Bone Broth Smoothie Bowls Are Combining Two Buzzy Health Food Trends Into One Dish

stil

Photo: Jean Choi / What Great Grandma Ate

If you thought adding frozen cauliflower to your smoothie was weird, wait until you hear about the latest food trend: bone broth smoothie bowls.

First embraced by the paleo community, bone broth went mainstream about two years ago amid buzz the elixir could heal your leaky gut, protect your joints, improve the elasticity of your skin, and more. People everywhere began sipping on bone broth straight up, using it as a base for soup, or to soak into their favorite grain. But a new trend gaining traction around the health foodie world is pushing bone broth into new territory. Now, people are adding bone broth to smoothies in the form of frozen cubes, cold liquid, or bone-broth protein powder.

"Drinking bone broth in a smoothie is a delicious way to get it in your diet," says Jean Choi, a nutritional therapist and real food blogger behind What Great Grandma Ate, noting "you can't really taste" the bone broth. In her recipes, she typically adds cold liquid bone broth, such as in this turmeric ginger bone broth smoothie bowl. (Discover 10 more smoothie bowl recipes each for less than 500 calories.)

Using bone broth protein powder is also an easy way to get the benefits in a different form if you don't like the taste of regular bone broth, says Marcelle Phene, a certified nutrition coach based in California. Brands like Ancient Nutrition make flavored bone broth protein powders like chocolate and vanilla to further mask the meaty taste.

Before you think of these pretty-colored bowls as the holy grail of health foods, just know that the jury is sort of still out on whether the bone broth benefits live up to the exalted reputation. "One of the main bone broth benefits is improving skin elasticity, hair, and nails due to the high collagen content," says Karey Boerst, R.D., a certified health coach in Oakland, CA. (Question: Should You Be Adding Collagen to Your Diet?) However, "one would be better off eating sources of protein such as eggs or milk to get those needed nutrients," says Caitlyn Elf, R.D.

While smoothie bowls have been in vogue for some time (and will probably never go out of style), the addition of bone broth is likely due in part to the ketogenic diet craze, which focuses on eating tons of healthy fats, moderate amounts of protein, and minimal calories from carbohydrates. With bone broth being typically high in protein and low in carbs, this is a no-brainer way to satisfy your hunger and keep your keto-specific macronutrients in line.

"I make [a smoothie] that has a full-fat can of coconut milk, a scoop of bone broth protein, and black coffee that tastes like a coconut mocha, which is extremely keto friendly," says Jason Nobles, D.C., certified nutrition counselor and clinical director of The Wellness Way in Green Bay, WI. (Related: This Low-Carb Strawberry Cashew Hemp Smoothie Is Keto-Approved)