Originally published August 18, 2016
A full-flavoured vegetable broth recipe with gut-healing properties, or a "vegan bone broth" alternative!
You might have seen a lot and heard a lot about Bone Broth and its "gut healing" properties in the news and media, as it seems to be a health trend at the moment.
So, in addition to creating a vegan bone broth alternative (recipe below) I decided to look into what exactly it is about bone broth is apparently so fascinating...
and was very underwhelmed.
I'm not a health expert and this article is simply a pool of resources I have combined.
I'd like to provide my thoughts as well as an alternative recipe...
Jump to:
🤷🏻♀️ Why Bone Broth is Nothing Special
Turns out, the most beneficial nutrients and electrolytes in bone broth can be found in vegan-friendly sources and the one thing that sets itself apart, the thing that is impossible for vegans to find a veggie replacement for is the collagen.
Collagen? I'll make my own, thanks
Our bodies can't even digest collagen whole.
We simply absorb the nutrients from our food which provides our bodies with the building blocks it needs to naturally create collagen, if and when it needs it.
There is no evidence that there is an advantage to consuming these amino acids and minerals from bone broth over other foods.
Eating collagen does not equal having more collagen.
As put in this article from TIME magazine, "Just as the dietary fat you swallow doesn’t directly translate to body fat, swallowing collagen doesn’t become collagen in or between your bones."
Kantha Shelke, a food scientist and clinical nutritionist, says "Eating a diet rich in leafy green vegetables is ideal.
Plants offer richer sources in collagen building blocks and, in addition, provide nutrients not found in sufficient quantities in meats or broth."
Healing the stomach lining
And as for it being healing for the stomach lining, particularly from the gelatin, there are some great plant-based alternatives for that too. Particularly fermented foods.
There are many other foods that have been shown to contribute towards healing the stomach lining and digestive tract, such as seaweed, aloe vera, healthy fats and turmeric.
Vitamins and minerals
Obviously, all the calcium, potassium and other minerals found in bone broth are more than easy to find in plant-based foods plus they contain much, much more goodness.
Not to mention you'll be avoiding lead and other harmful heavy metals.
So the animal product-reliant parts are not necessary and are over-hyped.
It's all in aid of making what our bodies already naturally produce and plant-sourced vitamins and minerals are the best option to actually help it do that.
🌱 A Plant-Based Option
So now we've established that the bones in this healing broth are not only unnecessary but also not as nutritious as plant-based sources, it seems pretty clear that using a bunch of wholesome plant-based ingredients is going to be healing.
And way more appealing, too.
Drinking broth has been a go-to, for centuries, as a healing food for when we're sick.
This study suggests that it's more the effect of hot liquid that is beneficial, and not necessarily the minerals or nutrients in the liquid.
Plus soup and hot liquids just feel good.
They're warming, comforting and can taste good.
🥣 Vegan Bone Broth Alternative
My version contains lot's of nutritional goodness that is great for overall health but particularly focuses on plenty of gut-healing properties.
Feel free to switch up, leave out or add in any ingredients you like, to suit your diet and taste.
The main stars are:
- Wakame seaweed:
Great source of omega 3 - one of the best for vegans, act as preobiotics which are great for intestinal health, full of vitamins and minerals (particularly good source of iron, calcium, magnesium and iodine).
Not suitable for SCD diets, leave out as necessary. - Shiitake mushrooms:
Aside from giving the most amazing flavour, these mushrooms have been shown to inhibit inflammation in the gut.
They're also full of amino acids, vitamin D, zinc and B vitamins. - Coconut oil or olive oil:
Mainly to aid in absorbing nutrients but coconut oil also has other properties that help destroy bad bacteria, yeast and lower stomach acid. - Turmeric:
Powerful anti-inflammatory to help with gut inflammation and gut permeability, plus adds delicious flavour and a beautiful colour. - Spinach or kale:
Full of vitamins and fibre.
Spinach has also been found to contain a sulfosugar that lowers gut inflammation. - Coconut aminos:
To add flavour, amino acids and the benefit of probiotics that comes with fermented foods.
May not be suitable for some diets as it's considered a sugar, so leave out if necessary.
You can find it in health food stores or on amazon.
I was worried the seaweed might be overwhelming, as I don't like sea flavours, but it wasn't really noticeable and the little bit that was noticeable was actually delicious.
It paired wonderfully with the mushrooms, ginger, chilli and coconut aminos for an Asian-style flavour.
SO good and wonderfully comforting.
❓FAQ
Do I have to strain the vegetables?
No. I created a broth so it would be completely gentle on the stomach, since a lot of people trying this are experiencing gut issues.
However, keeping the vegetables in the broth or blending it will make a delicious soup, if you prefer.
Do you have nutritional information for this broth?
It is too difficult to try and calculate the nutritional information for broths as the amount of nutrients are too variable.
Adding all the ingredients won't work because the vegetables are strained and therefore difficult to tell how much of the nutrients remain in the broth.
If you want to know for dieting purposes, I can tell you it's very low calorie and the only fat is the small amount of oil that is optional to include.
To add it to your food diary, I would just input it as "vegetable broth" with a small amount of oil.
It is likely to be under 50 calories.
How long does the broth keep for? Can it be frozen?
Once made, allow to cool slightly and keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze it.
I recommend pouring it into an ice cube tray to freeze as it makes it easier to defrost and is handy for small amounts of stock needed for soups, risottos and stews.
