If you’re a regular reader, you know I recommend using the bones of your Thanksgiving turkey to make a collagen-rich broth.
Pasture raised turkeys are leaner, healthier, chemical free, and retain their natural coloring.
Natural, animal-derived collagen is one of the best strategies for getting rid of wrinkles and restoring elasticity to aging skin.
But that comes with a warning.
If you’re preparing a commercial, store-bought turkey this year… don’t bother making bone broth.
Factory-raised turkeys suffer the same fate as chickens — they’re raised in dark, crowded conditions…
pumped full of hormones and antibiotics… and have no access to the outdoors or their native diet.
And that has a devastating effect on their nutrient profile.
Bone broth made from these poor creatures will only give you a potent dose of the same estrogenic chemicals the turkeys were forced to endure.
This year, I’m preparing a turkey from the Virginia ranch of my friend Joel Salatin. He raises turkeys in an open-air environment where the turkeys have access to open fields where they forage for food the way turkeys have for thousands of years.
If you have access to a free-range turkey or plan to try one in the future, here’s why a homemade bone broth will transform your skin.
Collagen Bone Broth:
The Secret to Smooth, Flawless Skin
Bone broth is full of collagen, the most abundant protein in your skin. In fact, your skin is made up of about 75% collagen.
It’s what gives your face its strength, structure and elasticity. It keeps your skin smooth and plump.
Without enough collagen, your skin starts to sag. And you start looking older than your years.
But as we age, the amount of collagen the body produces drops drastically. That’s when you start to notice thinning skin, less elasticity and fine lines.
That’s where bone broth makes such a difference. When you cook down bones, it breaks down the collagen in them so they become more easily digestible. This form of cooked collagen is better known to us as gelatin.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, a researcher followed a group of women aged 35 to 55 years.1
One group was given either 2.5 grams or 5.0 grams of collagen hydrolysate (CH) once a day for eight weeks. The other group got a placebo.
At the end of two months, the skin elasticity in the collagen group showed a significant improvement.
They also had better skin moisture and less roughness. And they had fewer signs of accelerated aging.
Collagen from bone broth can even improve cellulite. You see, your body’s normal fat is held in place by a network built of collagen. When collagen breaks down, the fat pops through and your skin puckers.
It looks like an orange peel. To rebuild that network and tighten skin you need more collagen.
But that’s not all this nutrient can do…
Collagen can also:
● Ease joint pain and arthritis
● Improve bone mineral density
● Eliminate back pain
● Repair sun damaged skin
● Build muscle
● Improve digestive health
That’s why I recommended that my patients at the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine drink one to two cups of bone broth every day for its health and skin benefits.
Look Years Younger with My Grandmother’s
Old-Fashioned Turkey Bone Broth
In my mind, there’s nothing better than my grandma’s homemade broth. Her delicious recipe is below.
Ingredients:
● Leftover bones from your Thanksgiving turkey
● Additional turkey wings and feet (for extra collagen)
● 8 quarts cold filtered water
● ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
● 3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
● 3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
● 2 onions, halved and peeled
● 1 head garlic, skin removed
● 2 bay leaves
● Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Place bones in a large stock pot along with chicken wings and vinegar. Add enough cold water to cover by 3 inches.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce temperature to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours. Occasionally, you’ll want to skim off the bits that float to the top.
3. Add the remaining ingredients. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for another 9 to 12 hours.
4. Remove meat and bones with a slotted spoon. Pour broth through a strainer into a large heatproof container. Store in your refrigerator or freezer.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
1.Proksch E, et al. Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2014;27(1):47-55. doi: 10.1159/000351376.