There’s Beauty In Them Their feet!

‘Never mind ‘Chicken Soup For The Soul’. Try it for your bones and skin instead!

Confession time, and before I wax lyrical on a bone broth made with chicken feet, let me tell you, that as a child, had my mother even thought about introducing chicken feet into our diet, my reaction would have been far from positive.

That doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t have had to eat it. There was little choice in our house about what we would, or wouldn’t eat. When money is tight, you just eat what you’re given. Still, there would have been grumbles, especially from me and that’s because…

We had chickens in our backyard and I never once saw any of them sidestep their personal poop, or that of any other chicken, in order to accommodate us, humans. So the idea of actually eating their feet would have appalled me.

But I was a child, and well before I understood what it takes to be a better planetary citizen.

It’s taken me a while to realize that we humans are an intrinsic part of this planet, rather than apart from whatever we choose to be apart of, or from!

And whether we like it or not, we belong to their shit as we do to everything else chickens may offer. They are not there purely for our convenience.

Besides, in this day and age where we have access to freshwater and can deliver a good foot scrub, these delicious body parts are good to go. Not only that, but they are being hailed as an answer to many health issues that prevail today.

But why, when you can eat almost all parts of our feathered friends, would so many of us be averse to eating the feet? They’re not exactly good looking! But like all things short-strawed in the looks department, they are so damned good for you! That’s why!

I have been drinking bone broth for a while now. But what exactly is it?

‘Bone broth is simply a broth made by boiling bones (often with meat still on them). Usually, vinegar is added as a medium (the thought is to draw out nutrients — more on this later). Sometimes vegetables, herbs, and spices are added for additional flavour and nutrients. Whereas soup is a meal, often containing vegetables, grains, seasonings, and even beans, bone broth stands on its own and is usually more cooked than soup.

‘Bone broth is an ingredient that can be used to create or flavour all kinds of dishes. It contains parts of the animal we typically like to discard (like cartilage and bone marrow), all nicely broken down so we get the full dose of nutrients.’

In this article, I talked about eating nose-to-tail, where I suggest that, if you are comfortable with committing to killing an animal, for food, then it’s incumbent on you to eat all of it. That is part of the sanctity of killing and eating.

I have never actually eaten chicken feet. I have no idea how to cook them Aldric Chen, save for deep frying, but I scrounge around here in Canberra to buy them for making bone broth.

Oh my goodness, if you love to make your own broth, think seriously about getting yourself a bunch of feet and seeing how, with so little effort, you can make the most heart-warming, and super-tasty stock that will serve you in so many ways and have your friends begging for the recipe!

The thing is, the stock will be as gelatinous as that cheap and nasty table jelly we all loved as kids, except this one will be all-natural, will taste so much better, and do your body proud.

Okay, so they’re a bit off-putting when you first bring them home. A couple of kilos of these cast-offs can look less than attractive, resembling the hands of evil witches, rather than something edible, and versatile. My butcher has them all cleaned up for me, and I’ve grown to love them. I’ve also been assured that, unlike witches, they won’t be able to stuff you into cages and plump you up for dinner.

Instead, they might be plumping you up, in all the right places! Imagine that!

Don’t be afraid of the idea they will fatten you. They won’t. But plumping up, in places you may have given up on, now that may be more appealing, as well as a miraculous little promise…plumping in the right places, no muffin tops allowed.

Have I inspired some curiosity in you? Is it beyond your imagination to see these scraggly elements of our feathered friends, as being beneficial for health and beauty?

We’ve all read quotes about bone broth…so good it can resurrect the dead, and make the world a better place, and is like a hug in a mug.

I doubt it can restore life, but it certainly can make us all feel more alive.

The truth is there are enormous benefits to be had from drinking bone broth. The process of cooking the broth is simple in the extreme. Once you have that in place, you can just pour (or cut, if you have gelatinous stock and add water), into a saucepan, add salt, pepper, and cream and you’re good to go.

Now, doesn’t this put a whole new stamp on fast food? And be honest, it beats packaged cuppa soup hands down.

Or you can make some of it into a hearty soup with the addition of vegetables, or use it as a base for casseroles. Each is delicious and importantly will enhance the flavour of whatever you are cooking, but also will add to your beauty, and wellness.

Let me ask you a question. This probably relates to the ladies rather than the men who may be reading this. And that’s not to say our males can’t be inspired by our beauty turnaround and want the same for themselves. The fact that they’re a little late to the table about all beauty management. It’s just part of their maleness.

But back to the question. How much money do you think you have spent on skincare over the years? No need to answer. I have been there myself and I know. We spend lots of our cash looking for the magic bottle that will transform our skin and tighten our flab.

Most cosmetic creams feel terrific. They’re both comforting and soothing, and the wording promises us miraculous benefits. But the harsh reality is that most of them are but skin deep, and as far as getting rid of wrinkles, they leave us wanting.

That’s where those ugly old chicken feet come in. They make the best bone broth and give out a huge supply of collagen.

As we age, our collagen supply diminishes. Yet collagen is our best friend. It keeps so many things working efficiently in our body. All those little, but big things that make us feel old, joint pain, hair loss, and osteoporosis, can be alleviated through regular drinking of quality bone broth.

Don’t be tempted to take a short cut and pop a pill, or add supplements. Common sense tells us that we should eat the real thing because the reality is this.

Bone broth is rich in many ways:

• contains magnesium, potassium and sodium
• contains collagen
• aids in the repair of muscles
• reduces inflammation
• makes hair and nails healthy
• fights infection
• helps those suffering thyroid issues
• contains potassium and glycine which support both cellular and liver detoxification

And because it is always on hand, once you get into the routine of making it, has to be the most comforting, affordable, and promising elixir around.

Try it on a cold, miserable day, and see your spirits soar.