The Bone Broth Diet is a structured 21-day dietary approach that features a combination of 5 days focused on a low-carb, Paleo-style eating plan, followed by 2 days dedicated to fasting with bone broth. While there is still some uncertainty in research regarding its effectiveness for weight loss, it may be equally beneficial to simply lower your overall calorie consumption as an alternative strategy.

Healthline Diet Score: 2.83 out of 5

The Bone Broth Diet intricately combines the principles of a low-carb, paleo eating plan with intermittent fasting. This unique approach claims to facilitate a remarkable weight loss journey, suggesting that you could shed up to 15 pounds (approximately 6.8 kg), lose 4 inches from your waistline, and even diminish wrinkles — all within a mere 21 days. However, it's essential to note that these claims are primarily grounded in unpublished research, which raises questions about their validity.

This article provides a comprehensive review of the Bone Broth Diet, detailing how to adhere to its guidelines and evaluating its potential efficacy for weight loss.

• Overall score: 2.83
• Weight loss potential: 3.75
• Healthy eating practices: 3
• Sustainability factor: 2
• Whole body health benefits: 1.5
• Nutrition quality rating: 4.75
• Evidence-based support: 2

BOTTOM LINE: The Bone Broth Diet merges a low-carb, paleo framework with intermittent fasting strategies, although it may not offer any superior benefits compared to a traditional reduced-calorie diet.

Understanding the Bone Broth Diet

The 21-day Bone Broth Diet, developed by naturopathic doctor Kellyann Petrucci, is a structured approach designed for weight management. This plan can also be prolonged for individuals with more weight to shed. Throughout the week, specifically five days, participants indulge in low-carb, paleo-inspired meals, focusing on a variety of ingredients such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, non-starchy vegetables, and healthy fats, complemented by the nourishing qualities of bone broth. It's important to steer clear of dairy, grains, legumes, added sugars, and alcohol during this period.

Bone broth itself is crafted by simmering animal bones for up to 24 hours, a process that extracts essential minerals, collagen, and amino acids, providing a rich nutrient profile. On the remaining two days of the week, participants engage in mini-fasts, which are modified fasting protocols allowing for the consumption of bone broth, rather than complete fasting. In essence, the Bone Broth Diet is a comprehensive 21-day weight loss program that emphasizes a low-carb paleo diet five days a week, while integrating bone broth fasting two days a week.

Understanding the Bone Broth Diet

Embarking on the Bone Broth Diet involves selecting two non-consecutive days each week dedicated to mini-fasting, while the remaining five days are designated as non-fasting days. Regardless of whether you are on a fasting or non-fasting day, it's crucial to have your last meal or snack by 7 p.m.

Mini-Fasting Days

During mini-fasting days, you have two distinct options to choose from:

• Option 1: Consume six servings of bone broth, each measuring 1 cup (237 ml or 8 ounces).
• Option 2: Drink five servings of bone broth, followed by a protein-rich snack inclusive of non-starchy vegetables and healthy fats.

In either scenario, your total caloric intake on mini-fasting days will remain between 300 and 500 calories.

Non-Fasting Days

On non-fasting days, you can indulge in a variety of foods categorized into protein, vegetables, fruits, and fats.

Your meal structure should look like this:

• Breakfast: one serving of protein, one serving of fat, and one serving of fruit
• Lunch: one serving of protein, two servings of vegetables, and one serving of fat
• Dinner: one serving of protein, two servings of vegetables, and one serving of fat
• Snacks: two servings of one cup of bone broth throughout the day

It is important to note that carbohydrates, including fruits and starchy vegetables, are significantly restricted to promote optimal fat burning. Petrucci does not provide a specific caloric range for non-fasting days and advises against strict calorie counting.

80/20 Maintenance Strategy

After a duration of 21 days, or whenever you achieve your desired weight loss, you transition into the 80/20 maintenance strategy to help sustain your weight. This approach entails consuming approved foods 80% of the time, while the remaining 20% allows for occasional indulgences, including dairy products and alcoholic beverages. During the maintenance phase, you have the flexibility to decide whether to continue with mini-fasts. To effectively follow the Bone Broth Diet, plan for five days of approved meals and two days for mini-fasting each week.

