“We’re really looking for more than just health of parts. We’re looking for happiness of whole.” – Shilpa Saxena, MD

When we had our big Thanksgiving dinners as I was growing up, it was my job to debone the turkey afterwards. We all looked forward to turkey sandwiches the rest of the week, but what I really enjoyed was finding the wish bone and making a wish.

If you are eating a good quality turkey this Thanksgiving, one that is free-range and GMO-free, don’t forget to save the bones and make bone broth. Bone broth is nourishing to the body in so many ways. Recipes and a video are included below. Other fun and healthy recipes you can use for Thanksgiving are also listed below.

Benefits of Bone Broth

Traditionally prepared bone broths are full of nutrients: collagen, gelatin, glucosamine, minerals (such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus) and amino acids (such as glycine and proline). Bone broth can help the body fight infections, heal the gut, reduce joint pain and inflammation, strengthen teeth, grow/repair bone, support hair and nail growth, among other things.

For most people, bone broth is a really great nutrient dense food. However, we are not all the same and for some, bone broth might not be a good nutritional fit. For example, if you have problems with oxalates and/or sulfur, the high amounts of glycine created in traditionally made bone broths (especially in the gelatin) can aggravate existing health problems. (Instead, some may be able to tolerate bone broth simmered for only 3 to 5 hours.) Others may not be able to tolerate the naturally produced glutamate. So, if you are new to making broth, you may need to take it slow when you start using it.

If you are vegetarian and will not have turkey at your Thanksgiving dinner, you can make a vegetarian broth, called Vital Broth. Click here for the recipe.

Making Bone Broth

You can find many different recipes on-line to make your own bone broth. Here are some of my favorite links. (Videos are included too.) Use the chicken recipes for the turkey broth. You can also use them to make broths from grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, and wild caught fish. Be sure you are using the best quality meat and make sure no GMO feed has been used.

• Nourished Kitchen (recipe)
• Healthy Home Economist (video)
• Wellness Mama (tutorial)

Making broth is easy to do and you can freeze it in batches for future use. I like to keep it simple so that it takes less time. For example, I typically do not cut a bunch of different vegetables when making the broth. Instead I save that for when I am using the broth – usually I am using it in stir-fries or soups which already include many veggies of their own. I freeze my broth in pint size mason jars (each holds 2 cups) and take them out to thaw as I need them.

Other Healthy Recipes

If you are looking for other healthy holiday recipes (including some treats), I have included a few below that are grain-free and dairy-free. If you plan to make a gluten-free dressing (or “stuffing” as they say up North), you can use your current recipe and just change out the bread to a gluten-free bread.

• Kale Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette and Walnuts
• Vegetable Tian (omit the cheese for dairy-free)
• Parsnip and Fennel Puree
• Flourless Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Coconut Whipped Frosting
• Dairy-Free Sweet Potato Pie 

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!

This article was written by Sharon Harmon, founder of Life Design for Health. As a “Health Designer” she has a passion for helping people find their way back to optimum health. Please contact her if you would like to know more. There is a great deal of health-related information in her blog articles and on her website. Including additional suggested resources (books and articles) by topic, a pantry list that is gluten-free, dairy free and GMO-free, and a healing foods list.