The Bone Broth Diet, popularized by naturopathic physician Kellyann Petrucci, promises significant weight loss and anti-aging benefits in just 21 days. The diet combines elements of low-carb, paleo, and intermittent fasting approaches, centering around the consumption of bone broth. This article provides a comprehensive review of the Bone Broth Diet, examining its principles, potential benefits, and drawbacks.
What Is the Bone Broth Diet Plan?
The Bone Broth Diet, detailed in Dr. Petrucci's 2015 book, claims to help individuals "Lose Up to 15 Pounds, 4 Inches-and Your Wrinkles!" in a short period. The diet plan involves a combination of a low-carb, paleo-style eating pattern for five days a week and "mini-fasts" with bone broth on the remaining two days.
Mini-Fasts
On two non-consecutive days each week, individuals following the Bone Broth Diet engage in mini-fasts. During these days, the diet restricts calorie intake to just 300-500 calories. There are two options for mini-fasting:
- Drink six 1-cup (237-ml or 8-ounce) portions of bone broth throughout the day.
- Drink five portions of bone broth and end the day with a snack containing protein, nonstarchy vegetables, and healthy fats.
Non-Fasting Days
On the five non-fasting days, the diet emphasizes whole, minimally processed foods, following a low-carb, paleo template. The recommended meal structure is as follows:
- Breakfast: One portion of protein, one portion of fat, one portion of fruit
- Lunch: One portion of protein, two portions of vegetables, one portion of fat
- Dinner: One portion of protein, two portions of vegetables, one portion of fat
- Snacks: A one-cup portion of bone broth twice a day
Carbohydrate intake, including fruit and starchy vegetables, is limited to encourage fat burning.
Read also: Bone Broth Benefits with Miracle Noodle
80/20 Maintenance Plan
After the initial 21 days, individuals transition to an 80/20 maintenance plan. This involves adhering to the approved foods list 80% of the time, while allowing for deviations and less strict choices for the remaining 20%. The decision to continue mini-fasts during the maintenance phase is left to the individual.
Allowed and Restricted Foods
The Bone Broth Diet emphasizes specific food choices while eliminating others.
Allowed Foods
- Proteins: Beef, chicken, fish, eggs (preferably pastured, free-range, or wild-caught)
- Vegetables: Primarily nonstarchy vegetables, such as asparagus, broccoli, greens, tomatoes, and summer squash
- Fruits: Apples, berries, melons, citrus fruits, kiwi - but just one portion daily
- Healthy Fats: Avocados, coconut oil, nuts, olive oil, and ghee (clarified butter)
- Condiments: Salt (Celtic or pink Himalayan), other spices, vinegar, salsa
- Flours: Almond flour, coconut flour
- Beverages: Coffee, tea, water
- Bone Broth: Preferably homemade, using bones from organic, pasture-raised animals
Restricted Foods
- Grains: Wheat, rye, barley, and other gluten-containing grains, as well as gluten-free grains, such as corn, rice, quinoa, and oats
- Refined Fats: Common vegetable fats, such as canola oil and margarine
- Processed Fruit: Dried fruit, fruit juice, and sweetened fruit
- Sugar: All forms of refined sugars, such as table sugar, honey, and maple syrup
- Sugar Substitutes: Artificial sweeteners and natural sugar substitutes, including stevia
- Potatoes: All potatoes except sweet potatoes
- Legumes: Beans, soy products, peanuts, and peanut butter
- Dairy Products: Milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, and butter (except ghee)
- Beverages: Soda (regular and diet) and alcoholic beverages
Claims and Evidence
The Bone Broth Diet makes several claims regarding weight loss and health improvements.
Weight Loss
The diet's creator reports unpublished studies showing participants lost "up to 15 pounds and up to 4 inches." However, these results lack scientific rigor as they are not peer-reviewed, do not report average weight loss, and do not compare the Bone Broth Diet to a standard reduced-calorie diet.
The diet incorporates elements that have been studied for weight loss:
Read also: Benefits and Risks of Bone Broth Diet
- Low-carb diets: Some low-quality reviews suggest a slightly greater weight loss compared to standard reduced-calorie diets. However, high-quality reviews report little or no difference between diets.
