There’s always room for JELLO, right?

Well, when it comes to your healing, maybe!

I’ve been a big proponent of adding bone broth to your diet for better health for a while now, but you can get many of the same benefits from good old gelatin.  If you find you always intend to add bone broth to your diet, but never actually get around to it, this might be a good alternative.

Beyond broth, I had not considered adding gelatin to my meals…but then I saw this eye-catching photo by Holistic Squid. This looked so fun as a treat for a 5-year old Lego fanatic that I wanted to learn more.

What is Gelatin?

Gelatin is a solid substance, usually found powdered or in sheets, made from the collagen in animal bones.  (There is vegetarian gelatin out there, but for health purposes, you want the animal variety.)

Most people associate it with wiggly, jewel-toned cubes of JELLO, but actually, it’s used in lots of recipes including smoothies, gummies, puddings, and more.

The trick, though, is that in order for gelatin to have healing benefits, it has to come from healthy animals—and good old JELLO does not. Luckily you can get grass-fed, Kosher gelatin on Amazon or I love this collagen from Bulletproof because it is truly flavorless.

Gelatin for better health

The minerals and collagen in gelatin add up to make an amazing superfood that can be particularly helpful when battling thyroid and autoimmune diseases.  Check out some of these health benefits:

  • Builds strong teeth, hair, and nails (something we struggle with as thyroid sufferers!).
  • Gelatin is high in glycine, which is an essential amino acid needed for liver detoxification.
  • Glycine is also important for good digestive health and for digesting animal proteins.
  • The protein in gelatin can assist in weight loss.
  • Research as far back as the 1920s has shown a positive link between gelatin and healing leaky gut.
  • Gelatin can also support overstressed adrenal glands with the right balance of minerals and amino acids.
  • Gelatin provides proline and glycine that balance out the tryptophan and Cysteine that can cause inflammation when you are eating a low fat diet.

My son and I made those delightful little gummies pictured above and they were yummy. A great way for us both to get in some healing gelatin.  Thanks Holistic Squid for the inspiration!

So let me ask: Do you incorporate gelatin into your healing diet? What’s your favorite way to eat it?  Let us know in the comments below!

In addition to the article you just read, I provide a ton of resources on healing your thyroid naturally, including:

  • Our totally free Thyroid Healing Type Assessment, Report and Coaching Sessions
  • Right here on my blog, where I talk about what’s worked best for me and my clients, as well as the latest research and resources I come across.  You can subscribe to get new blog posts delivered right to your email by signing up on the righthand side of the page.
  • My book, Healing Hashimoto’s Naturally — part memoir, part instruction manual for how I personally healed my Hashimoto’s disease.
  • My exclusive free 6 Thyroid Myths That Can Keep You From Healing workshop — with info on the comprehensive Thyroid Fix in 6 program, which walks you through, step-by-step, the exact actions you need to take to heal your thyroid and get your life back! We’ve seen hundreds of participants in the Thyroid Fix in 6 avoid, decrease, or even eliminate the need need for thyroid medications.
  • The incredible Your Best Thyroid Life Video Bundle, in which I personally invited 27 of the world’s top health experts to share their best tips for living with and healing thyroid disease.

Jen Wittman is a Certified Holistic Health Expert, Chef, Author & Vitality Coach, who teaches women how to reverse thyroid and autoimmune conditions naturally. She’s helped hundreds of women decrease (or even eliminate) their thyroid medications and has helped others stay off thyroid medication entirely.

Through her free Thyroid Healing Type Assessment, Jen teaches easy and simple steps to thyroid healing that can fit into your busy day. She also provides print outs to bring to your next doctor’s appointment so you can get the support and respect you deserve.