Today I want to investigate the difference between conventional vs grass-fed gelatin. And then exploring the benefits and uses of gelatin. I never knew much about gelatin until last few months. I had no idea that there was any benefit to gelatin and I surely didn’t know where it came from. Once I started learning about it I find more and more uses for gelatin! Plus, I found a great brand, one that I am always going to buy, and I want to share that for you.
Here is a conventional brand of gelatin: Knox, which I’m guessing we are all familiar with.
Conventional Gelatin
I’m not beating up on Knox Gelatin, it’s just the one we are most familiar with. I want to make that very clear as we start. But I do want to explain where this gelatin comes from, which will show you why I prefer to use a different brand and you will too. Conventional brands of gelatin are made using mostly pigs and some cow to render the gelatin. And these animals are conventionally raised. That means these animals are fed less than ideal diets, are in poor living conditions and are full of hormones and antibiotics. Think of why you choose healthy grass-fed meats to eat? It’s the same way with gelatin. You want your gelatin to come from very healthy cows that were raised as God intended them to be.
With that being said, my favorite brand of gelatin is Great Lakes Gelatin made from grass-fed cows.
Great Lakes Gelatin
It is an amazing product that I can put my stamp of approval on! Just make sure you get the beef gelatin and not the porcine (pork). They are labeled on the front. You can get these at your local health food store or Amazon.com. (Buy Here: Red or Green)
Now your next question will probably be “What do I use gelatin for?”
Great question! There are so many different uses. Let me share:
The Many Benefits of Gelatin
I have heard a lot over the years about the health benefits of gelatin. Just recently have I actually purchased this and started using it. Sometimes I’m a little slow to start and this is one of them. Because I was a little late bloomer with using gelatin, I’ve been a little obsessed with it and have been creating a couple of recipes (and another couple which are still marinating in my mind) to use gelatin with.
Here are 7 body benefits of gelatin:
1. Good for your digestion. This is one of the benefits you get from eating bone broths, which is why I love homemade broths so much. But, sometimes, wouldn’t it be nice not to drink another big cup of beef broth and get gelatin from another place? Using gelatin in recipes can allow you to get the benefits of gelatin in a wide variety of foods.
2. Helps improve your nails and hair. Now who wouldn’t want better hair and nails from a natural source?
3. Great for joint health
4. It is full of amino acids which is good for exercise recovery and healing
5. Decreases inflammation
6. Our skin loves gelatin
7. Feeds our cells. Gelatin is cell food
Our diets are very low in gelatin, so you can definitely get gelatin into your diet daily, including in the form of bone broth. Experiment away with using gelatin.
What are the different types?
If you have searched for great lakes gelatin you know that their is a Red and a Green bottle. I want to help you decide which one to use.
Red
The red container is cooked collagen. It causes liquids to thicken, a good example is jello. (BUY HERE)
Here are some other good uses for this gelatin:
- Added to smoothies (you could also use the green for this)
- Gravy
- Thickening liquids
- Thickening ice cream or puddings
- Jello
- Gummies
Green
The green container is Collagen Hydrolysate. It has NO thickening ability and will not thicken and gel a liquid. You will still get the benefits of gelatin, but has many different uses. It’s just processed at a higher temperature and loses its ability to thicken. That’s why you don’t want to boil the red canister gelatin because it will lose it’s thickening ability and will become just like this green canister. You can stir this into any liquid and it won’t thicken. (BUY HERE)
- Coffee
- Tea
- Iced Tea
- Yogurt
- Kefir
- Smoothies
- Really, any liquid
How do I use it?
I’m excited to spend some time sharing gelatin recipes with you over the next couple months. Look out for them and I will also start linking them to this article. I have some smoothies, frostings, sauces, desserts and a few more in the works.
Do you use Gelatin? How do you use it?
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Thank you for writing about gelatin!
You are SO welcome :)
hi dr meghan,
nice write up on gelatin subject matter.
allow me to mention, for those looking for halal/kosher gelatin, they may get it at http://halalgelatine2u.com
thanks.
Thanks for the tip!
Hi Meghan
I am fascinated by your article on the benefits of gelatine, but as I’m from England I’m looking for suppliers over here do you know of any. Many thanks Adele
Hi Adele-
I don’t know of any suppliers in England specifically. But what I can help you with is if you find gelatin make sure it reads grass-fed and from cows.
Hi Meghan
I find that Amazon supply Great Lakes Gelatin!!! the one I have purchased is the green tub collagen hydrolysate for joint care its beef but is this the one that you recommend? It also says it’s pure protein.
