“My childhood may be over, but that doesn’t mean playtime is.”
~ Ron Olson
Food for Your Inner Child (and your Health)
What other food brings you back to childhood as quickly as Jello? It’s wacky, wild and wiggly! And if you make it yourself, it’s also good for you – a far cry from the store-bought version. Check out the difference:
- Store-bought Jello Ingredients: Sugar, Gelatin, Adipic Acid, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Fumaric Acid, Tannic Acid, Red 40, Blue 2.
- Homemade Jello Ingredients: Organic Juice, Grass-fed Gelatin
Benefits of Gelatin
- Once upon a time, people used to eat all the parts of an animal: muscle meats, fatty meats, bone broths and organ meats. Each of these has a different amino acid profile that benefits our bodies when eaten in balance. However, modern society focuses almost solely on muscle meats, giving us a narrow amino acid profile. Gelatin provides the missing amino acids.
- Gelatin contains collagen, which is the main structural protein in the body. It’s most abundant in skin, tendons, and ligaments, but it’s also an essential building block for the intestinal lining, intervertebral discs, blood vessels, muscles, bones, organs, eyes, hair, teeth, and more.
- When taken before bed, gelatin also improves sleep.
Juice Jello (Paleo, AIP, GAPS)
- Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of juice into a large measuring cup or bowl, and add gelatin powder. Let sit for 1 minute to let it bloom. (It will turn into a gel that will dissolve more easily in the next steps).
- Pour the remaining juice into a saucepan & heat over medium heat until warm.
- Transfer the cold juice-bloomed gelatin mixture to the saucepan and stir until evenly blended.
- Pour the jello into a pyrex dish or small ramekins. Cover and refrigerate until set (usually about 4 hours). In the photo above, I used a small cookie cutter after it was set to create the little hearts.
Notes
- Conventional juice contains pesticide residue, which is why I recommend organic. As for the gelatin, you can buy conventional Knox gelatin from the grocery store, but if you make jello regularly, that's actually an expensive choice for a low quality product. Grass-fed gelatin is available in bulk online. I use the brand Great Lakes (red can).
- If you're lucky enough to have a fruit tree in your back yard, and want to make jello with fresh-pressed juice, only heat 1 cup of your juice and keep the rest cold, to preserve raw juice enzymes. Storebought juice has already been pasteurized, so this isn't a concern, and heating more of the juice makes a smoother texture of jello.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Treats
- Method: Stovetop
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Sugar-free Jello is a toughie for me to let go of. Do you have any low carbohydrate ideas for flavoring gelatin?? With the amount of Jello I eat, “real” juice is a bit too carby. I am very much into your blog right now and trying not to pull an all-nighter with it 🙂
Maegan, this is going to be a “tough love” answer. If you eat that much jello, I recommend letting that go and having some fresh fruit when your sweet tooth hits instead. To get the medicinal benefits of gelatin without too much sugar or artificial sweeteners, I recommend making Bone Broth. You can also buy Collagen, which is a special type of gelatin that dissolves in liquids and doesn’t have the “jello” effect, so can be stirred into anything for an added nutritional boost (like tea or soup, for example).
What’s a reasonable/beneficial serving of consuming gelatin this way?
Hi Apelila. When I make it, I divide this recipe into 8 servings. If you want to increase the gelatin content without making the recipe too firm, you can add additional collagen (the Green Can from Great Lakes Gelatin) which has the same benefits of gelatin but dissolves completely in liquid with no extra “gelling” result.
Hi, I’ve never used that much gelatin powder at one time. Does 1/4 cup really bloom in only a cup of liquid? I imagine putting it in the liquid & it getting all clumpy & having solid “bits” in my jello. I don’t want to waste my good gelatin powder!
Hi Tracy, the heat will melt those bits, so long as you stir well. To make sure all of the gelatin blooms, when you add it to the juice, you can use a spoon to gently tap down on the top to make sure it all gets moistened. Enjoy the jello!
