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
Rachel says
Hi! This looks amazing! My tummy has a really bad reaction to shitake mushrooms, do you have any suggestions to an alternative to them? :)
Aimee says
Hi Rachel, if you can have other mushrooms - simply substitute for another kind. Or just omit the mushrooms. Hope you enjoy!
Tina says
Thank you so much. I am reading lots of diets for healing gut that is from animal sources and I just won't eat animals. I came across your website and feel much better. Thank you. I was sure there was an alternative to gut healing that is vegetarian/vegan and I found it. Very happy.
Hannah says
Hi there, can you think of any alternatives to wakame? It doesn't seem to be available anywhere around me. Thanks!
Nikki says
Hi Hannah, I believe you would benefit from the use of any avalable sea vegetable, such as Kombu or Dulse or any other one you can find. From what I understand they are all superfoods!
Rhonda says
just made this today and it is AWESOME--will be my new staple--thanks so much for the recipe
Does anybody care says
For all you people that keep toting that the defenders of meat eaters are replying nasty to you - why don't you take a look at your own comments; how you say meat eaters are cruel to animals.
For sure in a processing type of world, it has been happening for years - but now we have choices of free range or grass fed etc., which tastes better also - but more expensive, to which some have not a choice with what they have for themselves. Joblessness is designed so that it produces endless tax entilements to extortionists.
All of this processing and constant denial of our own forriaging for our own resources due to capitalism, is not really most of our fault. When you either do as you are told or be threatened with violence, or jail, there is not a lot, many of us are able to do about it.
The fact is, humans are omnivorous. That is why we have incisor teeth for tearing and bone crushing molars. It is natural.
I bet some of you have cats or dogs; and what is it that you feed them? Wouldn't happen to be slaughtered animals by humans would it? Or do you allow them to instinctively chase down other animals and cruely kill them? Try feed them a carrot and see what happens! What about all the dead animals hit by cars? And if you never have hit one, take a look at all the bugs on your front grille or windscreen of your car. If you don't drive, i bet you still love to have all the luxuries so somebody has to get it delivered to you. You are also an indirect problem to animal cruelty no matter what you say. How about the minute animals you walk all over everyday. You may think humans are cruel to animals but humans are more cruel to other humans than any other animal on earth.
I came on here to find out about vegetable broth because i am interested in finding new ways to cook and become healthy.
All vegans are so disallusioned by what is reality, that they can never see the cruelty of the natural animal world that slaughters other animals, including humans, if given the chance - so they too can survive. Think of a lion taking down a wilderbeast and the struggle that follows (That isn't some instant kill). And think about the starvation of the predator (now that is cruel). Or the damage to them all just to be fed. Try to stop these animals from living this way and you so-called vegans would have the earth extinct in a year. What about the poisonous animals that inflict devastaing venoms into humans and the cruel death that is. How many of you think the only good snake is a dead snake or how about a mouse? What about the diseases they bring that have killed humans in the thousands or millions. Or the cancers and parasites that are years of torture. Speaking of which, would you like to be saved by an anti-venom if bitten by a snake? Well humans use mice to accomplish that. That is a cruel death as it would be for you without the anti-venene.
It is never going to be any different. Earth is basically "hell" and you have a life sentence; we all do. The ones who take control are the ones who live the easiest. Money is the ultimate cause of all of this.
Animals are chemically destroyed but so are vegetables and fruits. All our health suffers due to the cruelty of chemicals, so that you can enjoy your fruit without a worm coming out of it. Or seeing a blotch on the side of it. Do you think about all the chemicals on your fruit that have killed animals? You douse yourself in chemicals everday. Soaps, perfumes, toilet paper, dish washing liquid, needles, not to mention the clothes washing detergent all going into the sea to kill all the wild life there just so you smell nice and feel clean.
I bet you all spray chemicals to kill ants and mosquitos. I bet you all have wooden furniture that once had animals inhabit the tree it came from. I bet you are some of the people driving around polluting the earth and the so-called animals you love and don't want to hurt. Speaking of wood, you use it too and trees remove toxins from the earth but of course there is less now to be able to cope.
