Bone marrow, the soft mushy things inside bone, is thought about a special in numerous kinds of food. It contains a high percentage of fat — about 96 percent — however also numerous beneficial qualities, resulting in prospective health advantages. These include structure immunity, fixing injuries, aiding with food digestion as well as combating cancer.
What is Bone Marrow?
Bone marrow is a tissue that is located in the center of the bones and creates red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. In cooking, it acts as a standalone dish, or is an ingredient for appetizers and soups.
Bone marrow is a fatty, jello like compound discovered in the core of bones. It’s a nutrient thick and rich in energy substances that all types of animals are mainly drawn towards when they capture a prey. Bone marrow satisfies many vital functions due to its high content of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and lipids (alkylglycerols). Bone marrow helps the immune system by carrying oxygen to cells in the body. It is among the most effective remedies for the gut lining. Consuming bone marrow will help enhance brain function, keep healthy bones, support immune systems and accelerate the healing procedure of any injury or fracture.
Bone marrow has been eaten since ancient times and is becoming increasingly popular today because of its abundance of nutrients. Nowadays, it can be seen as a delicacy on the menus of restaurants and snack bars. This product is in demand among people involved in sports and healthy eating adherents. Information on the health benefits and potential harms of beef bone marrow can be found below.
Main Benefits
Lots of Uses Worldwide
Bone marrow, in broth or in other forms, is a worldwide wellness tool. Dr. Daniel Auer, a certified scientific nutritionist, states almost every culture asserts some kind of bone-based mixture. The Chinese use bone to support kidney and digestive function and to construct blood. The Weston A. Price Foundation reports another example from a North Carolina mountain Indian population. Their diets rely heavily on wild game, and they value marrow to nourish their growing children.
Rebuilding the Body
Cindy Micleu, teacher at the Jade Institute complementary healing center, says bone marrow consists of myeloid and lymphoid stem cells. The structures for red and white blood cells, these cells build resistance, help with blood clotting and help offer oxygen to cells. Collagen, the protein-rich substance that cooks down to gelatin, can also help fix the body. Collagen shortage can cause poor wound recovery, easy bruising and bleeding gums. Collagen in bone marrow can help the body rebuild itself, says Micleu.
Reduces inflammation
Although short-term inflammation is an important part of your body’s defense system, chronic inflammation is thought to contribute to diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Glycine, a type of protein found in bone marrow, has demonstrated powerful anti-inflammatory properties in numerous in vitro studies and may help reduce inflammation in your body. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), another compound in bone marrow, has also been found to reduce several markers of inflammation in the blood.
According to a two-week study of 23 men, daily intake of 5.6 grams of CLA effectively reduced levels of specific proteins involved in inflammation, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha and C-reactive protein.
Bone marrow also contains adiponectin, a type of protein hormone that has been found to play a central role in the regulation of inflammation and immune function.
Supports joint function
Certain compounds in bone marrow are thought to optimize joint health. For example, glucosamine, a compound found in cartilage, is often used as a natural remedy for osteoarthritis due to its ability to reduce inflammation and relieve joint pain. Collagen can support the formation of articular cartilage, thereby helping to maintain joint function.
In one 6-month study involving 147 athletes, daily supplementation with 0.4 oz (10 grams) of collagen significantly reduced exercise-related joint pain.
Relieving Digestion and Healing the GI Tract
Dr. Auer prescribes bone marrow through bone broth to his patients suffering from inflammatory conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, gluten intolerance and leaky digestive tract syndrome. He notes that, for people with digestive conditions who may have difficulty digesting supplements or other particular foods, bone marrow’s collagen can provide nutrition while reconstructing damaged tissues and digestive lining. Marrow’s immune-boosting capabilities can likewise accelerate the healing process for individuals aiming to eliminate these conditions, he states.
Maintains healthy skin
Collagen is a type of protein found throughout the body that plays an important role in skin health. One 8-week study involving 69 women found that taking 2.5 to 5 grams of collagen supplements helped improve skin elasticity and hydration.
Similarly, a study on mice found that collagen treatment for 8 weeks increased collagen content and antioxidant activity in the skin, which may help protect against skin damage and aging.
Fighting Cancer
Dr. Astrid Brohult, a Swedish oncologist, administered calves’ marrow to leukemia-stricken children in the 1950s, hoping it would renew white blood cells destroyed by radiation therapy. After administering the marrow, some of the children improved instantly; lots of experienced increased energy and leukocyte normalization. After carrying out a years of research on the topic, she isolated a group of compounds called alkylglycerols (AKGs) in the calves’ marrow and found they were responsible for stabilizing the white blood cell production.
List of the main pros of bone marrow
- One of the recent discoveries is that beef bone marrow, or more precisely the part of the fatty tissue it contains, stores “adiponectin. This is a hormone that has no sensitivity to insulin, thus it burns fat. Those who are interested in losing weight and gaining perfect shape should pay attention to this product.
