Okay, so if you have been following my blog or following me on pretty much any social media platform you have probably noticed my obsession with that I like of gelatin. I have had many people ask me why I like it so much, well that is a great question and it requires its own blog post so here we go….
….Once upon a time, in a magical crunchy land, there lived a girl with dull skin, flaking nails, and hair with split ends.
Alright, enough of that silliness. I’ve been reading one to many fairy-tales to the twins lately, its bleeding over into my blog writing. On with the tale of why I like gelatin!
Gelatin used to be much more prevalent in our diets and still is prevalent in many other cultures around the world. This is because people used to eat pretty much all of an animal, including parts that are high in gelatin, like skin and tendons. We have stopped eating this way and have lost a very healthy and dare I say it crucial building block of overall health and wellness. So, here are some reasons why I choose to include gelatin in my diet.
First gelatin is very high in Glycine.
According to webmd
Glycine is used for treating schizophrenia, stroke, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and some rare inherited metabolic disorders. It is also used to protect kidneys from the harmful side effects of certain drugs used after organ transplantation as well as the liver from harmful effects of alcohol. Other uses include cancer prevention and memory enhancement.
Um…yeah I think maybe I’ll start taking my gelatin with an extra side of glycine because it can do some pretty awesome stuff!
Glycine also helps with sleep, partially because it is an inhibitory neural transmitter (source) which means it helps calm your mind and decrease anxiety.
Gelatin also plays a huge role in digestive health.
First by absorbing water and keeping the digestive tract hydrated promoting healthy bowel movements. The glycine in gelatin also helps increase gastric acid secretion supporting and more easily allowing food digestion.
Gelatin and Your Skin
Gelatin is a source of dietary collagen and we all know that collagen is what makes our skin beautiful! It is the main protein found in animal connective tissue. So how does this help your skin? Well, it helps skin cells regenerate and improves skin elasticity and tone. Gelatin also makes up the connective tissues that give your skin strength and firmness guess what else it will do? Improve wrinkles and support healthy youthful looking skin! And reduce stretch marks and cellulite. Did you know that cellulite is the break down of collagen and people pay around $40 for a pure collagen supplement to treat it when really all you need to do is add bone broth and gelatin into your diet? So get your beauty on with gelatin!
Hair, Nails, & Teeth
Gelatin provides many minerals that help strengthen your hair, nails, and teeth that are generally lacking in the Standard American Diet (SAD diet). These include calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.
Now if you do a cursory search about gelatin and nails you will see many places saying that it does not help at all. Well I just have to say those sources are just plain wrong. I don’t know what studies many of those sources refer to but I know gelatin can work for nails. Horses hooves are made of the same material as our nails, and if a horse has a hoof problem wanna know what most vets will recommend? You guessed it…..gelatin! I’ve actually had to give a couple of horses I work with gelatin because they had soft brittle hooves and when they grew out they were nice and hard.
Weight Loss
Gelatin can help support healthy weight loss in a number of ways. It is full of protein and can help make you feel fuller. As stated earlier it increases gastric acid secretion so your food is properly digested. The glycine also helps with liver detox which will help rev up your fat burning ability!
Arthritis, Joint, and Bone Support
Chondroitin, is present in large quantities in gelatin, and has been used for a while to help people with arthritis. It has been shown in extensive studies to provide significant pain relief. (source)
Did you know bones are living? That means that they can be built up and broken down depending on you diet. Gelatin contains calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and other trace minerals that support healthy bones.
Not All Gelatin is Alike
Alright, I am sure the majority of you coming to my blog are well on you way to an organic lifestyle and know all about how eating unhealthy animals makes us unhealthy. But for those of you new to this lifestyle let me tell you a bit….
Most of the animals used to make the gelatin you find in your grocery store have been raised on feed containing genetically modified organisms (grains, corn, soy, etc.) which have never been proven safe for consumption. Eating this feed also fosters a home for E. coli (source). They are also all stuck together in a place called a feed lot. Where they pass illnesses back and forth and many of them are given antibiotics.
These problems are easily solved by raising cows the way God made them to be raised. On grass! Pasturing cattle is not only healthier for the cow but also provides a more humane environment for them.
I use Great Lakes Gelatin which comes from pastured cattle.
If you go check out their website they have 2 main products you can buy the Gelatin and the Collagen Hydrolysate.
Regular ‘ole gelatin must be dissolved in hot water where as collagen hydrolysate can be dissolved in cold water.
I take up to 3 tablespoons of gelatin a day. I slowly worked up to that amount starting with about 1/2 tablespoon a day.
Another way to get in gelatin is to make bone broth, which actually tastes pretty great by itself. I also like to cook with it in place of stock in any recipe.
Super Yummy Flavored Marshmallows (made with gelatin)!
More recipes for gelatin coming soon!
Sources Not Cited in Post
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1479-8425.2007.00262.x/abstract;jsessionid=0B0ADC541923709FED7B5894E8E1E51E.d02t04
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12450897
http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2007/restylane.htm
Why Broth is Beautiful: Essential Roles for Proline, Glycine and Gelatin
http://gelatine.org/en.html
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1072-glycine.aspx?activeingredientid=1072&activeingredientname=glycine
http://www.google.com/patents/US20020068103
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