Basic jelly recipe (plus the health benefits of gelatin)
Jelly can be a delicious and nutritious dessert or snack if you make it from scratch. I purchase Great Lakes Gelatine from iherb to use in my jelly recipes.
Here is the foundation recipe from the Great Lakes website, which you can experiment with.
FOUNDATION RECIPE
- 1 tablespoon Great Lakes Gelatin
- 1/2 cup cold liquid
- 1 1/2 cup hot liquid
Soften gelatin in 1/2 cup cold liquid. Dissolve thoroughly in 1 1/2 cups very hot liquid with desired flavorings and sweetening included as a part of liquid measure. Pour into 2 cup mold and chill until firm before unmolding. Serves 4.
According to the Great Lakes website, their products do not contain any MSG.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF GELATINE
According to the University of Michigan, gelatin is a form of collagen commonly used in foods. Preliminary studies suggest that it can improve the structure and health of hair and nails. Collagen is one of the proteins found in many connective tissues including skin, cartilage and bone. 1
The Western A Price Foundation lists many benefits of gelatin in their article Why Broth is Beautiful. Gelatin is rich in glycine and proline, but it is low in tryptophan, tyrosine, methionine and histidine, so it is not an ideal source of complete protein. However, it has a long history of use for skin, joint and digestive disorders.
According to The Western A Price Foundation gelatin has the following health benefits:
- Aids in the digestion of food.
- Increases the utilisation of the protein in barley, oats and wheat (but not corn).
- Improves the digestibility of beans.
- Helps with the digestion of meat (particularly when it is cooked in a broth with the bones and a dash of vinegar).
- Helps infants to grow properly.
- Improves the digestion of milk.
- When added to infant formulas, it has been shown to reduce allergic symptoms, vomiting, colic, diarrhoea, constipation and respiratory ailments (in comparison to infants consuming cow’s milk).
- Is helpful in convalescence and for adults who have lost weight due to cancer, surgery and dystentry.
- It reduces the amount of complete protein needed by the body.
- It is protein sparing (i.e. it is used up and prevents the breakdown of proteins in the body).
- It can normalise cases of hydrochloric acid deficiencies and excesses and can enhance the flow of gastric secretions, which promotes digestion.
- It lines the mucous membrane of the GI tract, and is helpful for IBS.
- May be helpful for rheumatoid arthritis and other degenerative joint conditions and for inflammatory bowel disease.
- Is helpful for liver health (the liver uses glycine for detoxification).
- May help with bone mineral density and body weight in protein insufficiency.
- May reduce pain in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip.
NB – gelatin should never be cooked or reheated in the microwave as this form of heating converts l-proline to d-proline (from trans to cis) which could be hazardous as it can lead to structural, functional and immunological changes. d-proline may also be toxic for the liver, kidneys and nervous system.
1. http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/hn-2824005
2. http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/why-broth-is-beautiful-essential-roles-for-proline-glycine-and-gelatin/
Here are another couple of yummy jelly recipes:
Bubba G’s healthy jelly lollies
I hope you will enjoy your jelly making adventures.
With love, light and appreciation
Helene
Nutritionist, Reiki practitioner and author