The media is awash with “superfoods” – we heard endlessly about kale, chia, blueberries, papaya and the like – but nobody mentions offal, eggs and boiling up marrow bones!

It could be to do with the  photogenic qualities of rainbow coloured fruit veg compared to liver, kidneys and a pile of bones!  But today I am here to sing the praises – and list the nutrients – in these largely unsung super heroes of the nutritional world:)

So let’s start with that most staple of ingredients – the egg  🙂

Eggs contain: calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vits B5, B6 and B12, folate, Vits A, E, D and K, DHA – the most easily utilised omega 3 fatty acid, and carotenoids – powerful antioxidants.   Pretty impressive!

Moving on to liver and kidneys…

they contain: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, copper, vits A,D, E, C, the B vits – thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B5, B6, folate, B12,  biotin  and selenium.

The iron in liver is much more easily digested and assimilated than any supplement – iron absorption is a perenail problem with iron supplements.

And obviously eggs and liver and kidneys are a fabulous source of protein – which is not the case with fruit and veg which are almost exclusively carbohydrate…

And then we come on to bone broth – which can either be made from chicken carcasses or – my favourite – marrow bones!

Many claims are made for the benefits of bone broth – digestive health, arthritis, even cellulite!

Bone broth – is made by simmering the bones in water for many hours to release healing compounds like collagen, proline, glycine and glutamine.

Just like the iron in liver:  bone broths contain minerals in forms that your body can easily absorb: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and others. They contain chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine.   Within bone broth there are also valuable amino acids, collagen, gelatin and trace minerals.

Between them these compounds have the power to heal the gut thus alleviating food sensitivities and intolerances; and to reduce inflammation thus easing joint pain and arthritis.

By obtaining nutrients from our food – rather than supplements – we end up with a wide span of nutrients that naturally occur to together which can often be more beneficial than taking isolated nutrients in a supplement.

So as the nights are drawing in how about adding some warming, healing – and cheap! – foods to your shopping list – health is not all about salads and fruit – embrace some offal today! 🙂