That’s awesome!! I use the green one most of the time (it doesn’t gel but great as a supplement). The red one does gel and I use that for recipes for gummies/ jello or to thicken something in a recipe.
I take a tablespoon a day mixed with yoghurt, I’m wondering if it will tighten up my loose skin on my arms? also how long it might take to show improvement!
xx
Hey Adele-
From what I’ve researched with gelatin it helps smooth out the skin more than tightening up bigger areas of skin. But with that being said… I’d give it a try. There are so many benefits to gelatin you will definitely see gains by using it in your diet.
Hi megan will this contribute to a high cholesterol reading
Cheers adele
Nope, shouldn’t have any effect on a high cholesterol.
There is no difference between knox and great lakes gelatin. They both get broken down to the constituent amino acids the same in the stomach.
Hey Bruce. There’s actually a big difference in quality. Great Lakes is sourced from grass fed and healthy cows. Knox is from grain fed cows and you don’t know the health status of it. I always go with great lakes!!
Hi Meghan, but it’s irrelevant what the quality is since it gets broken down into its constituent amino acids anyways. This is how it gets used by the body. Whatever do you mean by ‘quality’ anyways? How is one molecule of collagen or gelatin protein better ‘quality’ than another?
Hi Bruce-
I always try to source my ingredients from the best sources possible because I want to support farmers who raise their animals well and feed them the appropriate diet (cows should be grass-fed). Even if it all is the same in the end with gelatin I want to purchase grass fed.
1) Yes it’s all the same after it’s processed into gelatin.
2) You aren’t affecting production at all. Gelatin is a by-product of raising livestock. No matter how many people buy the grass-fed version, it won’t affect anything. You are, however, affecting your carbon footprint by buying from smaller suppliers, as the production process to refine gelatin is energy-heavy, and is therefore more efficient in larger batches. So great, you feel better about your purchase, but you achieve none of your stated benefits, and you are helping to poison our environment faster. That’s lose-lose. And it costs you more.
Sorry to say, Great Lakes gelatin is not grass fed. If it was, it would say so on the container. I agree with Bruce that there is no difference between Knox and other brands.
Where can I buy this gelatin other than online? Does Sprouts Farmers Market carry them? Thanks!
Hey Erica-
I have seen it at Whole Foods before. I’m in MN and we don’t have a Sprouts, I wish because I’ve heard great things about it! I have no great answers for you on Sprouts other than the fact I bet I could spend a couple of hours just looking around and loving every minute of it!! -Meghan
Supporting farmers who raise their animals well is fine, but it’s quite different than saying that one brand of gelatin is healthier for us than another because of they way the animals were fed.
What is the reasoning of the Beef and not the Porcine? Is it just theological or is there quality/product differences?
I rarely eat pork, so I want to make sure my gelatin is from beef. It’s more of a health decision for me.
Hi, could you tell me why you recommend getting beef gelatin rather than pork gelatin? Is there any difference between the two? Thanks
Hey Mark. I prefer anything beef over pork. I believe cows are a much healthier animal than pork. Pigs don’t sweat so I personally believe they are always higher in toxins. I eat a pork product (like pepperoni or bacon) 1-2x a month only and then make sure they are pasture raised. I don’t want to buy and the porcine gelatin because I will use it multiple times per week and I don’t want that much pork in my diet. It’s more of a personal opinion, but overall, more people recommend gelatin from beef.
I used Knox gelatin for some weeks & my nails got extremely long & hard. I changed to Great Lakes (the beef) & over a period of a couple days all my nails broke down into the quick. I’m going back to Knox!!
Hi Dr Meghan-
Is it ok for me to include the gelatin in smoothies I share with my 14-month-old?
Thank you!
Kaitlin
Absolutely!! Gelatin is great for little ones too!
What is the difference between the green lid, red lid, & Knox?
Hey Mary-
The red container is the gelatin that gels. Green container is collagen, which doesn’t gel (you wouldn’t want to do that if you are making jello or something). And know is more conventionally produced gelatin (like the red lid). I don’t use Knox because I’d prefer something from a higher quality source.
I am not vegetarian but I do have a sting tendency towards aversion of meat flavors. I have been looking at gelatin and the collagen versions of a few brands. My goal is to see if it might help my psoriasis and joints. All are on par with the quality of Great Lakes. All have several reviews from individuals that state they can taste the product even mixed with other flavors. Is this a common issue with the healthier products as opposed to Knox?