Thanks for the idea, Eileen! Im doing Low Fodmap and AIP focusing on magnesium deficiency, I have MCTD n SIBO.
Some missing part from my comment above. Kinks in the system, I guess. Eileen, I wonder if Alfalfa is both LowFodmap n AIP approved? Thanks.
I have no idea. Your best source for Low-FODMAP information is Monash University. They even have an App that people swear by: http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/
Sure gelatin is superior in healing than agar powder. Agar powder is chosen due to its high magnesium content as stated by Dr. Mercola. Im in a need of magnesium intake to address MCTD causing me weakness n constipation. Right now Im on green leafy veggies and magnesium pill (oxide and gluconate 500mg) daily regimen, but found it a bit slow in boosting energy. Any suggestions for the magnesium supplemention, of its dosage, safety and absorption? Thanks again.
Oh! Well that’s a horse of a different color. 😉 Unfortunately, I’m not qualified to advise you on supplements, but if I were you, I would treat it as a food reintroduction and just see how my body reacts. If the effects are beneficial, continue with it. If it aggravates your symptoms, stop.
Hi Eileen. I wonder if agar powder from gracilaria genus is legal AIP? A bit concern with the carrageenan properties it may have as it does in other types of seaweed. Been sussing out online about it but couldnt find any clear reference. Thank you.
Ali
While Agar is AIP-approved, I don’t eat it myself. Gelatin is healing food and a better choice for this and other recipes where you’re looking for thickening/gelling of ingredients.
What kind of juice did you use to make the really red hearts in the photo? My jello has been coming out kind of light.
Hi Jessica. It’s been a while since I took that photo, but I believe it was cranberry-pomegranate. My favorite flavor, though, is simple apple juice (but it’s not as pretty). 🙂
Hi there,
I am going to use this recipe with plain carrot juice!
How much gelatin should I add if I wanted to try this recipe out using 1 cup of carrot juice rather than 4 cups ?
And if I also wanted to make a vegan version – what modifications would I need to make using agar agar instead of gelatin?
Thanks
Hi Alice. This recipe uses 1 Tbsp. gelatin for every cup of juice. As for your other question, I’m not vegan, so I can’t advise. Good luck – I hope it tastes great!
I can’t wait to try this! I’ve got my gelatin ordered and on its way!
Jen, we have this every night with dinner, and if I forget to make it, I feel totally deprived. Enjoy!
We LOVE homemade jello! I make mine regularly with 1cup homemade lemonade, 1Tbs. raw honey, and 1cup kombucha(not heated)to get some more probiotics. A super easy nourishing snack.
Ooooh, another great tip! Thanks, Molly.
Oh my! Is there a way to buy the gelatin without buying bulk? This is cost-prohibitive for me!
In that case, just buy the Knox unflavored gelatin at your local grocery store. That will still work and it is 100% gelatin (no additives). The bulk purchase is worthwhile if you decide you want to make it on a regular basis.
I’ll give it a try, thank you!
I didn’t realize gelatin was good in all those ways. Thanks for sharing this at A Humble Bumble 🙂
Made this today. Thanks for the recipe!
Please consider sharing your post with us at Eco-Kids Tuesday tomorrow!
I absolutely will! Thanks for the invite.
I have a recipe that uses herbal tea instead of the juice! It is a great variation in which you can choose to sweeten with a little honey, or avoid sugars all together and still have some fun flavors.
Great idea, Kelly!
I so love when a fun treat is also good for you!! A double treat!! Thanks for a great post! BTW I also appreciated reading about NSAIDS, I try not to take any but sometimes I absolutely have to when I get a bad bad headache. It makes all the difference at times! Thank you for confirming what I already felt!
Here’s to fun! Thanks also for complimenting the pain relief post. I was a little nervous writing that one, because it’s such a controversial stance, but I also think it needed to be said.