Blog

I have been asked one question more than any other in the last decade of my practice: does the Bone Broth Diet actually work? It is a fair question. The wellness industry is full of programs that promise transformation and deliver disappointment. So when patients ask me to walk them through what the Bone Broth Diet actually is, how it works, what to realistically expect, and whether there is real research behind it, I am happy to take the time. This guide is that conversation. I am going to walk you through the program in plain language, share the published clinical research, and tell you honestly what to expect and who this is not for. What the Bone Broth Diet Actually Is The Bone Broth Diet is a 21-day program I developed and detailed in my New York Times bestselling book of the same name. The structure is straightforward. You follow a 5:2 pattern. Five days a week you eat portion-controlled meals built around high-quality protein, non-starchy vegetables, healthy fats, and bone broth. Two non-consecutive days a week you keep things simple with bone broth and protein-based mini-meals. You repeat this pattern for three weeks. The premise is rooted in how the body actually responds to food and fasting at a metabolic level. When you give your body adequate protein, lower the inflammatory load by removing grains and sugars, and create predictable windows of metabolic rest, real change happens. The bone broth is not a gimmick. It is doing specific work in this program. The amino acids in bone broth, particularly glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline, support the gut lining, help moderate hunger between meals, and provide the kind of slow-burning nourishment the body wants during a fasting window. Let me be clear about what this is not. The Bone Broth Diet is not a bone broth fast. You are not living on broth alone for 21 days. It is not a juice cleanse. It is not keto, although it shares some structural similarities with low-carb approaches. It is not water-only fasting, which I do not recommend for most women. The Bone Broth Diet is a structured 21-day program with real food, designed to be followed for a defined period of time. If you want to follow the full protocol with day-by-day meal plans and shopping lists, the official Bone Broth Diet program is where I have laid all of that out. This guide is the educational version. By the end of it, you will know what the program is, what the research shows, what to eat, what to expect, whether it is safe for you, and how it compares to other approaches. I will be honest about the limitations and equally honest about the results. The Science: What a 2025 Clinical Trial Showed Most popular diets have lots of indirect evidence and no published clinical trial on the actual program. The Bone Broth Diet is in a small minority of consumer wellness programs that have been tested in a peer-reviewed clinical setting and had the results published in a medical journal. I think that matters, and I want to walk you through exactly what was done and what was found. In 2025, an 8-week clinical trial of the Bone Broth Diet was published in the journal Clinical Nutrition Open Science, which is published by Elsevier on behalf of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism1. I want to be transparent about how the study was structured because this honesty matters. The trial was funded by Veyl Ventures, which is the parent company of the Dr. Kellyann brand. The trial itself was conducted by KGK Science, an independent Canadian clinical research organization, and the authors of the published paper are KGK Science scientists, not employees of my brand. The study was prospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under the identifier NCT05740670, followed CONSORT reporting guidelines for clinical trials, and received ethics approval from the Advarra Institutional Review Board. That methodological rigor is what allows a study to be published in a peer-reviewed journal in the first place. What the trial measured The study enrolled 100 adults between the ages of 35 and 65 with a body mass index between 30 and 39.9, meaning the participants were in the obesity range but were otherwise generally healthy. Participants completed two 3-week phases of the Bone Broth Diet with one-week maintenance phases between, for a total of 8 weeks. The researchers measured changes in body weight, BMI, body composition, waist circumference, blood markers including glucose and lipids, hunger and craving ratings, and quality of life across multiple dimensions. What the trial found Participants lost an average of approximately 15 pounds, or about 6.8 kilograms, over the 8-week study period1. Waist circumference decreased by 6.3 centimeters, which is about two and a half inches. Sagittal abdominal diameter, which is a measure of belly depth and a strong predictor of cardiometabolic risk, decreased by 2.6 centimeters across the full study period. Importantly, the weight loss came from fat mass while muscle mass was preserved1. This is the difference between a program that helps you lose body fat and a program that just makes the scale move at the expense of the muscle you need for long-term metabolic health. The metabolic markers improved as well. Fasting blood glucose decreased significantly. Triglycerides decreased by 0.43 mmol/L across the full study period, a statistically significant finding (P < 0.001)1. Participants reported significant decreases