Last year, a friend of mine, who is a nutritionist, recommended that I try drinking bone broth to help optimize my performance. I didn’t think too much of it at the time, as guzzling the stock made from animal bones didn’t sound all that appetizing to me, especially before or after a big workout.
I tabled the advice and didn’t think about it until I suddenly noticed bone broth everywhere. Various pouches and cartons line the shelves at my local grocery store, and I can’t escape the stampede of TikTok influencers claiming bone broth leveled up their workout and recovery routines.
I wanted to know if bone broth is as magical as people (my nutritionist friend included) claim it is. So I reached out to three sports dietitians and asked them: What do you make of all this bone broth buzz? Here’s what they said.
Why Is Everyone Drinking Bone Broth Right Now?
Bone broth is a type of nutrient-rich stock that’s loaded with minerals like calcium and magnesium, along with proteins like collagen and gelatin. Whereas your standard stock (think: what you use as a base in soup) might only cook for a couple of hours, true bone broth has to soak and simmer between 12 and 48 hours for the nutrients to fully leach out of the animal bones—usually chicken or beef. “If you don’t cook it that long, you’re not getting all the nutrients out,” says Allison Childress, a sports dietitian and associate professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Texas Tech University.
According to Jena Brown, a sports dietitian for endurance athletes in Brenham, Texas, scientific research on the health benefits of bone broth is limited, but some scientists believe all those nutrients make bone broth an incredibly healthy snack—especially if you’re physically active. “Bone broth is a nutrient-dense, versatile, and functional food and beverage for athletes,” Brown told me.
1. Bone Broth Is an Electrolyte Powerhouse
One reason bone broth is recommended by sports dietitians is that it’s jam-packed with electrolytes like potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium. In fact, this is why Nyree Dardarian, a registered dietician and director of the Center for Nutrition and Performance at Drexel University, refers to bone broth as nature’s Gatorade. “It has all the electrolytes needed to replace sweat,” she said.
2. Bone Broth Is Protein-Rich
Bone broth is also an excellent source of protein, and it’s well-established that consuming protein—specifically, amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein—after working out helps strengthen your muscles. “When you exercise, you break down muscles and you have to consume protein in order to give your body back the amino acids to rebuild those muscles,” explains Brown.
3. Collagen in Bone Broth Can Improve Bone and Ligament Health
The main type of protein found in bone broth is collagen—a substance that keeps your connective tissues, like ligaments and tendons, strong and healthy. While it’s unclear exactly how much collagen you’re getting through bone broth, “collagen supplementation has been found to help reduce joint pain and may help with muscle recovery,” Brown says.
According to Childress, it makes sense, then, why so many athletes say bone broth has improved their gait, form, stability, and performance. “You might feel like you can move a little quicker, or you’re a little bit more flexible in your movements,” she says.
Is Bone Broth Good for Recovery?
Though everyone’s needs vary (depending on the intensity of your workouts and how much you sweat), a cup of bone broth—which generally contains 8 grams of protein and 350 milligrams of sodium—is generally a good place to start, says Brown. The key is to be consistent, says Childress, and drink it every day, as it can take a couple of months for the health effects to kick in.
As for what’s better: Having it before or after your workout? The answer really depends on your personal preferences and eating habits. If you, like me, can’t handle a big meal before you run but need something in your stomach, chug a cup before you head out the door. If you’re more so looking for a snack that’ll help your muscles recover and bulk up, throw back some broth after your training session, Brown says.
According to Brown, bone broth can even be an excellent mid-exercise snack for those who do ultra-distances or Ironman competitions in which it’s crucial to consume protein as you go. “It’s like anything else—it’s really about what works best for the individual athlete and what the athlete prefers,” says Childress.
You Shouldn’t Solely Rely on Bone Broth to Get Your Protein
There are a couple of considerations to be aware of. Collagen is technically an incomplete protein, which means it doesn’t have all the amino acids your body needs to function properly, according to Brown. As such, “you should not rely on collagen as your main or number-one protein source because you could end up deficient and you won’t get all those other essential amino acids,” says Childress.
Collagen is most impactful if you’ve already met your overall nutritional needs, says Childress. If you’re not eating enough protein, the amino acids will just go to the other bodily systems that need them more. But if you’re hitting your body’s nutritional needs, the collagen has a way better chance of being used to boost your joint and muscle health, she added. The takeaway: bone broth is best used as a bonus to your diet—not a cornerstone of it.
How to Buy—or Make—Bone Broth
There’s a lot of variability in the quality of the products being sold online and at grocery stores, so you want to take a good look at the packaging label when you’re shopping for a broth.
Make sure it’s been slow-cooked for at least 12 hours (and, ideally, longer) and contains vinegar (specifically, apple cider vinegar), as this doubly helps the bones release nutrients, Brown says. Look for brands that use bones sourced from USDA organic free-range animals like this one by Kettle and Fire, Brown suggests, and if you see added sugars or artificial additives, steer clear.
You can make your own batch at home using an Instant Pot, slow cooker, pressure cooker, or pot on a stove. Toss in the bones—or even a full chicken carcass—and add chopped vegetables (like carrots, celery, and onion) along with herbs for taste (think: garlic or bay leaves) and salt. Then, cover everything with water and let the mixture simmer for 12 to 24 hours, says Childress, until you end up with a thick, gelatinous substance. If you’re looking for some inspiration, TikTok user @kaykaylinaa shared an easy homemade bone broth recipe.
@kaykaylinaa Bone broth is SO good for your health and it’s so easy to make at home! #guthealth #gut #guthealthmatters #guthealthtiktok #guthealthtips #tipsforguthealth #healyourgut #bonebroth #bonebrothbenefits #bonebrothrecipe #broth #homemade #homemadefood #homemaker #homemakertiktok #homestead #homesteading #homesteadinglife #sahm #sahmroutine
You can swallow as is or heed Dardarian’s advice, which I plan to do, and mix the broth into a bowl of rice, quinoa, or a hearty stew. It only took a year and multiple sports nutritionists touting the potential benefits for me to pay attention—but I’m excited to see if bone broth helps me increase my running pace and improve my overall performance.
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The post How Bone Broth Helps to Optimize Your Post-Workout Recovery appeared first on Outside Online.