I too hate animal cruelty but i am certain, i would not survive without red meat and be able to do the job that i am enforced to do, to be able to survive on this scum riddin earth. Vegetables alone would just not cut it, however they too are also needed.
This is supposed to be a vegetable broth - but it is really a strained soup. And yes it sounds deliscious and probably does wonders - however chicken soup, especially traditional Croation style, where the animals were in the back yard of the home owner and killed onsite, is also a good soup for ailments & sickness.
The problem with Vegans is that they try to enforce their way onto others just like feminists or polititians or religions. The reality is none of it matters in the end so why bother and just live for yourself and your close ones. Sure throw up a few ideas for others - but forcing others to be like you is why this world is so messed up. Just be happy that some meat eaters took an interest in this recipe - what else can you do? There is no point getting angry at others or you will end up needing more then a broth for the stress illnesses.
I don't believe in Peer reviewed because it always comes down to somebody else's word, whether it is supposed to be peer reviewed or not. And if a new idea comes along, all of a sudden people are skeptical because they expect it to be written in the stars. Well i make my own judgemnent for me and so should you - for you. If nothing is ever tried, than how would we have ever moved forward in society? Frankly, i get sick of the smart alec's using the peer reviewed nonsense so they seem superior. Take a look at the so called government scumbags who believe their way is the only way and the force they use to get their own way (criminals). What good has it done? None that is what.
Anyway the broth sound like what i am after for soemthing different
Thanks
Vegan says
Wow, what a fuckimg stupid uninformed rant and the sane old "Tiger" and "dead mosquito" bullshit we've all heard a thiusand times.
You really have too much time on your hands to write an essay like that at the bottom of a random comment section on a a random soup blog.
John says
I love your reply! Thanks for making my day a little brighter.
Arvadia says
Lol! I don't normally leave comments, but I started reading what "does anybody care," posted. I stopped reading when I scrolled and saw how long it was, thinking... Wow this guy has a lot of time on his hands... Only to read "Vegan's" following comment. This s great. Thanks for the laugh
Jamjam says
cocaine is a hell of afrug
Heidi says
Classic
Plants says
WOW! Couldn’t get past first couple of bad grammar sentences. Who the hell has time to read your brain diarrhea!!! Sheesh! If you’re not vegan/vegetarian go troll somewhere else!
Heidi says
Are you ok?
Karen says
Molars are for grinding plants. Canines are for tearing meat. Just saying. The human body has evolved to eat an omnivorous diet. However, you can choose to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet if you wish (except for the small portion of people who are unable to get the required protein from plant sources and must eat meat to survive, yes they exist). Also, humans have been cooking food for millions of years so has evolved to benefit from cooked food so the raw diet, which increases gut bacteria diversity, is not what humans have evolved to eat either. What humans have not quite evolved to deal with is living in urban conditions with lots of humans all in one place.
That said, certain diets do benefit people with certain illnesses. Research shows that people with ulcerative colitis can benefit from a vegan diet, people with crohn's disease can benefit from a vegetarian diet, people with IBS can benefit from a low fructose and fermentables diet, people with autism and other cognitive issues can benefit from a low processed food diet. Sometimes, people have to adhere to certain diets to stay well. And, sometimes those diets involve eating meat.
All of that said, I am aware bone broth has little nutritional value unless you put plants in it so am glad to find a substitute which definitely does contain a bunch of this which are nutritious.
Thanks!
Erutan says
I haven't seen a single vegan rant here... just an omnivorous one. Health is different for everyone, as is morality. You are welcome to eat however you wish, but personally I would never intentionally kill an animal so I have no right to eat them. There is a lot of cruelty in the world, I don't see the harm in trying to reduce my impact. Maybe just make broth instead of preaching ♡
Suzie says
Wow! I think she was just offering an alternative.
Me-shell says
Hahahaha. I love you! ❤️