in hunger and cravings during the program, and yet they also reported no reduction in satisfaction after eating. That last finding is meaningful. People did not feel deprived, even on the mini-fasting days. Quality of life improved across physical functioning, energy, pain, emotional well-being, and general health1. And the program was found to be safe and well-tolerated. No serious adverse events were reported during the study. Honest limitations The authors are transparent about the study limitations, and so am I. This was an open-label, single-arm trial, which means there was no placebo control group. Participants knew they were on the Bone Broth Diet. The trial population was specifically adults in the obesity range. The duration was 8 weeks, not a year. The authors themselves note in their published conclusions that "future randomized controlled trials of longer duration are recommended to verify and understand the sustainability of results"1. I share that caveat in good faith. The trial is meaningful clinical evidence, and it is one step in a research conversation that should continue. How the Diet Works: The 5:2 Framework Most people who hear "intermittent fasting" think of the time-restricted eating windows that have become popular, like fasting from 8 p.m. to noon the next day. The Bone Broth Diet uses a different fasting structure called 5:2. Five days a week, you eat normally according to the food list. Two non-consecutive days a week, you do what I call mini-fasting, which means most of your daily intake comes from bone broth with optional protein-based snacks if you need them. The reason I chose 5:2 over daily time-restricted eating is that it is more flexible, easier to sustain, and the metabolic effects are well documented. Most women I work with find it easier to fully focus on two structured fasting days per week than to maintain a daily eating window every single day. And the research backs this up. A 2025 systematic review and network meta-analysis published in the BMJ analyzed 99 randomized clinical trials with 6,582 adults to compare different intermittent fasting strategies3. The review found that intermittent fasting approaches produced weight loss and cardiometabolic benefits comparable to continuous calorie restriction, with some strategies showing additional advantages for triglycerides, blood pressure, and cholesterol. The Bone Broth Diet falls into a category the researchers call whole-day fasting, which they found particularly effective for body weight outcomes in trials of 24 weeks or more. So what is actually happening on the mini-fasting days? Your body shifts from primarily burning glucose to burning stored fat for fuel. Insulin levels drop. Inflammation markers tend to decrease. The body gets a window of metabolic rest from the constant work of digesting and processing food. And on the feeding days, the higher protein intake supports muscle preservation while you are losing fat. The bone broth is doing specific work here that plain water fasting would not do. The amino acids in bone broth, especially glycine, provide the body with raw materials for collagen synthesis, gut lining repair, and detoxification pathways during the fasting window. A 2024 systematic review in GeroScience examined the effects of glycine administration across 11 physiological systems in human adults and found documented benefits for sleep, inflammation, and cellular protection6. Bone broth is one of the richest dietary sources of glycine you can get. Research from the University of Pittsburgh published in 2024 also documents how fasting interacts with protein metabolism at the level of bone remodeling, with methionine acting as a regulator of how the body adapts to fasting periods4. The mechanisms are real, and they are why this 5:2 plus bone broth structure works differently than just cutting calories. If you want to go deeper on the fasting-plus-bone-broth combination, I have written more about it in intermittent fasting with bone broth and I have also discussed it with Dr. Oz in this conversation about intermittent fasting for weight loss. What You Eat: The Food List I get asked all the time for the food list, so let me give it to you in plain terms. On feeding days, you are building plates around protein, non-starchy vegetables, and healthy fats, with bone broth as a daily anchor. On mini-fasting days, bone broth does most of the work. Foods you will be enjoying Protein. Grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, wild-caught fish, eggs, and bison are the foundation. Aim for a palm-sized portion at each main meal. Non-starchy vegetables. Leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, asparagus, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes. Generous portions. Aim for at least half your plate. Healthy fats. Avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, and small amounts of nuts and seeds. Fat is not the enemy on this program. It supports satiety and hormone production. Bone broth. At least one cup daily, ideally more. This is the daily anchor. You can sip it warm in a mug, use it as a base for soups, or drink a cup as part of your breakfast routine. Low-glycemic fruits in moderation. Berries, apples, citrus. Save these for once or twice a day, not all-day grazing. Foods you will be skipping for 21 days Grains. This includes wheat, rice, oats, corn, and gluten-free grains. The 21-day window is not forever. You may add some grains back