As this ingredient is typically associated with cheap desserts, you’re probably wondering about some healthier ways to include this incredibly healing nutrient into your diet and life.
Well, here they are!
As a sleep tonic: Gelatin contains glycine, which has been shown to increase sleep quality. For a pre-bedtime sleep tonic, mix 1-2 tbsp of gelatin into a cup of hot chamomile tea.
As a hair tonic: Add 1- 2 tbsp of gelatin to your shampoo or conditioner. Using gelatin on your hair will give it a fuller and shinier look.
To thicken up your homemade yogurt: Adding a little gelatin to yogurt helps make it taste wonderfully thick and creamy. Add 1 tsp of gelatin per 1 cup of milk as you are heating the milk to make your yogurt.
As a digestive aid: Add 1 tbsp of gelatin to a glass of hot water with lemon. Drink it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. This will allow foods to be digested more smoothly, as well as heal and nourish your digestive tract.
Try a new cut of meat: When you’re buying meat, choose more gelatinous cuts (osso bucco, oxtail, beef cheeks, lamb shanks) instead of the usual, more muscle-y meats (like steak and chicken breast). These cook really nicely in a slow cooker, are far less expensive, and are actually easier to digest than ‘muscle’ meats.
As a facemask: Gelatin, which is full of collagen, can be used very effectively as a facemask to reduce wrinkles and tighten pores.
To make the mask, heat half a cup of papaya juice with 1 packet of unflavored gelatin over the stove until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Put the mixture in the fridge for 20 minutes or until it firms up. Then, apply it to your face and let it sit for up to 30 minutes. Afterwards, wash it off with cold water.
In homemade bone broth: Gelatin occurs naturally and in abundance in homemade bone broth, which you can use as a base for soups or consume on its own.
In homemade jello: Store bought jello is full of sugar, preservatives, and artificial food coloring, but you can make your own healthy, homemade jello using fresh gelatin, water, and fresh organic juice for flavor.
If you choose to get your gelatin through a supplement rather than consuming bone broths or different cuts of meat, remember, like everything we consume, the source matters. Choose a variety that comes from grass fed, non-factory farmed animals like Great Lakes.
Always try to get at least some of your gelatin from natural sources like bone broth and different meat cuts, as whole foods and variety are key to health!
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://www.naturopathnsw.com.au/gelatin
http://wellnessmama.com/7419/gelatin-uses
http://livinthecrunchylife.blogspot.com/2013/05/grass-fed-gelatin-its-many-benefits.html
