benefits of consuming gelatin

 some of the things we eat on the regular at "la case de deering," like my traditional mayonnaise and my liberal use of grass fed butter, are scoffed at by many on the standard american diet. although we live in the "information age,"the rejection of these nutrient dense foods, in exchange for fake-toxic-food-like-substances, is all the more evidence that we are really living in the "great forgetting."

for the entire history of humankind, up until the last 200 years or so (which is like the blink of an eye on the time line) the goal of life was harmony and wellness for all, not the accumulation of green paper and the things it can give you. tribes passed along the information needed for robust health from generation to generation for thousands of years. this was our wealth. sadly as most of these indigenous cultures have been wiped off the face of the planet in the last 150 years (by genocide or assimilation to western civilization), much of the truths that should be simple, foundational basics to the human diet, have vanished with them. 

fortunately for us living in the modern world, so many of these truths were preserved in the book "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration," by Dr. Weston A. Price. you haven't read this book yet?! what are you waiting on??? as Dr. Price studied indigenous tribes all around the world in the early 1900s and meticulously documented their diet and lifestyle, he found one nutrient all tribes liberally consumed, despite their distance from one another and difference in local produce.

gelatin! what???….

yes, my friend, gelatin is a real food and is nutrient dense. no, i'm not talking about the little powered packets sold next to the jello, im talking about the nutrient found inside the organs, tissues and bones of livestock.  since our modern society does not consume these parts of the animal on a regular basis like our ancestors did, (great time to note, people groups living by ancient traditions were never vegan)  most americans are deficient in this nutrient. gelatin is mainly made up of the amino acids glycine and proline, which are needed for new cell growth (think hair, skin and nails!), and valuable immune strength.

some more benefits of consuming gelatin include:

>>source of collagen. collagen is too large to be absorbed by the skin, making it pointless in all the "anti winkle" and "anti aging" creams! our skin receives the anti-aging benefits of collagen by consuming gelatin internally.<<

>>contains specific amino acids that help build muscle.<<

>>supports the growth of skin, hair and nails.<<

>>aids in the reproduction of skin cells. it tightens loose skin, while preventing wrinkles and also causes scar tissue and wounds to heal faster<<

>>supports joint and bone strength.<<  

>>soothes the digestive tract, while aiding in regularity.<<

>>fights inflammation.<<

now that the vault of wisdom has been unlocked, and you know the benefits to consuming gelatin, let's talk game plan for getting this nutrient into you... 

eat organ meats:

organ meats from free range, humanely and organically raised animals not only contain gelatin but also vitamin k (necessary for other vitamins to enter the cells), and a host of minerals. if you're into "liver and onions," then go for it! if your squeamish like me, prepare these meats the way my sweet sister has done for me. ask your butcher to grind the organ meats up, and then you can mix them into other ground meat and season very liberally to cover up their strong taste.

supplement with grassfed gelatin powder:

gelatin powder is a convenient way in our modern world to obtain this nutrient. companies like "vital proteins" and "great lakes gelatin" are reputable companies that only create their gelatin from grass fed livestock, not chemicals like the packets found in the jello aisle. the bones and tissues of the animal are boiled to extract the nutrient, and then dried to create the powder. added to smoothies or other drinks, this adds a thicker texture. i add a tsp of this powder or the similar collagen powder to my version of bulletproof coffee every morning!

regularly consume bone broth:

on top of obtaining the incredible amount nutrients found in the organ meat, every single culture had their own recipe for bone broth. once the meat was consumed, the bones and "scraps" were added to water with a mix of herbs and vegetables. left to slowly boil, the nutrients then seeped into the liquid to create bone broth. this liquid can be drank straight (my favorite way!), used as the base for soups and sauces, or even used to cook grains.