The Deal With Bone Broth? The Power of Healing Through What You Eat

Dr. Kellyann Petrucci is a board-certified naturopathic physician, certified nutrition consultant, and weight-loss and natural anti-aging expert. She has written six best-selling books and been a pioneer of the modern “Bone Broth Revolution,” rē-thinking the public perception of the trendy health food. Her efforts have helped to bring bone broth to the mainstream, educating the masses about its vast health benefits. But what is the deal with bone broth, anyway?

Dr. Petrucci’s investment in the health field began with her own personal wellness and a diagnosis of endometriosis. For years, she went from doctor-to-doctor to find a long-term solution to her debilitating cramps, hoping to avoid surgery and birth control pills. While a bodybuilder in her twenties, her sponsor introduced her to a trainer to prepare her for a fitness showcase who put her on an anti-inflammatory diet, eliminating gluten. The next month, her cramps were gone — and never came back. “That’s how I found my calling,” she tells rē•spin. “Once I witnessed the power of natural healing in my own life, I became passionate about giving that gift to others. Everything I learned through these experiences reinforced the lesson my own medical crisis had taught me: We have a tremendous power to heal if we simply give our bodies what they need.”

Ultimately, Dr. Petrucci has learned that the foundation of what our bodies need is food. The bone broth trend has taken off in the last couple of years, but with good reason. Humans consumed bone broth for centuries, dating back to the paleolithic era. But it’s a staple in multicultural cuisines, like the popular soup, Pho, and is lauded by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for strengthening the kidneys and improving digestive health.

Now, bone broth is firmly embedded in mainstream health and wellness culture, rediscovered through new methodologies, and becoming a buzzword among wellness fanatics. As for Dr. Petrucci, well, “I was into bone broth way before bone broth was cool,” she says. She was first introduced to bone broth in her education when she studied ancestral medicine and nutrition. It kept popping up in her readings and she couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t a staple in everyone’s diets. She eventually began integrating bone broth into her patient plans and the results were great.

Referred to as “liquid gold” by its fans, we can’t help but wonder what it actually does for health. As Dr. Petrucci explains, it begins with the gut and its microbiome. “Your gut is home to trillions of microbes—that’s what we call your microbiome. As I like to say, you’re a ‘big bag of bugs,’” she says. “You want those bugs to be happy and healthy because they do everything from digesting your food to keeping you slim to making your immune system work right.”

Most humans have an imbalanced microbiome due to factors like past rounds of antibiotics, poor diets, chronic stress, a lack of sleep, and environmental toxins. With so many factors at play that can throw our gut microbiome out of balance, things can go awry quickly. A “sick” gut microbiome leads to inflammation, which can lead to small holes and tears in our intestinal walls, also referred to as a “leaky gut.”

Leaky Gut Syndrome allows toxins, as well as undigested food molecules, to leak out of your intestines and into your blood. This leads to systemic inflammation because the immune system identifies these foreign molecules as “invaders,” or pathogens, activating the immune response. Dr. Petrucci explains, “It goes wild; it starts attacking your own body — I call it ‘friendly fire’ — and chronic inflammation spreads throughout your system, like a forest fire that never goes out.”

This is where the efficacy of bone broth comes into play. First of all, it’s full of gelatin, which coats and soothes the intestinal lining of your gut — much like when you apply aloe to a sunburn. It can also help cue repair by replenishing collagen‘s building blocks, the major structural protein in our bodies that naturally decreases with age. Integrating bone broth and hydrolyzed collagen powder into your daily diet can help your body replace the collagen that it has lost. Dr. Petrucci also believes that it can help with anti-aging objectives, too — turning back the clock by reducing fine lines, firming up cellulite, promoting glossy hair and strong nails.

Dr. Petrucci made bone broth a regular part of her life and her practice with her patients, helping them to heal their guts and providing healthy aging benefits. This is when she thought up the idea of a Bone Broth Fast, particularly for patients that wanted to lose weight. “As a weight-loss expert, I know that fasting is the most powerful way to lose weight — but I also know that fasting is really, really hard for a lot of people,” she explained of the unavoidable pangs of hunger it inspires. “So, I decided to put it to the test… in three different cities, and voila—it worked!” By taking the fear out of fasting, her patients have thereby been able to meet weight loss goals, as well. 

“I’m thrilled that I’ve helped hundreds of thousands of people lose weight and get healthy through my Bone Broth Revolution,” she said. “And I love that I’m making it easier for people to eat right by creating an entire line of delicious, nutrient-rich foods that they can eat guilt-free.” She has since developed her Bone Broth Diet, which focuses on improving gut health and reducing internal inflammation through intermittent fasting practices. Balanced nutrition is key for this methodology, including whole foods and collagen-rich bone breath while taking a break from things like sugar, grains, and other toxins.

If this hasn’t convinced you to rē-consider the health benefits of bone broth, we don’t know what will.