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
Vicky says
I've never suffered so much whiplash while reading tried to a post. Bone broth is good for you. Nobody needs to be judged for trying to stay alive. I love animals. I have a dog and a bird. I catch opossums in the basement, but I don't kill them. But as a recovering anorexic, the LAST thing I need while sipping bone broth is an image of how these poor animals suffered. I get it! We all get it! The animals suffered. Animals have been killed as a good source since the beginning of time. They are also used in medical research. No, I don't like that they suffer, but if they don't suffer, your kids would never live through lukemia, if they developed it. You wouldn't have the high survival rate you have today. By the way, you do know plants are living things, too. Just because they don't scream doesn't mean they don't feel pain when you chop them up. Classical music has proven to stimulate plant growth better than heavy metal and rock, under the same environment. So maybe they suffer, too.
But my point being, you don't know who could be reading your posts. There are quite a few people with eating disorders, like myself, who fight every day to eat healthy meals. The last thing we need is feelings of guilt and one more reason to put the dishes and silverware back in the drawer and walk away. Please think of others when you decide to post. Words have power.
Has anyone considered combining this recipe with bone broth? I've considered it, but I'd omit the seaweed.
Vicky says
"while reading tried to a post" should've said "while reading replies to a post"
"Animals have been killed as a good source" should've said "animals have been killed as a food source"
I apologise for all the typos. I do wish we could edit our posts.
s says
compassion to you and all reading this. compassion to all beings on earth. all beings. including all animals, all creatures. as well as all humans who eat animal products, consciously or unconsciously. those of us who can ethically, healthily, and on all physical, psycho-emotional planes, make the choice to live a vegan lifestyle must remember this compassion unconditionally.
Aimee says
No judgement here, just providing a plant-based alternative for those interested with some reassurance that you can get the health benefits without the bones. I did go back through my post and don't think my language is guilt-inducing nor does it go into detail about animal abuse. I don't like that kind of thing, either.
Kari says
I don’t think there was any intentional guilt here. I am anorexic and make my own food choices. The idea that meat and vegetable proteins are interchangeable is incorrect though. Bone broth and vegetable broth are absolutely not the same thing. The nutrients of bone broth utilize minerals in very different ways, it is synergistic They are quite different. The vegetarian diet is not for everyone, it’s actually not for many. Being a vegetarian for 20 years landed me in a health crisis, I’ll never remove meat from my life again. It’s interesting as a society that we don’t have the capacity to be moderate with our protein intake and change the system rather than demand our bodies function in a way they’re not meant to. We need to change the system and how animals are raised, bread and slaughtered in this country. Organic farming should be supported over big box stores. I’m an animal rights activist with three forms of anemia thanks to my vegetarian diet. I made those choices, blame no one, but now have to work to recover from that lifestyle. This unfortunately happens often and by the time the body starts eating itself due to meat protein deficiency there’s a lot of work to do to recover. It’s scary watching so many people turn to these diets but they’ll learn just as I did. Meat and vegetable protein are not the same thing, we need to stop telling people that. People that have not studied nutrition take those ideas as facts and it can be very damaging to health. Just my thought.
AAB89 says
There are mountains of studies saying the opposite of what you’re claiming. Meanwhile there is not even a single case study that provides any evidence that lack of meat caused someone’s health issues. Just lots of people who claim that that was the case. It is very possible to have a healthY meat free diet. It’s also completely possible to have a diet lacking in adequate nutrients and be a vegetarian. But don’t blame poor health on vegetarianism in general - there are plenty of us that have been veg for decades whose health is thriving. I’ve even met several lifelong vegetarians older than I am and I’m in my mid 30s. So please - stick to facts and not anecdotes, please.
Linda Vate Brattstrom says
I beg to differ. There is a powerful multi-year study from Australia showing a full fat dairy, eggs, unprocessed meat and dark chocolate, is a diet leading to less mortality and healthier lives. The attached link will give you a digestible explanation of the study. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/science/full-fat-dairy-red-meat-and-dark-chocolate-are-good-for-you/news-story/4d7418770f1b417d2d485b8aafb0e1ea?s=09
Anna says
Youre absolutely right. People develop problems because they don’t cook properly, eat properly, or supplement properly (there is NO reason to develop iron and b12 deficiency anemia if you are supplementing properly), and then cherry-pick one (1) study that supports their ideas, amongst all the studies that don’t. It’s silly. If it’s not for them then it’s not and they don’t have to be ridiculous just to justify it. Like... y’all do you. Being vegetarian or vegan requires nutritional knowledge and education. As someone who used to have anorexia it is EXHAUSTING to see all these people who used vegetarianism as a handy eating disorder trick who are now claiming that it’s inherently unhealthy. No, their eating disorder was unhealthy and they lacked the scientific knowledge to do it properly. It’s so tiring.
Owen says
Tell that to George Bernard Shaw.
Stephanie says
The “nutrients” in bone broth are HIGHLY overrated. New research shows it’s hardly the amazing nutritional cure all that people have made it out to be. ♀️
Jen says
Well for people like me this great, I have a rare kidney disease that doesn't allow me to have animal proteins,the protein causes build up in them as well as poking holes in my kidneys, so to find this is awesome.