Foods to Include

The Bone Broth Diet presents an extensive list of permissible foods that contribute to its principles.

Permissible Foods

At the heart of this diet lies bone broth, which is best prepared at home to ensure quality. On days when you're not fasting, you can select from a variety of whole, minimally processed foods, with a preference for organic options whenever possible.

Some examples of foods you can enjoy are:

• Proteins: beef, chicken, fish, and eggs — ideally sourced from pastured, free-range, or wild-caught origins as applicable
• Vegetables: notably non-starchy varieties such as asparagus, broccoli, leafy greens, tomatoes, and summer squash
• Fruits: apples, berries, melons, citrus fruits, and kiwi — limited to just one serving per day
• Healthy Fats: avocados, coconut oil, various nuts, olive oil, and ghee (??)
• Condiments: salt (Celtic or pink Himalayan), an array of spices, vinegar, and salsa
• Flours: almond flour and coconut flour
• Beverages: coffee, tea, and water

Guidelines for Bone Broth

This diet emphasizes the preparation of your own bone broth, preferably utilizing bones sourced from organic, pasture-raised animals. It is suggested to use knuckle, joint, feet, and neck bones, as they are abundant in cartilage, which is a primary source of collagen. This benefit supports the diet's assertion of reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Alternatively, the author of the book offers dehydrated bone broth and frozen bone broth for approximately $2.80 or $7.16 per serving, respectively, available for purchase online. In larger urban areas, you may also discover suitable bone broth options in health food stores or local restaurants. The focus of the diet remains on whole, low-carb, either unprocessed or minimally processed foods which encompass meat, poultry, fish, eggs, non-starchy vegetables, healthy fats, and, of course, bone broth.

Foods to Avoid

The 21-day diet emphasizes the importance of steering clear of specific foods that are believed to reduce inflammation, improve gut health, and enhance fat burning capabilities. It is crucial to adhere to these guidelines for optimal results.

The foods that you should eliminate from your diet include:

• Grains: This includes wheat, rye, barley, and other gluten-rich grains. Additionally, gluten-free options like corn, rice, quinoa, and oats should also be avoided.
• Refined Fats: Common vegetable oils, including canola oil and margarine, fall into this category and should be excluded.
• Processed Fruit: Avoid dried fruits, fruit juices, and any sweetened fruit products as they can contain added sugars.
• Sugar: All refined sugars must be eliminated, including table sugar, honey, and maple syrup, which can spike blood sugar levels.
• Sugar Substitutes: Stay away from artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame K, as well as natural alternatives such as stevia.
• Potatoes: All types of potatoes should be avoided, with the exception of sweet potatoes, which are more nutritious.
• Legumes: This includes beans, soy products, peanuts, and peanut butter, as they may interfere with the diet's goals.
• Dairy Products: Milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, and butter should be excluded, except for ghee (??), which is a healthier fat option.
• Beverages: Both regular and diet sodas, as well as alcoholic drinks, should be removed from your daily intake.

While this list may seem extensive, strict adherence is essential during the weight loss phase. In the initial 21-day period, it is particularly important to avoid all grains, dairy, legumes, added sugars, and alcoholic beverages to achieve the best results.

Is the Bone Broth Diet Effective for Weight Loss?

At present, there is a lack of scientific studies published in reputable journals that specifically validate the effectiveness of the Bone Broth Diet for weight loss. Kellyann Petrucci, the author behind this dietary concept, conducted three unpublished 21-day studies with the assistance of various health professionals. According to her findings, participants reportedly “lost as much as 15 pounds (around 6.8 kg) and up to 4 inches (10 cm) from their measurements.”

However, Petrucci did not provide data on the average weight loss achieved by participants, nor did she conduct a comparison between the Bone Broth Diet and a conventional reduced-calorie diet. Additionally, the sustainability of the weight loss remains unverified, leaving uncertainties about whether participants were able to maintain their new weight.

