Failure to Thrive. If you’re the mother of a picky eater, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You watch him stew over the plate, filled with only “white food,” and wonder how in the world this kid is going to live. At 3 a.m., the vision of that full plate of uneaten food haunts you, and you think, “How is he every going to survive?!!” Â Been there.
While we may not be able to get our picky eater to eat a plate full of steamed broccoli, there is one key ingredient you can easily add to their diet of “white” that will provide a powerhouse of nutrition, without affecting the taste.
In fact, this ingredient is so important, that it was identified in 1945 as a valuable diet component for babies and children with “failure to thrive.”
The ingredient is the foundation used by established cooks, yet is simple, cheap and easily accessible. It’s bone broth.
What’s So Valuable About Bone Broth?
- It’s full of minerals, including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur chondroitin, glucosamine, and a variety of trace minerals.
- It’s been a scientific fact that chicken broth can help fight a cold. This is because chicken contains a natural amino acid called cysteine, which can thin the mucus in your lungs and make it less sticky so you can expel it more easily.
- Helps to heal the lining of your gut, and contains valuable nutrients.
- Bone broth is full of gelatin and collagen. The 1993 issue of Science magazine contains an article about the benefits of collagen in joint pain and bone building. (Science. 1993 Sep 24;261(5129):1727-30.)Â The gelatin found in bone broth is a hydrophilic colloid. It attracts and holds liquids, including digestive juices, thereby supporting proper digestion.
- If you add vegetables to the broth — there’s some vitamins!
If you want to read more about the research on bone broth, check out this article from Psychology Today:
Researchers consider gelatin a “functional food,” useful in the treatment of peptic ulcers, tuberculosis, diabetes, muscle diseases, infectious diseases, jaundice and cancer.
Scientists also found that bottle-fed babies experienced fewer digestive problems when gelatin was added to their milk…as a “hydrophilic colloid,” gelatin improves digestion by attracting digestive juices to food in the gut.
Using Bone Broth In Your Picky Eater’s Diet
Now that you know, how can you ever use water again to cook anything for your picky eater? Yes, you may have to dilute the broth a bit in the beginning until the picky eater gets used to the taste — (be sure to add butter, camouflages the earthy taste). Â Anything that you normally use to cook in water is game for switching to bone broth.
- Rice is my favorite way to use bone broth, as all of the broth gets absorbed into the grains.
- When I cook pasta, I use a small amount of bone broth – just enough to cook the pasta. The goal is to cook the broth done completely, so that I will have nothing left to “drain off.”
- If he she has a favorite vegetable, use broth to cook the vegetable.
- Any grains…
If you picky eater jumps when you’ve added all that “flavor” to the rice, simply dilute the broth, and add butter. Butter is great fat and brain builder. Each time you use broth, increase the amount of broth you use.
Constant Access to Bone Broth, And Sleep Better…
My favorite way to cook bone broth is in the crock pot, where it is constantly available and hot, and ready for cooking. Learn now to make perpetual bone broth here.