📖 Recipe
Gut-Healing Vegetable Broth
A nutritious, gut-healing broth as a vegan alternative to bone broth. If you don't like or can't find any ingredients, don't worry. Add what flavours you like and try to get as much variety and nutritional goodness as you can!
Ingredients
- 12 cups / 2 ¾ litres filtered water
- 1 tbsp coconut oil , or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion, quartered (with skins)
- 1 garlic bulb, smashed
- 1 chilli pepper, roughly chopped (with seeds) - avoid if you have a very sensitive stomach
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, roughly chopped (with skin)
- 1 cup greens, such as kale or spinach
- 3-4 cup mixed chopped vegetables and peelings, I used carrot peelings, red cabbage, fresh mushrooms, leeks and celery
- ½ cup dried shiitake mushrooms
- 30 g dried wakame seaweed
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 1 - 2 tbsp ground turmeric (use less for a milder taste)
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos, (see notes)
- A bunch of fresh corriander, or other herb of your choice
- (optional) ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes, for extra flavour and vitamins
Instructions
- Simply add everything to a large pot. Bring to a boil then simmer, with the lid on, for about an hour.
- Once everything has been cooked down, strain the liquid into a large bowl.
- Serve immediately with some fresh herbs, for decoration or cool for later. It also freezes well.
Notes
*Coconut aminos can be very salty, depending on what brand you use so taste before adding any additional salt.
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📖 References and resources
Studies
- The risk of lead contamination in bone broth diets
- Essential and toxic metals in animal bone broths
- Effects of drinking hot water, cold water, and chicken soup on nasal mucus velocity and nasal airflow resistance
- Shiitake Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Agaricomycetes), Supplementation Alters Gut Microbiome and Corrects Dyslipidemia (animal study)
- Efficacy and safety of Ayurvedic herbs in diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome: A randomised controlled crossover trial
- Sulfoquinovose is a select nutrient of prominent bacteria and a source of hydrogen sulfide in the human gut
Bianca - Elephantastic Vegan says
Yesss! Who needs bone broth when there's veggie broth?! It's the best!
Aimee says
I use it for everything now. It makes the BEST stock!
Jo says
Here we go again. I find a great reason to make veg broth, then look at the ingredients. my heart sinks because a couple of things on that list i couldn't get anywhere no matter where i looked. hopes dashed yet again. (basically, not going to even try now).
Aimee says
I mention at least twice that if you can't find any ingredients (or you don't like certain ingredients) you can simply leave them out or swap them for something else. This is just a basic guide to some healing ingredients and some encouragement for those who think bone broth is the only solution. Feel free to use your favourite vegetables and whatever is easiest for you to buy. Shiitake mushrooms and seaweed are great but I totally understand that they are not easy to get hold of for some people, which is why I've made the note that they're not strictly necessary. Hope you still get to try it!
Linda Roberts says
Amiee, what can one use in place of the Shiitake mushrooms and seaweed? I'll be going to our local health food store and just in case I can't find those ingredients what can I buy instead? thanks and I can't wait to try this out, also told my 84 yr old mother who also wants to try this too ..
Aimee says
Hi Linda, apologies for the late reply. If you can't get hold of those - don't worry. Just focus on adding plenty of veggies you like, with a variety of colours. Most supermarkets will sell dried mushrooms - if you can't find shiitake, try porcini or a mixture of dried mushrooms. If not, fresh mushrooms. The seaweed is, admittedly, a little trickier to get hold of but don't worry too much about that :-) Let me know how you get on!
Kelley cybul says
Amazon.com
Angie says
I got the seaweed on Amazon, the dried shiitakes at a local Asian market and the coconut aminos at a health food store but you can get all them on Amazon.
Vicky says
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this post Aimee! Excellent explanation, it will be so useful for Veggie and Vegan SCDers.
Aimee says
Thank you so much, Vicky!
Develyn says
Thank you for bringing up this important topic. I am curious what research you have done. I'd like to see the references. Years ago an acupuncturist told me I was Yin deficient and that raw foods were not good for me at that time because of it. A recipe including cooking bone for 12 hours along with Chinese herbs and root vegetables and dark beans helped me at that time. I would cook a big batch then freeze it in small portions and ate it 3times per week. Before that I ate mainly raw vegan foods for a few years and found health benefits and felt good ethically about that decision. Unfortunately it did not help my gut heal, probably because I over ate. I love vegan foods and have had difficulty choosing what to eat. Thanks again.
Starr @ The Misfit Baker says
Thanks for spreading the word. The world needs to hear about the non-animal sourced options out there... I suffered from chronic tummy troubles for a few months before seeing a doctor about it. After a couple of tests, she told me that some people just have more acid in their stomaches and need to take medicine. She then gave me a long term prescription for some acid reducing pills and told me to eat dairy yogurt. Um, no thank you to the pharma "cure" and the yogurt!... I went home, did my own research and started making (and drinking) water kefir. Guess what. The tummy troubles are all gone... Going to try your broth too. The gut can never be too healthy, plus it sounds delicious! :-)
Macy says
FYI, I can tell you (by virtue of being a recent college grad, and having looked in a course catalog within this decade) that most MD programs focus on Anatomy and Pathology, with their attendant fields: Virology, Microbiology, Epidemiology, et cetera. Unless a med student has a particular interest in Nutrition, they don't study it extensively. The program is typically geared towards studying "What to do when things go wrong!" not preventing catastrophes in the 1st place. The fact that your Mom was misdiagnosed is not surprising at all.
And no, I'm not an MD. I have a B.S. in Animal Science instead!