during the maintenance phase. Legumes. Beans, lentils, peanuts. Same logic as grains. Dairy. With the exception of ghee, which is clarified butter and tolerated by most people. Dairy comes back as an option during reintroduction. Refined sugar and artificial sweeteners. The fewer hidden sugars in your day, the more responsive your metabolism will be. Processed seed oils. Soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil. These are pro-inflammatory and undermine the work you are doing. Alcohol. For the 21 days, alcohol is off the menu. It interferes with fat metabolism and disrupts sleep, both of which matter for your results. On the mini-fasting days, your day looks simple. Three to six cups of bone broth, optionally with a small protein-based snack like a hard-boiled egg, a few slices of deli meat with no added sugar, or a couple of tablespoons of nuts if you genuinely need it. The simplicity is part of the point. You are giving your digestive system a break and letting the bone broth do its work. If you want a starting point for sourcing high-quality bone broth, the Dr. Kellyann bone broth collection has options for every preference. My Classic Chicken Bone Broth is the most popular and the easiest to weave into daily life. You can absolutely make your own bone broth, and I have shared my Instant Pot recipe for anyone who wants to do that. Most of the women in my practice end up doing both — making their own when they have time and stocking high-quality store-bought options for everything else. What to Expect: Results, Timeline, and What Is Realistic I want to give you the honest picture, not the marketing version. Here is what the published clinical research showed, and here is what I see in my practice. The clinical trial found that participants lost an average of about 15 pounds over 8 weeks, with a 6.3 cm reduction in waist circumference and 2.6 cm reduction in sagittal abdominal diameter1. In my practice, the most successful people on the 21-day Bone Broth Diet have lost up to 15 pounds and 4 inches from their waist in just 21 days. Results vary based on your starting point, how closely you follow the program, your age, your hormonal stage, and a dozen other factors. People with more to lose typically lose more in absolute terms. People who are already lean tend to see results in measurements and energy rather than dramatic scale changes. A general week-by-week framework Week one is adaptation. The first two to three days are when most people experience the most adjustment. You may notice some hunger, occasional headache, or fatigue as your body shifts from running on quick-burning carbs to burning fat. This is normal and short-lived. By the end of week one, most people report better energy, less bloating, and improved sleep. Week two is momentum. Your body has adapted. Waist circumference is usually the first place people notice visible change. The scale starts moving more consistently. Mini-fasting days feel manageable instead of difficult. Cravings have usually decreased significantly by this point. Week three is consolidation. This is where the real metabolic and aesthetic changes show up. Many of my patients tell me their skin looks better. Their clothes fit differently. Their energy is more even throughout the day. The scale may show a slowdown in week three, but body composition is often still shifting in your favor. Why muscle preservation matters Most weight-loss approaches cause you to lose muscle along with fat. That is a problem. Muscle is what keeps your metabolism running, supports your bones, and protects you against the gradual decline most people experience as they age. The clinical trial of the Bone Broth Diet specifically documented fat loss with muscle preservation1. This matters for long-term success. The independent research on protein intake during weight loss confirms this pattern. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN found that adults with overweight or obesity who increased their protein intake during weight loss were significantly better at preserving muscle mass than those who did not5. The minimum protein intake associated with muscle preservation was 1.3 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, which is exactly the territory the Bone Broth Diet falls into on feeding days. Energy and skin Many customers report energy improvements within the first week of the program. The bloating that comes from grains, dairy, and processed foods often resolves quickly once those foods are removed. Skin improvements typically take 14 to 21 days to become visible, since skin turnover is a slower process. Research suggests that the amino acid profile of bone broth, particularly glycine, may support skin and connective tissue. Many customers report glowing skin by the end of the 21 days, though I would not promise it. If you want to see what real customer journeys on the Bone Broth Diet look like, Brock’s story and Ben’s 22-pound transformation are honest accounts of what changed for them. Is the Bone Broth Diet Safe? The published clinical trial found that the Bone Broth Diet was safe and well-tolerated in healthy adults with obesity, with no serious adverse events reported during the 8-week study1. That is the most rigorous evidence we have on safety, and it is consistent with what I have seen in clinical practice for over a decade. Common transient side effects I want to be honest about what some people experience during the first few