Moreover, no other research has been performed to analyze the role of bone broth in facilitating weight loss. This absence of evidence creates significant gaps that prevent a clear determination of whether the Bone Broth Diet is as effective or superior to other established weight loss diets, as suggested by Petrucci.

Nonetheless, the Bone Broth Diet is influenced by various dietary strategies that have been investigated:

• Low-Carbohydrate Diets: Some low-quality reviews indicate that low-carb diets can lead to a weight loss of between 1.5 to 9 pounds (approximately 0.7 to 4 kg) more than standard reduced-calorie diets. However, high-quality reviews generally report minimal to no significant differences between these diets.
• Paleo Diet: In one study lasting three weeks, participants of healthy weight following a paleo diet experienced an average loss of 5 pounds (about 2.3 kg) and a reduction of 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) in their waist circumference. Other research has found no substantial difference between the paleo diet and standard reduced-calorie diets.
• Intermittent Fasting: A review encompassing five studies determined that two of them revealed greater weight loss in overweight individuals practicing intermittent fasting compared to those on continuous calorie restriction, while three indicated similar outcomes for both methods.

Consequently, a blend of these three dietary patterns — as seen in the Bone Broth Diet — may assist in weight loss efforts. However, it's important to note that standard reduced-calorie diets might be equally effective. The average weight loss associated with the Bone Broth Diet, as well as its long-term efficacy, remains undetermined. Nevertheless, existing research highlights that key elements of the diet — such as the paleo approach, low-carb principles, and intermittent fasting — could contribute positively to weight loss.

Validity of Other Claimed Benefits

The Bone Broth Diet is touted for its potential to enhance blood sugar management, diminish skin wrinkles, support gut health, reduce inflammation, and alleviate joint pain. However, these assertions lack substantiation from peer-reviewed research. To assess their validity, it is essential to examine studies on the individual components of the diet.

Improved Blood Sugar

Weight loss, in isolation, typically leads to enhanced blood sugar levels. The carbohydrate restrictions inherent in the Bone Broth Diet may further amplify this effect. A recent comprehensive review of reduced-calorie diets for individuals with type 2 diabetes revealed that low-carb diets are generally more effective than low-fat diets in improving blood sugar control — particularly post-meal blood sugar levels. Additionally, research indicates that low-carb, reduced-calorie diets may effectively decrease the need for type 2 diabetes medications. Nevertheless, there is no unanimous consensus that low-carb diets represent the optimal approach for long-term diabetes management.

Younger-Looking Skin

Petrucci asserts that consuming bone broth can significantly reduce wrinkles due to its collagen content. An increasing body of research suggests that collagen supplements may effectively diminish skin wrinkles compared to a placebo. Although part of the collagen consumed is broken down into individual amino acids, some may enter the bloodstream as short amino acid chains, potentially signaling the body to produce more collagen. However, no published studies have directly examined whether drinking bone broth leads to reduced skin wrinkles, and the collagen content can vary significantly across different batches of bone broth.

Improved Gut Health

The Bone Broth Diet posits that the collagen present in bone broth can aid in healing the gut, although rigorous testing of bone broth for this specific purpose has not been conducted. Some evidence indicates that products arising from collagen digestion, notably the amino acids glycine and glutamine, might foster gut health by fortifying the mucosal lining of the digestive tract. Still, further studies are warranted to explore this claim in depth.

Reduced Inflammation

Obesity is associated with an elevated release of inflammatory substances. Consequently, a weight loss regimen like the Bone Broth Diet may contribute to reduced inflammation. Furthermore, incorporating healthier foods — such as antioxidant-rich vegetables and omega-3-rich fish, both emphasized in the Bone Broth Diet — may also aid in diminishing inflammation. Some studies suggest that fasting could yield similar benefits, but additional research is necessary to draw firm conclusions.

