Bone Broth Cacao: A Medicinal Recipe

A warming, medicinal, collagen-rich, antioxidant-packed beverage

Darkness creeps upon you as the clock strikes 5pm. The temperature outside begins to drop, prompting you to put on a pair of cozy wool socks.

If you’re anything like me, you want nothing more in these moments than to cozy up on the couch with a thick hand-knit blanket, good book, and mug filled with your favorite warming beverage.

In the mornings I love to drink hot organic lattes, in the afternoon warm cups of tea, and in the evening there is nothing like a steaming cup of cocoa after a big meal.

Lately I’ve been seeing bone broth hot chocolate trending on Instagram. While it sounds like a strange combination, it is quite delicious. The best part is how nourishing it is with the two main “superfood” ingredients- bone broth and cacao.

In this article, I’ll break down why these two ingredients are so good for us, especially this time of year, and end it by sharing my friend’s recipe for bone broth hot cacao.

Bone Broth: A Hidden Source of Minerals

Bone broth dates back to the Stone Age when our ancestors would take any excess animal scraps and heat them using stones, helping to create a rich broth. Doing this would allow them to get all of the nutrients out of the meat they had left, helping them survive the best they could. 

If you’ve ever watched the show Alone, then you’ve probably seen the contestants boiling whatever meat they have to turn it into a stew that they could drink. They are making the most of what they have in order to get minerals, vitamins, and collagen! 

Bone broth is made by boiling various collagen-rich parts of the animal such as bones, connective tissue, and marrow. When cooked, this collagen turns to gelatin, creating a thick bouncy texture noticeable when the broth cools. 

This is how you know you have a bone broth rich in gelatin! If a bone broth is too liquidy, it most likely does not contain all of the good stuff that you want. 

Simmering these animal parts to make broth also leaches lots of vitamins and minerals into the liquid. Bone broth is know to be high in calcium, phosphorous, selenium, and zinc. It also gives you a great source of Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and B vitamins. 

You can make bone broth yourself by buying animal bones from a local butcher and simmering them on the stove with spices, or from your local health food store. I recommend the brand Bonafide which can be found in the frozen section of most grocery stores.

Cacao: An Antioxidant Powerhouse

Cacao has been used for thousands of years by tribes in South America. The Aztecs believed cacao was gifted to them by the Gods, making it more valuable than gold. They primarily used it in rituals but it was also known to conjure up energy and lust. Nowadays, cacao is popularly used as a heart-opener in spiritual ceremonies. 

You’ve probably never looked at chocolate as a health food, and it’s not exactly, but cacao, the primary ingredient of chocolate, is. Cacao is the raw ingredient of chocolate, the powder before it has been roasted and mixed with other ingredients. 

Cacao on its own contains over 300 nutrient-rich compounds, making it quite the superfood. In fact, it actually contains some of the highest amount of antioxidants compared to any other substance. Antioxidant-rich foods are great for lowering inflammation, fighting free radicals in the body, and protecting against oxidation. 

Cacao is also packed with minerals, something we don’t get nearly enough of nowadays. 1 ounce of cacao contains over half your daily recommended value for manganese and nearly a quarter of the recommended amounts of magnesium, iron, and phosphorous. 

Cacao has been shown to protect the brain, reduce the risk of heart disease, and lower insulin resistance. However, you need to make sure you are buying quality cacao. It needs to be 100% cacao and organic, making sure it’s free of any pesticides or heavy metals. Look for a brand that says “3rd party metals tested”. 

I personally use Blume which contains some coconut sugar and reishi for added adaptogens. However, I don’t believe this is tested for heavy metals. When I run out of this powder, I’ll personally be stocking up on the Ora brand.

If you really want to get adventurous, Maria Cacao is some of the best cacao I’ve ever had.

Bone Broth Hot Chocolate Recipe

My friend Lindsey, owner and found of my favorite herbal tea brand, Drink Symbi, recently shared her bone broth hot chocolate recipe, which I’m happy to share with you today! 

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup bone broth

• 1 cup milk of choice

• 1 scoop collagen

• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 1 1/2 tbsp cacao powder

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients to a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until well combined and warm! Pour into mug and enjoy.

Now, instead of making that processed Swiss Miss crap, mix together some ceremonial cacao and collagen-rich broth to create a both delicious and medicinal treat for your family. Maybe have them try it without mentioning the secret bone broth ingredient and see what they think! 

Better yet- throw it in a thermos for the family and drive around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holidays! 

We’ll be skipping next week’s newsletter as it falls in Christmas Eve. However, look for something the week after about a fun New Year’s health challenge we are putting together.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Madison

PS: For an added bonus, I thought I’d include some of the ingredients in Swiss Miss Hot chocolate and why NOT to drink this. For something that seems quite innocent, the ingredients are pretty awful. 

The first two ingredients are sugar and corn syrup. This is reason enough to run- instead look for options with unprocessed forms of sugar like coconut sugar, maple syrup, or raw honey. 

The cocoa used in Swiss Miss is processed with alkali which means it is chemically processed to remove bitterness (thus removing many beneficial compounds including the antioxidants). Remember, you want to look for 100% cacao to reap all of the benefits of this superfood!