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Bone broth has been all the rage for the past few winters. Packed with healing ingredients like collagen and amino acids along with other minerals and nutrients, bone broth can reduce uncomfortable intestinal inflammation, strengthen the GI system, boost your immunity and help the body remove toxins that cause illness. While bone broth is an outstanding choice for gut health, it's far from your only choice. Try these X broth recipes a nourishing broth that will keep you warm and ward off inflammation that can negatively impact gut health.

Pork or Beef Bone Broth

Let's start with the classic. Use leftovers from a Sunday roast or ask your local butcher for pork and beef bones for your broth to make an affordable, vitamin-packed broth. Put the bones in a large stockpot and add the aromatics of your choice. Lemon and fresh herbs increase the nutritional content of my bone broth and add flavor to boot. Add about 12 cups of filtered water, or enough to cover the bones by about an inch. Throw in a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar, which breaks down the collagen in the bones so it ends up in your broth (and belly)! Salt the mixture to taste and bring the water to a boil, then reduce the temp and simmer with the cover on for at least 10 hours (probably more like 12). You'll end up with 6 to 8 cups of collagen-rich broth, which you can strain and sip straight from a mug or use as a base for your favorite soup.

Chicken Ginger Broth

The base of your chicken ginger broth will use the same technique as for the pork or beef version of this recipe, but swap out chicken bones (again, either leftovers or from your local butcher). If you want to build a full soup, I recommend cooking a chicken, shredding and saving the meat, and using the bones for broth.

Once your chicken broth is done, drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil in your go-to stockpot. Heat the oil on medium-high and add a few cups of your favorite veggies. I use shredded cabbage along with diced onions, carrots and celery, but you can choose whatever produce you like. Next, add 10 cups of your bone broth along with three cloves of garlic, four tablespoons of fresh ginger, a few handfuls of fresh herbs and a teaspoon of turmeric. If you experience indigestion, the ginger and turmeric in this soup can help reduce nausea and settle your stomach thanks to the anti-inflammatory properties of these zesty spices.

Vegan Bone Broth

If you don't eat animal products, you can still take advantage of the health benefits of bone broth. Simply sub out the bones for plant-based superfoods that support gut health. I came up with this recipe for a vegan friend who was ill. Just throw these ingredients in the pot for similar health benefits without the collagen:

• A few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• Several bunches of fresh herbs, like coriander, rosemary, thyme or parsley
• 1 or 2 tablespoons turmeric to taste
• 30 grams dried seaweed if you can find it at your local store
• 1 tablespoon of peppercorns
• 1/2 cup dried mushrooms (I use shiitake, but whatever you like works here)
• Up to 4 cups mixed veggie scraps and full veggies, like celery stalks, leeks, cabbage, carrots and even more mushrooms
• A chunk of chopped ginger
• One chopped chili pepper if you can tolerate heat
• A smashed bulb of garlic
• A roughly chopped red onion with the skin on

Bring the broth to a boil, then simmer for about an hour.

With these three recipes, you can appreciate the bounty of bone broth or a veggie-based alternative. Using a vibrant variety of veggies, herbs and spices diversifies the healthy properties of this wonder beverage.