Gelatin, the Superfood?
By Toby Helmstetter, LAc
Did you know gelatin is actually good for you? Now, try not to think of that wiggly, fluorescent jell-o mold you'd see at the family picnic. Gelatin, in its natural form--found in gelatinous cuts of meat and bone broths, is a power house of nutrition and benefits many different aspects of our health. At TAC we're all big fans of making your own bone broth, however there are also easy and delicious ways to get gelatin into your diet, especially in the summer. Powdered gelatin makes a great addition to your diet and, around our house this summer, we're mixing it with unsweetened fruit juice, sticking it in the fridge, cutting it up into squares, and stuffing out faces with it at the end of a hot day. According to Laura Schoefeld, Registered Dietitian, here are some of the top reasons why gelatin is good for you:
1. Gelatin is healing for your gut. It restores the healthy mucosal lining in the stomach and keeps fluid in the digestive tract, which promotes good intestinal transit.
2. Gelatin is good for your skin. It contains amino acids important for collagen production, one of the primary structural elements of the skin. It may also protect against the aging affects of sunlight.
3. Gelatin protects your joints. It helps to improve joint health and reduces inflammation and pain.
4. Gelatin has been found to help with sleep. Gelatin is high in glycine, which is a natural inhibitory neurotransmitter that antagonizes norepinephrine, a major stress hormone. Therefore, eating gelatin at night has been shown to reduce feelings of anxiety and help sleep.
There's a great form of gelatin you can buy called Great Lakes. They make a hydrolyzed form, which is better for skin and joint health and sleep; or a whole protein form, which is better for improving gut health (get the red can if you want to make jell-o like snacks). There are tons of great recipes online, (this site has a huge list of healthy gelatin snacks) and in just a few hours, with very little work, you can make some delicious, refreshing and healthy snacks!