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
Jill says
Great article. I agree with you for the most part. I think what doctors and nutritionists are trying to do is get you to heal the easiest/fastest way possible. You can make your own nutrients, but it takes your body more energy and time than if the building blocks are already in a similar form to the final products (like the nutrients you get from eating animals).
For me, I have adrenal dysregulation, but I also have to work a high-stress 40+ hour/week job. I don't have time to make really healthy veg meals all the time, and trying to do so would cause more stress and make my adrenals worse, so the solution for me has been to buy a free-range chicken about once/month and use all parts of it and then make the bone broth as well. Not the best, but it's what I have to do.
Thanks for the recipe!
Locomondo says
Exactly, I feel like the moral motivation that vegan have makes them ignore the fact that animal food has also healing properties and is in many cases much more suitable to people with gastro intestinal issues as leaky gut. I personally healed and did much better with animal food then with vegan. Something like turmeric can be great for some ppl and it has anti-inflammatory properties while in some ppl with a sensible gut can be very upsetting(like myself).We should be interested in what gives a better result in the end and that can also be personal. I used gasp diet and it was great for me, while plant based diet was hurting me and made my GI very inflamed. And yes I can not wait to be able to eat all kind of fruits and raw vegetable again but until I heal my gut and nee to do what I have to do.
Tracey says
Your comment does not sound like you were truly ever plant based. I personally have seen much better health benefits being plant based.
There is nothing magic about meat, and with all the horrific collateral damage from meat and dairy and the fact I have rocking health, I will stick with the smart food ( plants) and stick by my pesky morals. The human gut is built to process plants much more so than meat, that is fact. There is nothing in a rotting , tortured corpse that my body needs.
DZ says
I was vegetarian then vegan for two years. Over the two years my health became progressively worse. I was eating nuts, seeds, legumes, sprouting everything first. I drank green smoothies, ate salad, sweet potatoes, fermented foods, the works. I ate an avocado a day. My health continued to decline. I lost too much weight, broke out in acne, lost hair. It turned out I was suffering from adrenal fatigue and an iron deficiency-- even though I was careful to eat a lot of spinach and other leafy greens high in iron. It was only when I started in bone broth, wild fish and organic pasture raised meat did my health start to improve. Vegetarian and vegan diets work for many - but not for all. People have to find what works best for them and should NOT be judged as a result.
AC says
That's right.
Sadkitty says
I can't imagine that you food much research if you believed spinach was a good source of iron.
Been vegan for b24 years and Jane never had low iron, except when pregnant, and that was easily remedied.
Purple are so quick to ditch their ethics and eat corpses.
MeShell says
My chiropractor gave me info on ionized alkaline water. One statement therein says “if your pH drops below 5.8 you cannot absorb vits A, B,E,F and K. Nor can u absorb minerals like sulphur, potassium, calcium, vanadium, chromium, iron or zinc and that restructured alkaline water is the most efficient way to alkalize your body”. I read elsewhere that people who wish to stop smoking eliminate red meat, cheese and eggs for a time to alkaline their blood thereby eliminating the desire for nicotine. My mom put 1/4-1/2 tsp baking soda in some water and drank it. Idk why she did it but I occasionally do it and I sleep deeply. I believe it alkalizes my blood. We are all so individual emotionally and chemically plus foods work synergistically and adaptive to our individual chemistry. My son has severe gut issues and I hope to find some information that helps him so I am searching for what I can here and everywhere. My daughter makes this broth and it healed her migraines and acne, even the acne scarring. It healed her boyfriend’s undiagnosed gut pain while they were were actively making/consuming it but his pain has returned so she is beginning again. I wish healing for everyone. We are all learning together and again, it is so individual. Peace.
Sachi says
Thank you!! What a great article. I really appreciate all the thought that you have put in to this recipe. I just dared to ask a health-related question on an alternative health FB group a friend added me to, and I practically got jumped for not eating paleo! My diet isn't great at the moment, but it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm vegetarian and everything to do with being overwhelmed, not wanting to cook, and not having enough money for nutritious foods that don't need to be pre-prepared. I have been vegetarian all my life and have never had food allergies or nutritional deficiencies other than slightly low iron during only my third pregnancy out of four (which is not at all uncommon for anyone). I guess you could say I'm drained, and this recipe would be a perfect for replenishing nutrients ... now if only I could find someone to cook it for me!
evelyn says
Would it be ok to use an emulsifier and make this into a thick broth? It sounds delicious but I hate throwing away all those lovely veggies.
Aimee says
Of course, you could make this into a soup! However, the idea of this broth is to be easy on the gut with as little to digest as possible, hence why I've kept it as a clear broth.
Stacey says
Hi Amiee,
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I can't stand the smell of bone broth much less imagine drinking it. Yuck. I have two autoimmune diseases and major gut issues. While not everything is compliant for everyone, it is a broth that can be adapted and changed to suit taste and limitations. Also on a side note it is strained so no one is consuming the veggies that offend their tummies.
Keep up the great work.
Aimee says
Thanks Stacey!
Shauna Jamison says
Hello Amiee. I applaud your devotion to veganism. However wonderful and nutrient dense your broth is there are a few ingredients included in yours that can be very irritating to an inflamed gut. I feel it is your responsibility to point them out to people who are not as informed as yourself. Especially since you so vehemently comparing it to bone broth that has countless doctors/healers backing its healing power and very few to support yours. Seeing that you are not a doctor or even a nutritionalist you should be more respectful towards your followers. You correctly pointed out the issues with Wakame but what about Spinach which is dangerous for anyone with goiters, or kale which can cause a compromised digestive system gas as its very hard to break down, black pepper is also another problem for healing guts as it is a stimulant and the chili's being a nightshade is a known inflammatory. I am sure your broth will be beneficial to many people but I highly doubt this is the case for the mass majority suffering from Crohns, IBS, Diverticulis et all.
Aimee says
Thanks Shauna. Yes, I never claimed to be a doctor or a nutritionist, this is simply an alternative to what's already out there and as I mentioned a couple of times, it can be altered to suit people's needs and tastes. Thanks for providing extra info for those who might be looking for it.
Daniel brook says
Kale is being removed from the soup as this is a broth. You are only pulling the nutrients and minerals in the inputs, then straining them out.