days, because being prepared for it makes it easier to push through. Mild hunger during the first two to three days. This is normal as your body adjusts to the 5:2 structure. It typically resolves by the end of week one. Occasional headache during the adaptation period. Often related to changes in sodium and electrolytes. Bone broth itself helps with this since it provides natural sodium and minerals. Some fatigue in the first few days as your body shifts to burning fat for fuel. This usually transitions into improved, more stable energy by mid-week one. Mild digestive shifts as the gut adjusts to a higher-protein, higher-vegetable, lower-carbohydrate intake. None of these are serious, and they all typically resolve within the first week. But if you experience anything that feels significant or persistent, talk to your healthcare provider. Who should not do the Bone Broth Diet I am a naturopathic physician, and I am also a realist. This program is not for everyone, and there are specific people I would ask to talk to their healthcare provider before considering it. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. This is not the right time for a structured weight-loss program. Your body needs steady, abundant nourishment. People with active eating disorders or a history of disordered eating. Any structured eating program can be a trigger. The right step here is working with a mental health professional first. People on medications that require precise food timing, especially diabetes medications and blood thinners. The mini-fasting days change food timing, and medication dosing may need adjustment by your prescribing physician. People with chronic kidney disease. The higher protein intake on feeding days needs medical guidance in this population. Anyone with a serious medical condition. Talk to your doctor first. The Bone Broth Diet is a tool, not a substitute for medical care. On the bone broth quality question Some critics raise concerns about heavy metals or contaminants in bone broth, particularly broth made from unknown sources. The most authoritative recent review of bone broth from Mayo Clinic published in 2025 in Digestive Diseases and Sciences looked at the nutritional profile and clinical applications of bone broth in depth and found that the amino acid and mineral content support a meaningful role in supporting gut barrier integrity2. The practical reality is that the quality of your bone broth matters. Commercial bone broth that is properly sourced and tested is safer than home-made broth from unknown bones. I formulated my own bone broth line for exactly this reason. Quality of source, simmer time, and testing all matter. And to be clear, this is a 21-day structured program, not an extreme fast. It is not a juice cleanse. It is not water-only fasting. It is not unsupervised long-term restriction. You are eating real food on five days a week, and the two mini-fasting days are anchored by bone broth, which is itself nourishing food. This is one of the safer structured weight-loss approaches available. Bone Broth Diet vs. Other Approaches I get this question all the time. Should I do the Bone Broth Diet or keto? Should I do this or my regular intermittent fasting? Let me walk through how the Bone Broth Diet compares to the most common alternatives my patients ask about. Bone Broth Diet vs. keto Both approaches are lower in carbohydrates than a standard American diet. The Bone Broth Diet is not strictly ketogenic. It includes more vegetables and low-glycemic fruits than a true ketogenic diet typically does, and the 5:2 fasting structure is what drives much of the metabolic effect. Keto has no fasting structure built in. The Bone Broth Diet uses bone broth as a daily anchor for amino acid intake and gut support, which keto does not specifically prioritize. For most women in midlife, I find the Bone Broth Diet structure is more sustainable than long-term strict ketosis. Bone Broth Diet vs. traditional intermittent fasting Same 5:2 backbone, very different experience. Traditional intermittent fasting on a fasting day usually means water, coffee, and sometimes a small amount of food. The Bone Broth Diet replaces that empty-calorie window with bone broth, which provides amino acids, minerals, and electrolytes during the fasting window. People often find the Bone Broth Diet much more sustainable than water-only fasting precisely because the bone broth softens the experience of the fasting days. Bone Broth Diet vs. the 5-Day Cleanse and Reset. My 5-Day Cleanse and Reset is a shorter, lower-commitment program focused on gut health and inflammation. It is designed as a fast win. The Bone Broth Diet is a deeper 21-day transformation that includes weight loss as a primary outcome. Many women use the Cleanse and Reset as an entry point and then move to the Bone Broth Diet if they want a fuller transformation. Bone Broth Diet vs. the 10-Day Belly Slimdown. The 10-Day Belly Slimdown is gut and bloat-focused, with a shorter 10-day commitment. The Bone Broth Diet is longer and deeper, designed for more significant body composition change. Both share the bone broth foundation. Bone Broth Diet vs. a bone broth cleanse There is some confusion in search results around "bone broth cleanse" terminology. A bone broth cleanse usually implies a fully liquid program with bone broth as the only intake for a stretch of days. The Bone Broth Diet is not that. It is a structured program with real food on