Why drinking meat stock is so crucial to heal and seal the gut?

The largest organ in the human body is the connective tissue, which is primarily made of collagen, elastin, and other tough proteins that hold the body together. These proteins are elastic, meaning they provide flexibility and strength. Your skin is largely composed of collagen, as is your digestive system and every mucous membrane in your body. Even your bones rely on collagen for their structure. When osteoporosis occurs, it is not simply due to a lack of calcium; rather, it results from a deficiency of collagen. Bones are made up of a collagen lattice, with calcium, magnesium, boron, and other minerals acting like books placed on a bookshelf. If the shelving (collagen) is damaged or missing, the books (minerals) have nowhere to rest, leading to weak bones.

No matter how much calcium you consume, if the collagen framework is compromised, your body will not properly absorb or utilize it. Collagen is the foundation of your bone structure, and it also plays a crucial role in your joints, ligaments, joint capsules, and fascia. Fascia consists of strong, sheet-like tissues that encapsulate muscles and organs, dividing different compartments of the body, including the abdominal cavity and the back, which contain significant amounts of these structures.

Raw or lightly cooked collagen-rich tissues are extremely tough and difficult to chew, even with a sharp knife. To break them down, they must be cooked in water for several hours until they become soft and digestible. These collagen-rich tissues are essential for maintaining the body’s structure and function. The human body constantly renews itself; every cell has a short lifespan. For instance, enterocytes lining the gut wall only live a couple of days before they are shed and replaced. This continuous renewal process requires a steady supply of nutrients, especially collagen, since the majority of the body's structure depends on it.

When the body experiences toxicity, disease, autoimmune conditions, or inflammation, cells die at a much higher rate. This leads to significant tissue loss, which must be replenished. In traditional cultures, consuming collagen-rich foods was a daily practice. Growing up in such a culture, I remember being encouraged to eat soup every day before any other food. This practice was vital because soup, particularly meat stock, is rich in collagen and helps replenish the body’s connective tissues, bones, muscles, mucous membranes, and fascia.

Simply eating muscle meat is not enough to replenish collagen stores. While muscles contain some collagen, they are soft enough to be eaten rare or medium-rare, indicating minimal collagen content. The softer the meat, such as fillet steak, the less collagen it contains. If you suffer from a chronic illness, the more severe your condition, the greater your need for collagen.

The best way to obtain collagen is by boiling collagen-rich parts of an animal—such as joints, bones, skin, feet, legs, neck, and head—in water with salt and spices for several hours. Drinking the resulting stock and consuming the gelatinous tissues around the joints, bones, fascia, ligaments, and organ capsules is essential for maintaining your body’s structural integrity. This is why meat stock made from these tough, gelatinous parts of the animal is so important—it provides the collagen necessary to support and sustain the body’s health.