- As far back as the Stone Age, people noticed that after eating beef bone marrow, the body gets more energy, strength and vigor. The heart rate is restored, muscles become much stronger and firmer, anxiety goes away, libido increases, mood rises and immunity is strengthened.
- Bone marrow regulates the transport of nutrients and trace elements into the body: iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium, selenium, manganese. Most importantly, these substances are contained already, in a ready, for assimilation by the human body, form and concentration. Lack of such important elements in the body can lead to cardiovascular disease, reduced immunity, nervous system disorders, eating disorders.
- Subproduct is perfectly absorbed by the body, both in adults and children. Beef marrow is especially useful for the elderly, pregnant women and newborns.
- It is a source of collagens, proteins and amino acids. Because of this, is able to rid the body of sluggishness, remove toxins. It gives the skin elasticity, helps the body to produce “samotropin” – growth hormone, protects the joints.
- Gelatin, which is found in large quantities in the bone marrow, retains digestive juices, because of which it supports the proper functioning of the digestive process, kills bacterial and viral infections.
- It is a great way to restore the hair. Masks based on bone marrow are gaining in popularity.
- The low cost of the product should also be attributed to the pluses, because it is really not bad: save money and feed the family with a useful product.
Bone marrow ingredients
Bone marrow is soft, spongy tissue located inside large bones. The largest concentration is in the spine and hips. Its main function is to produce new blood cells that provide protection against infections, clotting, and transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide .
Bone marrow of cows, lambs, reindeer, elk appears in many cuisines of the world. It is characterized by a rich, sweet flavor. It is served with toast, roasted vegetables, meat dishes or used as a base for hot dishes.
Bone marrow is high in energy value and fat content. Among the nutrients stand out protein and vitamin B12.
0.4 oz (14 gr., tablespoon) of the raw substance includes:
Name | Quantity |
---|---|
Nutritional value | 110 kcal |
Fat | 0.4 oz |
Protein | 0.04 oz |
Vitamin В12 | 7% of Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) |
Vitamin В2 | 6% of RDI |
Iron | 4% of RDI |
Vitamin Е | 2% of RDI |
Phosphorus | 1% of RDI |
Vitamin В1 | 1% of RDI |
Vitamin А | 1% of RDI |
Possible harm
Do not forget that beef marrow is not useful for everyone, and for some it will be harmful, for example, people who have an intolerance to beef and beef broth.
Bone Marrow Cooking Secrets
Every hostess, has her own recipe for cooking her favorite dish, but if you think about it, you can come to the conclusion that beef bone marrow is not the most popular delicacy. Some people believe that there is too much hassle with by-products, others are repulsed by the very name of the product. But, after reading this article, the latter are probably not left.
Special training and special culinary knowledge for cooking a useful product will not be needed, there is nothing to be afraid of.
There are two options for cooking:
- Cooking broth on beef bone marrow. To do this, you need to pour water over the bones and cook them over low heat. Before cooking, be sure to wrap the bones in gauze, so that the marrow does not fall out. The main thing is not to let the broth boil! The longer the broth will simmer, the more it will be enriched with useful substances contained in the delicacy. The real broth is cooked from the cartilage and bones, it is allowed in it and meat, but not in large quantities, as in the bone broth is more useful than the meat.At the last stage of cooking it is recommended to add vegetables to increase the benefits.
- Roasting the bones. Before cooking, the bones should be soaked in lightly salted water for 1.5-2 hours. Then put the bones on a baking tray, season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake them at 180 degrees, for about 20 minutes. To make the dish even healthier, it is recommended to serve it with fresh herbs and grain bread.
Such uncomplicated ways of cooking preserve the natural benefits of the product and diversify the diet.
How to add bone marrow to your diet
Bone marrow is available at farmers’ markets, butcher shops, and health food stores.
You can use bone marrow from almost any animal, but beef bone marrow is a great choice for beginners because beef bones are large and widely available.
Here are some of the most popular sources of bone marrow:
- From the femur bone
- From the spine
- From the neck.
If you plan to use bone marrow as a base for bone broth or soups, you can use the whole bone in your recipe rather than extracting the marrow separately.
You can also ask the butcher to split the bones for you, which can save a considerable amount of time and effort if you plan to eat it directly from the bone after cooking.
To cook the marrow, place the bones in the oven and cook for 15 minutes at 450°F (230°C). The marrow can be taken out after cooking.
It is often served with bread. It can also be added to your favorite dishes, including meat, bread, roasted vegetables, and more.
It is also very common to cook bone broth, which is cooked over low heat for 24-48 hours to extract the beneficial nutrients and compounds found in bone and marrow.
I do need extra nutrients – but am severly underweight right now.
will eating bone marrow cause me to lose more weight? and therefor only for overweight and normal weight people?
also does bone broth contain both collagen, and bone marrow just by the cooking down process say of beef bones ? should one remove the fat by refrigeration separation before eating the bone broth?
is it good to eat the soft remaining bone
thks