Gelatin ?s

[Mirzam]

It has been suggest to DH that he takes gelatin, but we are having a hard time finding any that isn't in capsules or powder. Is that the only way I can buy it? If so, can I make it myself? How?

Thanks

[cristeen]

How were you hoping to find it?

The only other form I'm aware of is in sheets, which professional chefs use.

[Mirzam]

No idea to be honest. He didn't seem to want it in capsules or powder, not that he knows anything about it. It has been recommended he consumes the gelatin with raw meat. Evidently, his ancestors were hunters (even recently) and ate all the parts of the animal, and his body needs these nutrients. I guess I could make sauces with bone broth and combine that with the raw meat. Does bone broth have sufficient gelatin in it? He was told that gelatin is easily absorbed by the body, with the addition of enzymes from raw meat, will improve the body's ability to utilize the proteins in the meat.

He is having nail issues, he is losing two nails on one hand.

[Punchy Kaby]

Does tour bone broth gel up? Mine often doesn't if I let it simmer for hours. I don't know if you get the same benefits from the gelatin if it is more broken down from extended cooking.

You could make jello out of Bernard Jensons gelatin and eat it along with the meat. I recently made jello out of coconut kefir and it was still fizzy, very refreshing on a hot day.

[FairyRae]

bone broth, depending on how its made and what kinds of bones you use and amount of connective tissue etc (I think) can have lots of gelatin. But you can also just stir gelatin into drinks, broth, smoothies, etc, and not really even notice it. I've bought now foods beef gelatin--pretty pure stuff I believe and it works fine for making jello, etc. I'd really just try adding it to stuff and see how that goes.

Good luck!

[mbravebird]

Bone broth loses some of the gelatin over the long simmer, but retains enough to still be significant. It also has glycine and all sorts of other stuff that is protein-sparing and nutritive. Those things tend to all work in concert, so I'd suggest focusing on bone broth, and then adding extra powdered gelatin to your bone broth if you want higher gelatin content. Add the powdered stuff at the very end, right before you take it off the stove.

And I also add the powdered gelatin to just about anything, too. Making jello is a great idea. I think there are some brands that make smoother jello than others.

[tanyalynn]

The GAPS-diet folks say that shorter cooking times when making bone broth result in more gelatin, and I've noticed that my bone broth gels up more consistently when I do a short cooking time, say 4-6 hours. Since I love chicken broth, I'd probably put a chicken carcass in a slow cooker and then add flavors I like to make a tasty light soup--for me, a bit of sauteed onion and garlic, a few herbs, and just drink it with meals.

We also have bernard jensen's powdered beef gelatin and that would thicken sauces. In a pinch, you could just dissolve it in warm water and drink it plain with a meal--not very tasty, but not bad or offensive.

[Llyra]

I can get gelatin from a roasted chicken, by pouring off the pan drippings and putting them in the fridge. I wind up with a thick layer of chicken fat, with a layer of gelatin underneath. Lift off the fat, and you have gelatin, in a thick jelly-like sheet, which will nicely dissolve in a hot liquid, too, so you can use it in almost anything. I don't know that this will work with all chickens-- the ones I've used are free-range "pastured" chickens, and I don't know if it makes a difference how the chickens are raised.

[FairyRae]

Originally Posted by tanyalynn

We also have bernard jensen's powdered beef gelatin and that would thicken sauces.

Wow--so can you use it as a thickener, say, like you would use flour for gravy? Just wondering!!

[tanyalynn]

Originally Posted by FairyRae

Wow--so can you use it as a thickener, say, like you would use flour for gravy? Just wondering!!

I've never been a big gravy eater, so I haven't ever made something that's grain-free but very gravy-like, but I've used reduced homemade stock to make a glaze-type of sauce, it has a wonderful mouth-feel.

[FairyRae]

Originally Posted by tanyalynn

I've never been a big gravy eater, so I haven't ever made something that's grain-free but very gravy-like, but I've used reduced homemade stock to make a glaze-type of sauce, it has a wonderful mouth-feel.

Cool--I'll totally try it and see what happens!