What You Need to Know About Bone Broth for Weight Loss

Whether it’s made of chicken, beef, pork, lamb or fish bones, bone broth is a soul-satisfying drink that we’ve all enjoyed. Made by a parent or grandparent when you were feeling low at some point in your life, it was a great pick-me-up to consume and feel better. But lately, there’s been talk about not only the nutritional value of bone broth but also its weight-loss properties.

For example, the bone broth diet developed by naturopathic doctor Kellyann Petrucci has taken the world by storm. And for good reason. With this diet, there’s no need to count calories or watch your macronutrient consumption as is done with many other diets. Instead, you prepare your elixir and consume it with the right mini-meals and intermittent fasting for great results.

So, what exactly is bone broth for weight loss and what do you need to know about it? Read on to find out more.

How does the 21-day bone broth diet work?

When it comes to bone broth for weight loss, the name of the 21-day bone broth diet says it all. It takes place over a three-week period (which can be shorter or extended for longer) and it involves consuming bone broth made of animal bones. (Pescatarians don’t need to worry because fish bones will do the trick just as well). The diet is a combination of intermittent fasting and the Paleo diet and here’s how it works.

Under this meal plan, you will alternate between a Paleo diet for five days a week and two days of fasting which involves drinking more bone broth. It must be noted that bone broth consumption happens every day. The diet that you should follow for the five-day period should be rich in whole, unprocessed foods for the five days while avoiding grains, gluten, soy, dairy and added sugar. You’ll still be able to enjoy three meals a day and add to that two servings of bone broth as snacks.

As for the two-day fast, you need to in a sense simply detox and drink only bone broth together with tea or coffee for all the meals during the day. Regarding the intermittent fast, you should aim for a 12-hour eating window during the first week. In the second week, aim for 16/8 fasting which means you fast for 16 hours and limit your broth intake to an eight-hour window. As for week three, you’ll have a stricter window for consumption which is only four hours long.

Can drinking bone broth help you lose weight?

Bone broth is healthy. And a 2017 study has pointed out that the average cup of chicken bone broth contains more protein than the average cup of basic chicken broth. Based on this, we understand that with bone broth, you are consuming more protein. But what are the benefits of this? The answer is simple. Consuming protein can help you feel fuller for longer and it supports calorie restriction. As such, consuming bone broth for weight loss has the potential to help you lose weight. Especially when combined with the right associated diet and the right intermittent fasting.

But are there other benefits to bone broth for weight loss apart from losing weight? Science reveals that there are. Here is a quick snapshot of what you can expect when you consume bone broth as part of your 21-day diet:

• Healthy digestion and keeping you fuller for longer
• Improved metabolism and because it has no carbs and is low in calories
• Removal of excess water retained in the body
• It’s good for a healthy, vibrant skin due to collagen, hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, glycine, proline, potassium and magnesium
• It has a positive effect on fighting colds and the common cold
• Boosts bone health
• Aids with sleep due to its nutrient-rich make up
• Has anti-inflammatory effects and can improve gut health
• It can improve heart health
• It fights arthritis and joint pain
• It can help prevent athletic injuries and recover post-workout
• It can help you build muscle
• It does a great liver cleansing through the detox
• It can help you control your blood sugar
• Builds hormones to boost immunity
• Helps with brain development and prevents neurodegenerative diseases

How much bone broth should I drink daily to lose weight?

Deciding how much bone broth for weight loss you should consume daily will depend on whether you are consuming it as a home-made broth or as a bone broth powder. For example, if you’ve made your bone broth yourself (usually after 12-24 hours of boiling the broth), you should drink between two to six cups daily. This should be supplemented with protein consumption at every meal. However, for those consuming broth powder, you should limit your daily servings to one to three. All this relates to the days on which you are not fasting.

However, the bone broth intake during the fast should increase. These intermittent or mini-fasts, which must be done on non-consecutive days during the week, should involve either drinking six portions of bone broth or drinking five portions of bone broth and eating an evening meal. This meal should be made of protein, non-starchy vegetables, and fat. However, in both cases, you should consume no more than 500 calories on mini-fast days, although Dr. Petrucci advises against counting calories on mini-fast days.

How much weight can you lose on a bone broth fast?

Regarding the actual results of bone broth for weight loss, it’s important to distinguish between the marketing promises made in Dr. Petrucci’s bone broth diet book and the actual results you can expect to see.

According to the book, it makes the bold promise of helping you lose up to 15 pounds (6.8 kgs), 10.16 cms and the loss of your wrinkles in a mere three weeks span of time. However, in reality, most people have lost around one to two pounds (nearly one kilogramme) per week or up to three kilogrammes in the space of the 21-day period.

This is why it’s essential that if want the best results by following the bone broth diet for weight loss, you also need to supplement this with the right workout routine for you.

Concluding thoughts

Bone broth for weight loss is the latest weight loss trend to have hit the world. And for good reason. Bone broth contains very few calories (you can expert around 20-60 per cup). What’s more is that it contains between eight and 12 grams of protein per cup, which is a great way of keeping you fuller and helping you build muscle. There are also no carbohydrates in bone broth drinks while the fat content can be high or low, depending on what you choose to consume. Overall, combined with the right exercise, this can not only be a soul-satisfying way to shed kilos but it’s also a very healthy way of giving your body nutritents it needs to thrive.

Resources:

http://www.healthline.com/nutrition/bone-broth-diet#downsides
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323903
http://www.insider.com/guides/health/diet-nutrition/bone-broth-diet
http://www.ndtv.com/health/weight-loss-tips-bone-broth-diet-how-it-works-know-other-health-benefits-2071468