Pain

A few years ago, my husband was just getting into doing triathlons. But, he was finding, the more he trained, the more his joints just ached. He started complaining of getting old and not being able to do the things he wanted to do.

At the time we had easy access to beef bones on a very regular basis. For a variety of reasons, I decided to do a little experiment. All family members would drink a mug of bone broth with breakfast and dinner. (We made a LOT of bone broth.)

No More Pain!

You know what happened? Within a few weeks, my husband’s joints were feeling much better and he was back to training and getting ready for his next triathlon. He couldn’t even believe it. (And thus, if you ever meet him in person, I guarantee you bone broth will come up. Ha!)

Bone broth is loaded with naturally occuring gelatin. Think of the stuff in the bottom of the pan after roasting a whole chicken. The stuff that as the pan cools, become gelatinous and d-i-s-g-u-s-t-i-n-g? Right?!?

The gelatinous, goopy stuff makes all the difference for your joints.

As we age, we make less collagen. Just a way of life. Collagen is what helps our joints keep their spring, our skin stay soft and our hair and nails strong.

But, just because we make less of it as we age, doesn’t mean we have to go without!

Gelatin is a form of hydrolyzed collagen, or essentially broken down collagen. Collagen is a critical component for healthy skin, joints, muscle, tendons and bones. By incorporating gelatin into your routine, you give yourself a boost of collagen every day.

Gelatin is known for easing symptoms of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and helps stall chronic inflammatory responses, reducing pain. In this study, participants with osteoarthritis who took the gelatin daily showed significant reduction in pain and improved activity levels.

If that weren’t enough reason to get on the gelatin bandwagon, here are a few of my favorite ways gelatin is beneficial:

• Supports Healthy Digestion

Collagen contains high levels of glycine, an amino acid that is critical to the healthy development of the stomach lining and ultimately, in making adequate stomach acid to break down your food.

• Supports Sleep

This is one of my favorite tricks to use with clients who struggle with staying asleep. More often than not, waking in the middle of the night is due to a blood sugar imbalance. By having some gelatin before going to bed, it helps to smooth out the blood sugar roller coaster so you can sleep all night long. Yay!

• Mood Enhancer

Neurotransmitters, quite simply, are built from amino acids. But, sometimes being able to break down amino acids appropriately can be challenging. Gelatin is an incredibly easy source of amino acids to absorb and use. By giving yourself a boost of gelatin you support a healthy brain.

• Improves Skin Health

We all know that collagen is an important component in skin elasticity. If you want to deter those wrinkles from settling in too soon, consume gelatin on a regular basis. Gelatin supports the skin renewal process, protects your skin from UV light damage and ultimately free radical damage. Not only does gelatin improve your skin’s durability, it also makes your hair, nails and teeth stronger.

I love how multi-purpose gelatin is, with all those benefits, I want to make it a priority. Maybe you find that you do too. So, how do you get more gelatin in to your daily life?

• Bone Broth

This is how I did my original experiment and although I don’t make nearly that much bone broth now, I do ensure we get in some each and every week. It really is super-easy to make. (And, hello soup! That’s my favorite.) Check out my blog about bone broth here.

• Hydrolyzed Collagen Powder

This powder can be added to cold or hot beverages, it will dissolve and it won’t turn into Jell-o. How easy is that? It is not 100% tasteless, but it is pretty darn close. I add this to my tea each day. On days that I teach 3-4 pilates sessions back-to-back, tea (usually peppermint or throat coat, if you want those sorts of details!) with collagen is what I drink to keep my blood sugar stable and happy all morning long.

For those that struggle with staying asleep, I have my clients add a scoop of gelatin to a cup of tea before bed and it has helped so many women get a good night’s sleep.

That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading! Tell me, do you struggle with joint pain? Have you tried adding gelatin/collagen to your diet? What happened?