feeding days. If you have seen "bone broth cleanse" content elsewhere and thought it sounded extreme, that is because much of it is. The Bone Broth Diet is the sustainable, evidence-based alternative. Common Questions Before You Start Before the full FAQ section below, let me address a handful of the questions I hear most often when someone is making the decision to start. Can I do this if I am vegetarian? The Bone Broth Diet is built around animal protein and bone broth, so a strictly vegan version is not possible. But many vegetarians do an adapted version successfully. I have written specifically about how to adapt the Bone Broth Diet if you are vegetarian, and the short version is yes, with thoughtful protein substitutions and a vegetable-based broth as an alternative. Can I exercise while doing this? Yes, and gentle to moderate movement is encouraged. Walking, yoga, light strength training, and stretching all work well. I would not recommend pushing into very intense training during week one when your body is still adapting. Listen to your body. If you feel strong, train. If you feel tired, rest. Can I drink coffee? Yes, in moderation. One to two cups per day is fine, ideally with breakfast or before noon to support your natural cortisol rhythm. Avoid loading it up with cream and sugar. Black coffee, or coffee with a small splash of unsweetened nut milk, is the move. How is this different from the book? The Bone Broth Diet was first published as a book and has been refined and updated as I have worked with thousands of patients and customers. The current program reflects everything I have learned. The book is still a wonderful resource and gives you the philosophy behind the program. The program itself, with the most current meal plans, recipes, and bone broth pairing, lives on my site. How to Start If you have read this far, you are clearly considering doing this. Here is how I would start if I were sitting across from you in my office. Pick a start date. Choose a Monday or Tuesday so the first three days of adaptation happen during the work week. Avoid starting right before a major social event or a vacation. Clear your kitchen of obvious obstacles. Foods you know are going to call your name during the first few days, get them out of sight or out of the house. You will thank yourself. Stock up on the basics. Protein for the week, plenty of vegetables, healthy fats, a good supply of bone broth, and a few low-glycemic fruits. Plan to grocery shop twice during the 21 days. Pick up your bone broth. You can make it yourself or buy quality, well-sourced broth. Either works. Plan for at least 5 to 7 cups per week. Track how you feel, not just the scale. Keep a notebook or a simple app where you note energy, sleep, digestion, mood, waist measurement, and how your clothes fit. The scale is only one signal. Commit to 21 days. Not 21 days minus the weekend at the cabin. Not 21 days unless something comes up. Twenty-one days, fully. That is where the transformation lives. If you want the full program with the day-by-day meal plan, the complete recipe library, the shopping lists, and everything mapped out so you do not have to think about it, the Bone Broth Diet program has all of that built in. The 21-Day Bone Broth Diet Bundle includes everything you need to begin. And if you want a smaller starting point, my 7-day bone broth lifestyle meal plan is a lower-commitment way to test the waters first. Choosing Your Bone Broth: Formats, Flavors, and What I Recommend I get asked all the time which of my bone broths to start with, and the honest answer is that it depends on how you want to use them. Some women want a savory mug they can sip while making dinner. Others want a quick concentrate they can stir into hot water on a busy morning. Some are doing the full 21-day Bone Broth Diet and want a variety pack so they do not get bored. Let me walk you through how the product line is structured and what I would recommend based on how you want to weave bone broth into your life. Start by choosing your format My bone broth comes in three main formats, and each fits a different lifestyle. There is no wrong choice. Pick the one you will actually use. Concentrates and frozen broths. These are the closest thing to a homemade simmered broth. You warm them up, sip from a mug, or use them as a base for soups and pan sauces. My Classic Chicken Bone Broth and Classic Beef Bone Broth are the foundation of the line. If you are doing the 21-day program, these will be the workhorses in your fridge. Ready-to-drink liquid broths. Shelf-stable, no preparation, perfect for on-the-go life. Pour into a mug, microwave, sip. The Classic Beef Low-Sodium Liquid Broth, French Onion Liquid Broth, and Thai Lemongrass Liquid Broth are designed for the busy person who wants the benefits of bone broth without thinking about it. These are also the easiest option to keep at your desk or in your bag. Powders and capsules. For travel, for skipping breakfast, for adding into smoothies and shakes. My Bone Broth Protein in Vanilla is the cleanest collagen-rich protein source you can stir into a glass of nut milk in ten seconds. The Bone Broth Capsules are the simplest possible way to keep the daily habit going when you are traveling or have a packed week. Different format, same amino acid profile. Then choose your flavors I created the flavor range because I wanted bone broth to fit into real life, not just sit in the back of the fridge. Variety