A STRONG IMMUNE SYSTEM = GREAT TRAVEL

Bone broth (r) with a wedge of fat & cooked bones (l). 

Travelers at one time or another have been ill on a trip, which is a very uncomfortable and an

unpleasant experience.

In fact, I was very sick at the end of my trip to China last year. It took almost a month for me to recover. It's just not worth it to me to ever repeat that illness.

My excuse was that there were just too many things going on all at once. And there were. Or there was no time, I was exhausted in trying to accomplish my current workload and that for the next 2 weeks. Plus there were things to take care of on the home front. It was always something. I was burned out when I left Detroit.

But I loved China and look forward to returning this fall to the land where the Mongolian winds blow. This time though my immune system will be stronger. How?

Bone broth is my secret weapon to build my strength, diminish joint aches, enliven my skin, fix a leaky gut and more. Like anything it requires time and patience. And, the benefits of drinking it daily are cumulative. I treat myself to a cup every day first thing in the morning for the best results.

It's easy to prepare. I use a crockpot rather than the stove because of the amount of time it takes to make. 

1. Make sure your crockpot does not have a timer on it. Turn it on low.
2. Stuff the pot with bones. Sometime I use a combination of beef, pork, chicken or lamb. Whatever I can get my hands on. My butcher is used to me so she knows to cut the bones in 2 inch chunks. 
3. Add one cup of apple cider vinegar to draw out the nutrients. Without this secret ingredient the results just won't be there.
4. Add water to a half an inch to the top. There will be overflow and this will help prevent scouring the cooker of the crockpot, however, I don't count on it so I scout all the time.
5. Keep the crockpot on the counter and away from everything.
6. Cook for 48 hours. Remember, bones  must partially disintegrate to leech out the nutrients.
7. After two full days, remove bones with a slotted spoon. I put them in a metal pan. Toss. I save the larger beef bones for my 11 month old puppy who relishes them.
8. Strain the mixture 3 times with the last using a fine mesh strainer.
9. Put the broth in a bowl and in the fridge so it gels
10. When the mixture gels, remove the fat. In the picture you can see that I removed all but a wedge of fat. I toss it, but some say to save it for frying veggies. I don't.
11. When the fat is removed, put the broth in a covered container and keep in the fridge. The broth generally lasts about a week.
12. For best results, drink on an empty stomach. I used to mix with Ramen noodles and veggies, but now I want to full benefit of the broth without taking anything away from it.

For me as a tour leader and being in confined spaces with a lot of people, bone broth is the ideal method I use to keep my immune system healthy an strong. It does take time to work. It's an "Old World" method. It works. So give it a chance.