Traditional Chinese Pork Bone Broth

The most effective skincare is the one we’re most consistent with, but when you prefer real food to collagen powders that are always artificially flavored and chalky, this is the ancient batch prep technique that gets you collagen plus the vitamins your body needs to absorb it best.

In a world of “one step” solutions, we need help realizing that our bodies are sophisticated systems that work holistically. To truly absorb collagen to heal your skin barrier, we have to look at how ingredients work together to reach the places a serum just can’t.

Your body isn’t great at using collagen when you take it as simply a supplement. When you drink those powders, your stomach just treats it like any other protein and breaks it down. To get it to actually reach your skin, it needs Vitamin C to act as a trigger.

That’s why this combination works…

• Pork Feet & Ribs: These are the most concentrated natural sources of collagen you can find. When you simmer them low and slow, you aren’t just getting protein; you’re getting the minerals and fats that help your body actually recognize and use it.
• Lotus Root: This is your “Vitamin C” source. By cooking it with the pork, you’re creating a booster that has the collagen and the means for the body to absorb it in the same bite.
• Daikon: This root veggie has natural enzymes that help your stomach finish the job of breaking down the protein, so you actually get the nutrients to reach your skin.
• Kelp: This is about hydration. It has specific minerals that help your skin cells hold onto water.

Once you make a batch of it over the weekend, let it work for you all week. Here’s how I like to incorporate it into my daily routines:

• As a second beverage to my coffee, I heat up a warm mug of broth with a pinch of sea salt. It’s grounding, savory, but lightly sweet from the daikon, and soothing on the tummy.
• The 10-Minute Lunch or Dinner: Use it as the broth for a quick bowl of noodles or to poach an egg. Or infuse it into an italian night dinner, making it the base of your risotto. The grains will soak up all that collagen!

Here’s how to make your own.

Shoppable link here!