Less Joint Pain

Joint pain can stem from excessive strain on joints and inflammation linked to obesity. Therefore, weight loss — which the Bone Broth Diet aims to promote — may lead to a reduction in joint pain. Several human studies indicate that collagen supplements could alleviate joint pain and slow the progression of arthritis, given that collagen is a primary component of cartilage, which cushions the knees and other joints. However, as no studies have been conducted specifically on bone broth collagen, it remains uncertain whether daily consumption can effectively reduce joint pain.

In summary, while the Bone Broth Diet claims benefits related to blood sugar control, skin health, gut wellbeing, inflammation reduction, and joint pain alleviation, existing studies suggest it may contribute to these advantages. Nonetheless, further research is essential to establish definitive outcomes.

Potential Downsides

Adhering to the Bone Broth Diet can present challenges, particularly at the outset; however, it does offer some flexibility once you achieve your weight loss objectives. This dietary approach, which limits entire food groups, raises valid concerns regarding potential nutrient deficiencies, particularly in essential minerals like calcium and dietary fiber.

Moreover, the combination of intermittent fasting alongside the low-carbohydrate nature of this diet may lead to side effects such as fatigue and nausea, although these symptoms often diminish as your body acclimates to the new regimen. Furthermore, a small segment of the population may experience intolerance to bone broth, resulting in digestive distress or headaches.

Research is needed to better understand the underlying reasons for broth intolerance. Nutritionist Petrucci hypothesizes that the discomfort may stem from the fat content — which can be removed by skimming the surface once the broth cools — or from elevated levels of the amino acid glutamine.

Additionally, there have been claims suggesting that bone broth might contain high levels of lead, which can leach from the bones during preparation. Nonetheless, a recent scientific investigation has indicated that the lead content in bone broth is minimal and generally safe for consumption. Overall, while the Bone Broth Diet can be demanding and may not fulfill all nutrient requirements, adjustments to the diet may lead to experiences of fatigue, nausea, and other symptoms as your body gets used to this new dietary plan.

Sample Menu

The Bone Broth Diet presents an array of sample menus and delectable recipes that cater to a variety of tastes. This diet not only emphasizes the importance of nourishing foods but also includes clear portion guidelines for optimal health. For instance, when it comes to meat and fish, aim for pieces that are roughly the size and thickness of your palm. Fruits should generally be consumed in a closed handful or as half of a larger piece.

Below is a glimpse of what you might enjoy on a typical mini-fast or a non-fasting day.

Mini-Fast Day

The menu for a mini-fast day typically includes:

• Breakfast: 1 cup (237 ml or 8 ounces) of bone broth
• Morning Snack: 1 cup of bone broth 
• Lunch: 1 cup of bone broth 
• Afternoon Snack: 1 cup of bone broth
• Dinner: 1 cup of bone broth 
• Evening Snack: 1 cup of bone broth or a permitted snack, such as scrambled eggs with ghee and sautéed greens

Non-Fasting Day

A sample menu for a non-fasting day could look like this:

• Breakfast: scrambled eggs with ghee and a medley of non-starchy vegetables, complemented by one serving of berries
• Lunch: roasted chicken breast sliced over a fresh garden salad drizzled with vinaigrette dressing
• Afternoon Snack: 1 cup (237 ml or 8 ounces) of bone broth
• Dinner: grilled salmon paired with grilled asparagus and cauliflower rice sautéed in ghee 
• Evening Snack: 1 cup of bone broth

The Bone Broth Diet not only offers sample menus and tempting recipes for the comprehensive 21-day plan but also provides essential portion guidelines to help you stay on track.

The Bottom Line

The Bone Broth Diet is a structured 21-day eating plan that incorporates a five-day low-carbohydrate, paleo-style diet, complemented by two days dedicated to bone broth fasting each week. This unique combination seeks to promote health and weight loss. While some research indicates that such dietary strategies may facilitate weight reduction, it remains unclear whether they are more effective than traditional calorie-restricted diets. Therefore, if certain elements of the Bone Broth Diet do not resonate with you, it might be just as effective to focus on simply decreasing your overall calorie consumption to achieve your weight loss goals.