Gelatin, Collagen and why they're essential

Gelatin is basically the cooked form of collagen. Traditional diets were naturally gelatin rich. Muscle meat was not generally eaten on its own like it is today; a whole joint was stewed - the muscle, bone, skin, connective tissue, cartilage etc. altogether, with the full spectrum of amino acids in one meal. These days we throw away all the good bits. Incorporating bone broths is one way to replace the missing nutrients, and powdered gelatin is also a handy addition to your pantry, to improve the amino acid profile of your diet to discourage inflammation.

Collagen cooked down becomes gelatin. Gelatin processed further (hydrolysed) becomes what's known as Collagen Hydrolysate, also referred to as Collagen Peptides.

Both gelatin and Collagen Hydrolysate are highly beneficial, the difference being that gelatin needs to be 'bloomed', dissolved with heat, and once cooled will gel (ie: jelly/jello). Collagen Hydrolysate on the other hand can be dissolved in cold liquids and won't gel.

Amino acids make up proteins and the particular ratios of certain amino acids make the protein in question either pro-inflammatory or non-inflammatory to the body when eaten. Gelatin (and Collagen Hydrolysate) contains only minimal cystein, methionine and histadine, and no tryptophan: these amino acids are inflammatory, inhibit thyroid function, depresses immunity, decrease the body's ability to withstand stress and are associated with many problems of degeneration and ageing.

Some of the main benefits of gelatin:

• The major amino acid in gelatin is glycine, which is low in muscle and organ meats. It is anti-inflammatory, hydrophilic (hydrating), pro-thyroid, heals damaged intestinal lining (a.k.a. "leaky gut" and allergies) and improves hydrochloric acid insufficiency (weak stomach acid).
• This anti-inflammatory amino acid balance helps also to regulate metabolism, maintain lean muscle mass, preserve bone strength and joint mobility and regulate cellular health.
• Both glycine and proline (another amino acid that gelatin is rich in) are very Liver-protective (aids in Phase 2 Liver detoxification), increasing albumin and halting oxidative damage.
• Used as a major source of dietary protein, it's an easy way to restrict the amino acids associated with premature ageing.
• Restricting dietary cysteine, while increasing dietary glycine (through a diet that emphasises things like broth, stew and additional gelatin) produces a greater extension of lifespan than achieved in most studies of total caloric restriction.
• Hormonally, glycine opposes estrogen and favours progesterone sparing (a very good thing).
• Gelatin balances the inflammatory protein makeup of muscle meat (eg: a gelatinous stew or steak + homemade jelly)
• Gelatin is a nice change from 'beefy'-tasting broth: neutral in flavour you can add it to anything: sweet or savoury.
• Consuming dietary gelatin / collagen hydrolysate supports your body in normalising its own collagen production, which results in prevention and reduction of skin wrinkling. Using a high powered red light device like this one can be beneficial in the same way.

"People have asked me why I recommend gelatin since I recommend eating only whole foods. That is right, but we rarely eat whole foods, including whole animal foods. We throw away the bones and skin and are told not to eat the skin because it has fat in it. However this is precisely here where the gelatin is found. Gelatin contains thyroid-protective amino acids which can help balance the anti-thyroid (thyroid-suppressing) amino acids prevalent in muscle meats (beef, lamb, poultry and fish), mainly cysteine and tryptophan. In addition, the anti-thyroid amino acids are released in large quantities during stress and hypothyroidism itself increases the catabolism (tearing down) of protein even though general metabolism is slowed down." - Dr Ray Peat: Gelatin, stress and Longevity.

How to get it / eat it / use it:

• When eating meats, go for more gelatinous dishes like osso buco, lamb neck stew and oxtail soups rather than just 'refined' muscle meat all the time (steak or chicken breast).
• When you do have muscle meats, balance them by sipping a home made bone broth, and or making a jelly out of high quality gelatin with it (think roast lamb and mint jelly) or for dessert.
• Incorporate gelatine into custards (with organic egg yolks), mousses, panna cottas, soups, home made marshmallow or simply mixed with fresh fruit juices to make jelly (jello) or chewy jubes.
• When making bone broths (a good source of some of these non-inflammatory amino acids including glycine), it's important to simmer for no longer than 3 to 4 hours or you'll degrade delicate amino acids, while increasing toxic free-radicals. Stick to really gelatinous cuts (oxtails, lambs' necks and chicken necks).
• Make sure to dissolve gelatin until completely clear before using in food or it may cause gas / bloating. If your metabolism and/or gut lining is extremely damage, use home-made bone broth first: 1-3 cups per day minimum.
• Start with 1 tbsp gelatin daily. If eating a large serve of meat, a good rule of thumb is to have 5-10 grams of gelatin at roughly the same time so that the amino acids enter the blood stream in balance.
• Collagen Hydrolysate is the most convenient way to get all the benefits of gelatin, and it's as easy as stirring into your morning coffee. You can also add it to juice / tea / smoothies. It won't 'gel' however, so if you want to make things that set like jelly, panna cotta, marshmallows etc, you need a more basic unprocessed gelatin powder or 'leaves'.

• For an adult, gelatin can be a major form of protein in the diet, since the essentiality of (need for) cystein and tryptophan decreases when growth stops. Note however that it should not be relied on as the primary protein during pregnancy or adolescence as it doesn't contain sufficient amino acids for these growth periods.