Last updated on . Originally posted on By Maryea / 5 Comments
Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies. A long-chain amino acid, it’s made up of the individual amino acids glycine, proline, hydroxyproline, and arginine. The only place you’ll find collagen in nature is in animal tissue (bones and connective tissue).
So why am I talking about collagen? Because it’s filled with health benefits!
Our bodies’ collagen production naturally slows down as we begin to age. You see it and feel it even if you don’t know it’s happening. We see it as our skin starts to wrinkle and sag and we feel it as our joints start to ache.
The good news is that we can help replenish our collagen supplies by eating collagen-rich foods. The bad news is that collagen-rich foods are not always part of most people’s everyday diets.
One easy way to consume collagen is to make homemade bone broth. At our house, however, we don’t eat whole chicken enough to have homemade bone broth available every week.
Instead, I have been working over the last year or so to find ways to use collagen powder and/or gelatin (derived from collagen when it’s heated) to supplement our diets. I’ve used this collagen powder and this gelatinin different ways, from stirring it in my coffee to adding it to smoothies.
My favorite way to get some extra collagen in my diet so far is eating healthy gummy bears!The healthy gummy bear recipes I’m bringing you today are made with gelatin. That means that each recipe comes with some great health benefits that I outline below.
Gelatin Health Benefits
- Improves gut health and digestion.You’ve heard me say again and again how important our gut health is. Gelatin helps improve the lining of the intestinal tract, which helps to prevent a leaky gut. (source)
- Improves your skin health.When our skin starts to show signs of aging, we know we’re losing collagen. As our collagen levels lower, we experience wrinkles, loose skin, and cellulite. Replacing lost collagen can directly improve the appearance of your skin. (source)
- Good for joint health. Studies have shown that supplementing with collagen can greatly decrease joint pain. (source)
While each healthy gummy recipe comes with those health benefits, I’ve flavored each one to have its own special benefits. I use foods with specific vitamins and antioxidants to make the gummies even more powerful.
Let’s look at the recipes and what these healthy gummies can do for you!
Happy Joint Gummies
These gummy bears have extra joint-healing power through the turmeric paste that is the base of the recipe! Don’t get me wrong, I love my Golden Milk Turmeric Tea, but these are perfect for an extra boost of joint relief with the added protection the gelatin provides.
Here’s how you make these Happy Joints Gummies:
- In a saucepan over medium low heat, mix together 1/8 cup ground turmeric with 1/4 cup water. Stir until a paste forms. Stir in a scant 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
- Add 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 cup water, 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a sweetener to your tastes. (honey, maple syrup, or stevia work well) Whisk until well combined.
- When the mixture is hot, but not boiling, add in 3 tablespoons unflavored gelatin, one tablespoon at a time, whisking until it is dissolved before adding the next.
- Remove from heat and transfer to molds. These are the molds that I use and love. Any silicone mold will work, or you can oil a baking dish and pour the mixture into the baking dish to set.
- Allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before removing from the molds. If you used a baking dish, cut the gummies into squares and then use a spatula to remove them from the dish.
- Eat 4-12 gummies a day (depending on the size mold you use). Store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Anti-Aging Beautiful Skin Gummies
The gelatin alone helps your skin, but I loaded these gummies with more skin-beautifying goodness. It has antioxidant-filled sweet potato, which helps combat free radicals that lead to aging skin. It’s also got some spinach, which is full of vitamins that are good for the skin. Last, you’ve got some banana in there, and the potassium in bananas help hydrate our cells from within, which helps prevent dry skin.
Here’s how you make these Anti-aging Beautiful Skin Gummies:
- In a blender, blend together 1/2 banana, 1/2 of the flesh of a small sweet potato, a handful of spinach, and 1/2 cup water. Blend well. You should have 1 cup liquid. If you do not, add a bit more water. Taste and add sweetener if desired (I usually do not. You can use a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup or stevia if you think it needs more sweetness)
- Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and heat gently.
- When the mixture is hot, but not boiling, add in 3 tablespoons unflavored gelatin, one tablespoon at a time, whisking until it is dissolved before adding the next.
- Remove from heat and transfer to molds. These are the molds that I use and love. Any silicone mold will work, or you can oil a baking dish and pour the mixture into the baking dish to set.
- Allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before removing from the molds. If you used a baking dish, cut the gummies into squares and then use a spatula to remove them from the dish.
- Eat 4-12 gummies a day (depending on the size mold you use). Store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Immune-Boosting Gummies
I’ve been making Homemade Elderberry Syrup for a while now. One child loves it (Luke), the other one just tolerates it (Meghan). When I told her we could replace her daily elderberry syrup with elderberry gummies, she did a happy dance. Literally. She danced around the kitchen screaming happily.
She tried them and said she likes them so much better than the syrup. It’s funny because I just take the syrup and make it into gummies. Exact same ingredients except the added gelatin. Kids are strange!
This has the same immunity-boosting power as the elderberry syrup, but it’s just in a different form, and has the added benefits of the gelatin.
Here’s how you make these Immune-Boosting Gummies:
- In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup elderberry syrup.
- When the mixture is hot, but not boiling, add in 3 tablespoons unflavored gelatin, one tablespoon at a time, whisking until it is dissolved before adding the next.
- Remove from heat and transfer to molds. These are the molds that I use and love. Any silicone mold will work, or you can oil a baking dish and pour the mixture into the baking dish to set.
- Allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before removing from the molds. If you used a baking dish, cut the gummies into squares and then use a spatula to remove them from the dish.
- Eat 4-12 gummies a day (depending on the size mold you use). Store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Of these three recipes, the Immune-Boosting Gummies are the most kid-friendly. I created these, though, mostly for adults. (Since we need the skin and joint health benefits the most!) I’ll have some more kid-friendly gummy recipes coming soon.
Which one of these healthy gummy recipes will you try first?
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