is what keeps people drinking bone broth daily for years. Here is how the flavor profiles break down. The savory foundation. Classic Chicken and Classic Beef are clean, traditional, and the most versatile. These are what I would start a new customer on. Drink them as is, use them as a soup base, cook your vegetables in them. The elevated flavors. Roasted Rosemary Chicken is herbal and warming. French Onion tastes like a bistro soup in a mug. Greek Lemon Chicken is bright and citrusy, my answer for when you want bone broth but you are tired of the deeper savory profiles. Homestyle Mushroom is earthy and umami-rich, particularly satisfying on the mini-fasting days when you want depth without heaviness. The bolder, more adventurous flavors. Thai Lemongrass is bright and aromatic with a hint of heat. Sriracha Chicken has real kick and is a favorite among people who want something more lively in the afternoon. Ramen Beef delivers that deep, rich ramen-shop flavor at home. These are the ones to reach for when your taste buds are bored. The plant-based option. My Vegan Garden Vegetable Broth is for vegetarian and vegan customers, and also for anyone who wants a lighter, plant-forward broth option on certain days. It does not contain the collagen amino acids that bone broth does, but it is a nourishing, clean broth that fits the same routine. The protein powders. My bone broth protein powders are designed for shakes, smoothies, and dessert-style applications. Vanilla is the most versatile and pairs with almost anything. Chocolate is the customer favorite for chocolate shakes and bone broth hot chocolate. Salted Caramel is the one for when you want dessert without the dessert. All three deliver the same collagen-rich amino acid profile as my savory broths, just in a sweet format. What I would recommend based on where you are If you are new to bone broth. Start with Classic Chicken or Classic Beef. Drink one cup daily for two weeks. See how you feel. Most people notice better digestion, more even energy, and improved sleep within that window. If you are doing the full 21-day Bone Broth Diet. The 21-Day Bone Broth Diet Bundle includes everything you need to begin, and the 21-Day Assorted Bundle gives you five flavors so you do not get bored. Variety is what carries you through three weeks. Boredom is the silent killer of any structured program. If you travel often or skip breakfast. The Bone Broth Protein powders or the Bone Broth Capsules will keep your daily habit alive when life gets in the way. The powders also double as a fast breakfast when blended into a smoothie. If you want the full range. The bone broth bundles collection is where I have grouped my most popular pairings. Building your own bundle of two classic flavors and two elevated flavors is what I recommend to my customers who want their daily bone broth practice to feel like something to look forward to, not a chore. Frequently Asked Questions What is the Bone Broth Diet in simple terms? The Bone Broth Diet is a 21-day program that pairs five-day-a-week portion-controlled meals built around protein, vegetables, and healthy fats with two non-consecutive mini-fasting days each week. Bone broth is the daily anchor across the entire program. The diet was tested in a peer-reviewed clinical trial published in 20251. How quickly will I see results on the Bone Broth Diet? Most people notice changes within the first week, particularly in bloating, energy, and how their clothes fit. Visible body composition changes typically become clear by the end of week two. The published clinical trial documented an average weight loss of about 15 pounds and 6.3 cm waist circumference reduction over 8 weeks1. Many customers see similar results within the 21-day program. Results vary based on starting point and adherence. Is the Bone Broth Diet safe for older adults? The clinical trial included adults up to age 65 and found the program was safe and well-tolerated1. For adults over 65, the program can still be appropriate but I always recommend a conversation with your healthcare provider first, especially if you take medications or have any chronic health conditions. Adequate protein intake, which the Bone Broth Diet supports, is particularly important for muscle preservation in older adults5. Can I do the Bone Broth Diet while taking medication? It depends entirely on the medication. The mini-fasting days change your food timing, which can affect how some medications are absorbed or how their dosing should be adjusted. Diabetes medications, blood thinners, blood pressure medications, and thyroid medications are the most important ones to discuss with your prescribing physician before starting. Never adjust your medication on your own. Talk to your doctor first. How much bone broth do I need to drink on the Bone Broth Diet? On feeding days, aim for at least one to two cups of bone broth daily. On mini-fasting days, plan for three to six cups distributed throughout the day. The bone broth is doing real work in this program, providing amino acids and minerals that support the fasting window6. Will I lose muscle on the Bone Broth Diet? The clinical trial specifically documented fat loss with muscle preservation across the 8-week study period1. The high-protein feeding days are designed to protect muscle mass during weight loss, and the independent research on protein intake during weight loss supports this approach. The 2024 meta-analysis