When I first started hearing about the bone broth craze last year, I set about making myself some.
It took all day to simmer that organic chicken and although my kitchen smelled great, I ended up with about three servings.
No matter how good it might have been for my gut health, I didn’t have enough to see any improvements in and I wasn’t about to make any more.
Enter The Clean Living Company, which launched out of Dubai last year, does all the work and delivers all the goodness.
Their locally produced broth is simmered for 48 hours with marrow from grass-fed cows or pastured chickens, organic vegetables (celery, carrots), fresh seasoning (rosemary, ginger, tumeric, thyme, whole peppercorns and Himalayan pink rock salt), apple cider vinegar and mineral water.
The packages are delivered to your door like clockwork - the service is stellar with this company - in batches, which can be frozen until needed.
The broth is delicious - I liked to split it up into two servings, sipping it from a cup like an afternoon tea.
I have no idea if bone broth is the magic cure-all it’s purported to be, or if it’s just another confusing, soon-to-be-debunked health craze.
I do know that I often suffer not only from bloating, acid reflux and brain fog, but an associated tendency to become stressed, cranky and tired - symptoms that drastically diminish when I eat healthfully.
So I entirely buy into the theory that the state of our gut can impact everything from mood to sleep quality to how prone we are to getting sick. After all, a less-stressed person gets better sleep, and a well-rested person won’t catch every bug flying around the office.
After its careful preparation, bone broth contains important health compounds including electrolytes, carbohydrates, collagen and glutamine, glycine and proline, which are important amino acids that help boost immunity and mood.
During my 21 days sipping the bone broth, I ate very well, staying away from sugar, wheat and dairy. The bloating I had suffered previously slowly went away, my near-daily headaches lessened, and a splotch of eczema on my collarbone disappeared.
I also felt more energised and experienced much less in the way of heartburn.
So when it comes to bone broth, I’m sold - as long as someone else is making it.
• The Clean Living Company's bone broth is sold in handy, 500ml freezable bags for Dh55. There is also a 21-day lifestyle package for Dh870.
The writer was a guest of the venue for the purposes of a review.
amcqueen@thenational.ae