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Stocks and broths are a wonderful and nutritious way to add easy flavor into a meal. Want to spice up that rice? Cook it in chicken stock. Need to add a powerful punch of flavor to your beef stew? You’ll need beef stock. So many of us buy our stocks at the grocery store that we’ve forgotten how easy it is to make our own. Here’s why homemade stock is healthier than store-bought stock.

Less Salt, More Flavor

Store bought stocks are packed with sodium to help increase their shelf life and increase flavor. We all know we need to use salt in our cooking, but store-bought stock goes overboard with sodium. By making your own stock, you control your own salt intake.

Homemade stocks also contain a much richer flavor than you’ll find in a store-bought stock because you add so much more healthy and flavorful ingredients.

More Nutrients

Homemade stock is loaded with nutrients that your body needs. Best of all, a stock’s proteins and minerals are already in an easy-to-digest format. Many meat-based stocks contain gelatin, an essential digestive aid that allows your body to use its proteins more effectively.

Never Wasteful, Easy to Make

Using the bones for flavor means that you’re eating green as well as healthy by not wasting those nutrient-packed bones. Plus, homemade stock is ingredibly easy to make: give whatever root vegetables you have on hand (carrots, celery, onions, etc.) a rough chop and throw ‘em in a stock pot. Simmer for a few hours until the flavor’s strong and delicious. Best of all, homemade stock is cheaper than store-bought.