- Paleo diet: Some studies show modest weight loss and waist circumference reduction, while others report no difference compared to standard reduced-calorie diets.
- Intermittent fasting: Some studies show greater weight loss compared to continuous calorie restriction, while others show similar weight loss with each method.
Thus, the Bone Broth Diet may aid weight loss due to the combination of these dietary approaches. However, standard reduced-calorie diets may be just as effective.
Other Health Claims
The Bone Broth Diet claims to improve blood sugar control, skin wrinkles, gut health, inflammation, and joint pain. While related studies suggest the diet may contribute to these benefits, additional research is needed.
- Improved blood sugar: Weight loss and carb restriction may improve blood sugar control. Low-carb diets may be more effective than low-fat diets for improving blood sugar control, but there isn’t widespread agreement that low-carb diets are the best option for diabetes management, especially over the long term.
- Younger-looking skin: Collagen supplements may reduce skin wrinkles, but no published study has tested whether drinking bone broth can reduce skin wrinkles, and the collagen content of bone broth varies.
- Improved gut health: Some evidence shows that products of collagen digestion may promote gut health, but studies of the diet are needed to investigate this claim.
- Reduced inflammation: Weight loss and healthier food choices may help reduce inflammation, but more research is needed.
- Less joint pain: Weight loss may reduce joint pain, and collagen supplements may help decrease joint pain and slow the progression of arthritis. Yet, no studies have been done with bone broth collagen, so it’s uncertain whether daily intake helps reduce joint pain.
Potential Downsides and Considerations
The Bone Broth Diet may be challenging to follow and may not meet all nutrient needs. The restriction of whole food groups could increase the risk of nutrient deficiency. Intermittent fasting and the low-carb nature of the diet may result in side effects, such as fatigue and nausea, though these may improve after the body adjusts to the diet. A small percentage of sensitive people may not tolerate bone broth, reacting with symptoms like digestive upset or headaches. Some sources say that bone broth is high in lead, leached from the bones. Yet, a recent study found that bone broth contains only a very small amount of lead and is likely safe to consume.
Dr. Kellyann's Bone Broth Products
Dr. Kellyann offers a range of bone broth products, including liquid bone broths and bone broth powders.
Liquid Bone Broths
Dr. Kellyann's liquid bone broths are made using bones from grass-fed animals along with herbs and spices, and contain no questionable additive ingredients. However, the brand was sued in 2020 by the Environmental Research Center, alleging that several Dr. Kellyann Bone Broth products contained unsafe levels of lead.
Read also: Bone Broth Fasting: A Detailed Look
Bone Broth Powders
Dr. Kellyann's bone broth powders are another option for consuming bone broth.
Other Products
Dr. Kellyann also offers other products, such as collagen coffee. This collagen coffee is unsweetened and made from 100% Brazilian coffee beans with 7g of grass-fed bovine collagen.
Potential Issues with Dr. Kellyann's Bone Broth
While bone broth itself is generally considered healthy, there are some potential issues to consider regarding Dr. Kellyann's products:
- Lead contamination: As mentioned above, Dr. Kellyann was sued over concerns about lead levels in her bone broth products. While a recent study found that bone broth generally contains only a very small amount of lead, it is still a potential concern.
- Plastic packaging: The liquid versions of Dr. Kellyann Bone Broth are packaged in plastic cartons, which may leach harmful plasticizing chemicals into the broth.
- Misleading claims: Some of Dr. Kellyann's claims about the benefits of bone broth may be exaggerated or not supported by scientific evidence. For example, there is no evidence that bone broth can "erase wrinkles."
Alternatives to Dr. Kellyann's Bone Broth
If you are concerned about the potential issues with Dr. Kellyann's bone broth, there are several alternatives available:
- Homemade bone broth: Making your own bone broth at home allows you to control the ingredients and avoid plastic packaging.
- Other bone broth brands: There are many other brands of bone broth available, some of which may be higher quality or have lower levels of lead. One popular alternative is EPIC Bone Broth, which is free of any flavoring additives and is sourced from pastured animals.