It had been probably 35 years since I had eaten Jello until I had to get on SCD Intro and gelatin was one of the few legal foods. Since that time I’ve eaten a LOT of homemade jello using organic grape juice and grass fed Great Lakes Gelatin. I usually eat two servings per day of it as a desert or snack. Initially I just assumed the jello was added to give you a decent snack but I’ve since learned that gelatin is a key part of the healing effect of SCD. While the GAPS diet uses lots of bone broth, SCD relies on jello for the same basic effect.
Chris Kresser, author of Your Personal Paleo Code, had a great post on the benefits of gelatin and why even vegetarians should be eating it. Of primary interest to me, gelatin actually helps heal the gut and restore the mucosal lining in the intestines, something that I need at this point. The other great thing about jello – it is easy to make. This is huge for me since I spend so much time in food prep these days. While carrots take a few hours from start to finish I can make 2 quarts of jello in about 5 minutes with the help of the microwave. Here’s how.
- Pour one cup cold water in a big 8 cup bowl
- Start microwaving 3 cups of water to boil, about 3-4 minutes
- Sprinkle 4T of gelatin on top of the cold water to dissolve while the other water is heating up
- Pour the boiling water in and stir
- Add 4 cups of organic grape juice (or organic apple cider)
- Stir well and put in the refrigerator to set up