Is Gelatin Good For You?

Is Gelatin Good for You? Why Do You Need Mankind’s Most Ancient Superfood?

A protein derived from collagen, gelatin is packed with health benefits and for this reason, everyone needs it in their diet. Modern individuals do not consume as much gelatin as their grandparents used to, and this shows in the overall state of health.

The main reason for which we do not consume as much gelatin as our grandparents did is reduced to the fact that modern diets do not have a nose-to-tail eating approach to food, which means that nowadays we rarely consume animal parts that are high in gelatin, including tendons and skin.

In the past, people cooked and ate as much of the animal as possible, consuming the organ meats and cooking the bones to obtain broth. Modern diets only use muscle meats, which results in missing out on the nourishment other parts of the animal can provide. Today, many people associate gelatin with Jell-O, a dessert that comes packed with artificial colors and sugar, and do not have a clue about what to do with real gelatin.

Gelatin is the only protein with the power to thicken liquids as you can see when you roast or sauté meat. The drippings in the bottom of the pan owe their consistency to gelatin. That viscosity is what allows you to boil those juices into a semi-thick sauce or make a roux by adding flour which can be added to soups and stews as a natural thickening agent.

That slightly sticky solid substance that sets at the bottom of the pan when it cools? That’s the gelatin at work (usually mixed with some fat too).

What is Gelatin?

Gelatin is a form of collagen that has been broken down into smaller particles.