Jae says
It wasn't. I love this recipe and article. Thank you for posting.
Anita says
I love this recipe and all that comes with it. Eating a plant-base diet far exceed any other diet.
Having a nutritional sheet is important but, if look up the health benefit of each ingredients then you will know that this is a highly nutritious vegetable broth.
Thanks for freely sharing your recipe with us, much appreciation.
Juana says
That kind of seaweed contains carrageenan. I learned about carrageenan and its potentially harmful affects to the gut after looking for ways to heal my gut since recently suffering a horrible bout of colitis that has changed my digesting drastically. People should be aware. “ Since the late 1960s, there’s been controversy surrounding the health effects of carrageenan. Some evidence suggests that carrageenan triggers inflammation, gastrointestinal ulcerations, and that it damages your digestive system
Gail Smith says
I found her post informative and in no way judgemental. Having an eating disorder is terribly debilitating and I have help my daughter through one. It’s not about whether you eat meat or not though, it’s about making sure what you eat is nutritious and that’s not meat. I wish you well on your journey to health.
Jc says
Not ew to the recipe ew to these nasty comments.
TJ says
I second that Jc. Not even sure where all this came from. Its a meatless alternative. Enjoy it or not and move on.
Vegan Earthling says
"Right to Know" -- ANIMAL PROTEIN CAUSES CANCER & MORE! "The China Study" eatingyoualive.com
Lellie says
Thank you for mentioning that animal protein has been scientifically linked to cancer. There is quite a bit of research on this. Additionally, how is an animal killed humanely? I am sure when the animal is killed they are very grateful for being murdered! Humane killing is a rationalization of meat eaters.
I see nothing has been said about the raw vegan diet, probably because it requires discipline which most people do not have in abundance. Eating live plant foods is the healthiest form of feeding your body as you are maintaining the live enzymes which help your digestion and aid in nourishing your body. Eating vegan cooked food is not really that much healthier. Yes, you are eliminating the toxins from animal protein, but you are eliminating the bulk of the nutrition. I have been raw vegan fourteen years and have had amazing health improvements. Some of these are a tremendous increase in energy, eliminating health problems that plagued me for years and feeling so much lighter than being dragged down by a lump of meat in my stomach that takes days to digest. The human digestive system which has a long twisting colon is made for digesting plant food. Cats and other animals with a short straight colon are made to digest meat. We are not. The key to health is eating live foods.
I personally know people following raw vegan diets who have recovered from Multiple Sclerosis and gotten out of their wheelchairs, recovered from various cancers, asthma, type 2 diabetes as well as other diseases. Please do some research on this. There are many proponents of the raw food diet.
Kate O'connor says
Agree completely. Well said.
Anna says
I think you should go back and read the recipe again. There is no guilt tripping and NO discussion of animal suffering, it is all about replicating nutrients for people who wish to do so.
I used to have anorexia and I understand the guilt that you’re talking about, but you have a responsibility to recognize that that guilt is internal and it is yours to work through. It is unfair to put it on the writer, who did none of what you’re suggesting. Your disorder is not their fault and they did not proselytize about veganism. They merely discussed alternative sources of collagen, protein, and other nutrients, for people who prefer to source them elsewhere.
I’m sorry for what you’re going through and I empathize, but it is deeply unfair to dump that on the OP, who did not guilt trip anyone.
jane says
oh ya.when we cut or tear a plant we're sposed 2 tell them b4 so that we'll b doing this.it's betr 2 warn them.they really get a shock if we don't.
Stephanie says
So because you suffered from anorexia, you demand everyone to very carefully word everything they say in case you might be reading and might be triggered?
So says
Thank you for this interesting article. Until now, I envied the carnivorous for the chicken broth with collagen. Everywhere, they talked about "health nectar", "magic elixir"... Will try your recipe. I'm used to making broth with the leftover juicer pulp.
Stacy says
I love this broth it is SO delicious. It is also my go-to broth after ending and extended water fast which I do 3-4 times a year. I do have one question though, please... if you could offer some insight. I follow this recipe almost to the letter, however my broth has never looked golden like the picture. It is always a dark green color. My suspicion it is might be the dried seaweed but I am not sure. Has this ever happened to you? The broth is delicious, but when I make it, the color is less than appetizing.
ERIN says
My fist batch was like that. I used the wrong seaweed and I used a lot of purple veggies. Once I got the right seaweed and balanced the veggie colors it looked great. Maybe see if you are doing anything like that? Xxxooo
Vendy says
I have been making vegan broth for years and have never used seaweed. I always use kelp. Always get a beautiful color.
Rhiannon says
Interesting. Certain herbs (not going to name them here due to rude comments further up) have properties that heal and soothe the gut (not the stomach, but further along the digestive tract, small intestine usually, is where the damage often is in need of repair) and seal the leaky gut barrier. Tried GAPS; couldn't. Just urrgggh. Certain information from the Medical Medium (as he's called) in his book Life-Changing Foods, can help with the healing as well. Really worth reading, and mostly vegan. Amazing recipes.
sarita says
Very nice recipe! Can't wait to try it!
I just find it comical how all the righteous non-vegans are commenting that the benefits of consuming PLANTS are unsubstantiated. I've been vegan for 5 years and wouldn't have any other way.