in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN found that protein intakes of at least 1.3 grams per kilogram of body weight per day significantly preserved muscle mass during weight loss5. What happens after the 21 days on the Bone Broth Diet? Reintroduction is the key phase that follows the 21 days. You gradually add back foods you eliminated, one category at a time, paying close attention to how each food makes you feel. Many people discover sensitivities they never knew they had. I have written specifically about reintroducing foods after the 21-day Bone Broth Diet to walk through this phase. Many people also continue with bone broth as a daily habit indefinitely. Can I do the Bone Broth Diet during perimenopause or menopause? Yes, and many women find the Bone Broth Diet especially helpful during perimenopause and menopause because the high-protein structure supports muscle preservation at exactly the life stage when muscle loss is accelerated. The 5:2 structure can be modified if needed to honor your energy levels and hormonal rhythms. If you are deep in perimenopausal symptoms, going more gradually or starting with the 5-Day Cleanse and Reset first may serve you better. Is the Bone Broth Diet the same as a bone broth fast? No. A bone broth fast usually means consuming only bone broth for an extended period of days, which is a much more restrictive approach. The Bone Broth Diet is a structured 21-day program with real food on five days each week and bone broth as the anchor across all 21 days. The Bone Broth Diet is sustainable and supported by clinical research1. An extended bone broth fast is not something I would recommend for most people. Can I drink alcohol on the Bone Broth Diet? I ask people to skip alcohol for the full 21 days of the Bone Broth Diet. Alcohol interferes with fat metabolism, disrupts sleep, increases inflammation, and undermines almost every benefit you are working toward. It is only 21 days. Most people find that by the end of the program they have a different relationship with alcohol anyway, and many choose to keep it minimal or skip it entirely going forward. Where to Start Today If you take one thing from this guide, let it be this. The Bone Broth Diet is not a fad and it is not magic. It is a structured 21-day program with real food, a fasting framework that respects how the body actually works, and a daily bone broth practice that supports the gut, the metabolism, and the body’s nutritional needs during a transformation window. It has been tested in a peer-reviewed clinical trial, and the published results are meaningful. The trial documented an average of about 15 pounds of weight loss with fat reduction, muscle preservation, improved metabolic markers, and a positive safety profile, all over 8 weeks. Twenty-one days is the right length for a transformation to take root. Pick your start date, plan your food, get your bone broth supply ready, and commit. If you want the full program with the meal plan, recipes, and step-by-step guidance, the Bone Broth Diet program is right here. If you want a shorter starting point, the 5-Day Cleanse and Reset is a wonderful on-ramp. Either way, you have the science behind you and a real protocol to follow. Start there. References 1. Doma KM, Moulin M, Al-Wahsh H, Guthrie N, Crowley DC, Lewis ED. An open-label clinical trial to investigate the safety and efficacy of a bone broth diet on weight loss in adults with obesity. Clin Nutr Open Sci. 2025;61:231-240. (Funded by Veyl Ventures LLC; conducted by KGK Science Inc., an independent clinical research organization; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05740670.) Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667268525000488 2. Matar A, Abdelnaem N, Camilleri M. Bone Broth Benefits: How Its Nutrients Fortify Gut Barrier in Health and Disease. Dig Dis Sci. 2025;70(6):1951-1961. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40180691/ 3. Semnani-Azad Z, Khan TA, Chiavaroli L, et al. Intermittent fasting strategies and their effects on body weight and other cardiometabolic risk factors: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. BMJ. 2025;389:e082007. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12175170/ 4. Amorim T, Kumar NGV, David NL, et al. Methionine as a regulator of bone remodeling with fasting. JCI Insight. 2024;9(11):e177997. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11383369/ 5. Kokura Y, Ueshima J, Saino Y, Maeda K. Enhanced protein intake on maintaining muscle mass, strength, and physical function in adults with overweight/obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2024;63:417-426. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2405457724001761 6. Soh J, Raventhiran S, Lee JH, Lim ZX, Goh J, Kennedy BK, Maier AB. The effect of glycine administration on the characteristics of physiological systems in human adults: A systematic review. GeroScience. 2024;46(1):219-239. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10828290/ These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Kellyann products and programs are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Results may vary. Many customers report results consistent with those described in this article, and individual experiences differ based on starting point, adherence, age, hormonal status, and other factors. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any new dietary program, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition.