The benefits of gelatin have been known for quite awhile in cultures where traditional diets are prevalent and respected.
But if you’re like me and grew up in the suburbs on popular processed foods, your only exposure to this super nutritious food is in the form of sugary Jell-O brand gelatin. (It was actually an obsession of mine for quite a while – I even had a Jell-O recipe book as a tween!)
Gelatin could be the missing link to restore your health, so it’s important for us to become familiar with it’s many benefits and ways to include it into our diet (besides eating boxed Jell-O).
The Benefits of Gelatin
Gelatin is a protein derived from collagen, which resides in the skin, bones, and connective tissue of animals. You know, the parts of the animal that we tend to throw out in our culture!
Are you aware of these important benefits of gelatin (and collagen)?
So if you’re dealing with any inflammatory disease, GI issues, or you’re simply wanting to age well, adding gelatin to your diet will do wonders!
I know that the idea of eating animal skin, bones, and cartilage is unappetizing to many people, but there are simple ways to make it more appealing. I’m happy to share a few simple ways I add gelatin to my family’s diet, below.
This might be a harder sell if you’re vegetarian though, even if you are aware of the benefits. I get that. I shared with you all in this post how I was a vegetarian for over a decade and it was during that time that I developed a leaky gut and a chronic autoimmune disease. Of course now I wonder if I would have continued eating meat, or at least isolated gelatin or collagen, if my disease could have been prevented.
How to Include More Gelatin in Your Diet Without Disgusting Your Family
1. Use Powdered Gelatin
This is the easiest way to incorporate gelatin into your diet because it blends so well into many dishes that your family would normally eat. And if you’re vegetarian and depending on your reasons for this lifestyle, perhaps you might be okay with using this form of gelatin.
I use Great Lakes Unflavored Gelatin in our home. Go ahead and add it to:
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Hot breakfast cereal
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Warm fruit sauce for pancakes
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Pasta sauce
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Soups & stews
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Gravy
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Smoothies & shakes
Also, you can use powdered gelatin to make nutritious snacks and desserts like pudding, pies, and gummies. Here are some wonderful recipes you might want to try using powdered gelatin:
2. Bone broth
Bone broth can easily be made from any animal bones. It’s also super economical and nutritous because it releases essential minerals like magnesium and calcium.
Our freezer is always stocked with either beef, chicken, or duck bone broth. Here’s what you can do with it:
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Drink it alone
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Use it as a soup or stew base
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Add it to smoothies and shakes
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Use it as the base (water portion) when making rice
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Use in gravy or other sauces
Food Foundation’s Jessica Campbell has a simple recipe and great How-to video here: Beef Bone Broth
3. Eat collagen-containing meat parts
This may be the more challenging option if you find gelatin unappetizing. But after making bone broth, you may want to try actually eating the meat that falls off the bones. It typically has a lot of nourishing fat with it and tastes great in stews, soups, gravy, and mixed with rice or vegetables.
I hope you can agree now that gelatin is a very beneficial protein that can easily be added to your family’s diet!
Do you currently incorporate gelatin into your family’s meals? Please let us know in the comments, especially if you have any tips!
