Dear Natural Health Friends,

It’s been EIGHT YEARS since I wrote anything about bone broth, and by golly it’s time.

One of the easiest ways to support gut health is with bone broth. I’m going to share with you how to make your own!

This week I made a fresh batch, and it turned out beautifully. There’s something really satisfying about simmering bones all day and ending up with rich, healing broth you can drink or cook with for weeks. (Dr. Sheehan has been drinking 1-2 cups a day to help his immune system and gut!)

My Simple Beef Bone Broth Recipe (Makes about 8 quarts)

Ingredients:

• 2.5 gallons filtered water
• 4 lbs. beef knuckle and rib bones (or whatever bones you have — chicken, turkey, or mixed works great, you don’t have to be too picky)
• 1 whole head of garlic (smashed)
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 celery ribs, roughly chopped
• 20 whole black peppercorns
• Large handful of fresh ginger root, chopped
• 2 bay leaves

Method:

1. Soak the bones in the water with a splash of apple cider vinegar for 20–30 minutes. (This helps draw out minerals.)
2. Bring everything to a simmer. As it heats up, skim off any foam that rises to the top.
3. Simmer gently for at least 8 hours (I did this during the day). You can go for as long as 24 hours if you want even richer broth.
4. Strain the broth into quart containers. I turned it off before bed and got up in the middle of the night to strain it.
5. Let it cool, then skim the fat off the top if you like (or save the fat for cooking — it’s delicious!).

You can sip it warm with a little sea salt, use it as a base for soups, or cook rice and veggies in it. It freezes beautifully too.

Why Bone Broth Is So Helpful for Gut Healing

When you simmer bones and connective tissue for hours, collagen breaks down into gelatin. This gelatin, along with key amino acids like glutamine, glycine, and proline, provides building blocks that help repair and strengthen the intestinal lining.

One of the standout amino acids is glycine. Many of us who eat mostly muscle meats (steak, chicken breast, etc.) can run low on glycine because it’s much more abundant in gristle, cartilage, skin, and organs. Bone broth is one of the best natural ways to get more of it.

Glycine is especially supportive for:

• Gut healing — It helps reduce inflammation and supports the integrity of the gut barrier.
• Sleep — It has a calming effect on the nervous system and can improve sleep quality.
• Mood — It helps support healthy serotonin levels and overall calm.

(Here’s an interesting link to a meta-analysis that examines the benefit of glycine for the brain, sleep, and aging.)

It’s a gentle, nourishing food that fits perfectly with the herb-growing, whole-food approach we’ve been exploring lately. Fresh herbs like thyme, oregano, or parsley make wonderful additions when you’re sipping or cooking with the broth too.

If you’re dealing with digestive issues, fatigue, or just want to give your body extra support while we work on the root causes (through symptom surveys, functional blood work, and muscle testing), adding bone broth a few times a week can be a simple but powerful step.

I’d love to hear how your own bone broth adventures go if you try this recipe! Reply and let me know — do you have a favorite way to use it?

As always, Dr. Sheehan and I are here if you’d like help putting together a personalized plan for better gut health and overall vitality.

Yours Sincerely in Natural Healing,

Laura Sheehan, MSACN

Sheehan Natural Health