Homemade gelatin gummies for gut health

If you love gummy bears, you can make homemade gelatin gummies for gut health. They are healthier than store-bought ones because you can: make them yourself, include organic ingredients, and avoid artificial dyes and flavors. Learn how to make homemade gelatin gummies here.

Hi hi! What are you up to this week? I feel like this week is bananas, but I’m looking forward to a much-needed haircut tomorrow. My hair is getting outta control. This is so random, but the Whole Foods cashier asked for my hair routine. It made my whole night, especially when I was running around like a stressed-out greaseball trying to assemble some items for dinner. I admitted that I don’t wash it a ton, use cheap shampoo and conditioner, swear by Moroccan oil, and that I think including collagen and gelatin in my routine has made a difference.

Collagen is super easy to implement in my morning coffee, but lately, I’ve been finding more creative uses for gelatin. I’m sharing one of my faves in this post!! I asked Mia if she’d help me out with a gelatin gummies recipe for the blog, and she shared her go-to recipe with me.

Grassfed gelatin gummies

Grassfed gelatin gummies make a great healthy snack for you and your kids! Grass fed gelatin has a ton of health benefits. It can help to repair gut lining and support healthy hair, skin and nails. It’s good for your joints and is an easily digestible protein for those suffering with tummy troubles. It isn’t a substitute for meat, but it’s a great way to sneak in extra amino acids, especially if you don’t eat nose to tail.

Read on for a healthy homemade gummy recipe your kids will LOVE (you too!) and what makes these even better than store-bought versions.

Homemade gelatin gummies for gut health

Collagen vs. gelatin

Gelatin and collagen are similar, but just a tiny bit different. Collagen is the most abundant form of protein in our body, and is made up of amino acids that affect our connective tissues, hair, skin, and nails. Gelatin is hydrolyzed collagen, meaning that it’s been cooked to break down to smaller particles. Gelatin makes the gel-like substance when mixed with water, while collagen does not. They can both be used to promote healthy skin, hair, nails, connective tissues, joint function, gut health (from forming the tissues that line the gut), and immune function. <— our gut health dramatically impacts our immune system!

Benefits of homemade gummies

Our kids LOVE store-bought gummies, but so many of them are filled with less-than-ideal ingredients, like food dyes, artificial flavors, corn syrup, and wax. It’s not to say that they never have these things – I’m an “all things in moderation” type person- but if I can find a better option that they like, I’m going for it. They’re big fans of the Annie’s fruit snacks, but they go quickly around here. I thought it would be fun to try making our own, especially since it meant having control over what went into them.

These little treats have simple ingredients and, like we mentioned above, they can help to repair gut lining. So many of us are dealing with gut issues, like leaky gut, so gelatin can be a gentle ingredient to incorporate into a healthy eating routine.

Ingredients

The great thing about homemade gummies is that you can modify them to suit your unique taste preferences. As long as the method and ratios of gelatin to liquid is followed, feel free to swap your favorite fruit juice and puree. Also, feel free to add in any seasonings you love, like turmeric or ginger!

**Note: pineapple juice cannot be substituted 1:1 as a juice replacement. It must be cut with at least 50% of another kind of juice like orange, grape, etc.  Pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that aids in digestion of proteins and will prevent your gummies from forming a shape.

For this recipe, we used a combination of tart cherry juice, cranberry juice, lime juice (you can also use lemon juice), gelatin, and honey. For our gelatin, I picked up the Vital Proteins brand at Whole Foods (they also have different options at Thrive Market).

Instructions

The first thing you need to do is let the gelatin “bloom” by mixing it with water. Once it has bloomed, you can heat it on low on the stovetop with your juices and sweetened of choice. Next, you’ll pour the mixture into a baking dish or little molds to put into the fridge to solidify. You’ll be surprised how easy this recipe is and our kids gobbled.them.up.

Bonus: tart cherry juice can help to promote restful sleep, so three cheers for that all around.

How to make fun shapes and sizes

Amazon to the rescue!! I ordered these candy molds and they appeared on our doorstep the next day. They have so many cute different shapes and types of silicone molds. We’ll absolutely be playing around with shapes and flavor combinations.

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Homemade gelatin gummies for gut health

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Learn how to make homemade gelatin gummies for gut health – the whole family will love these! Feel free to swap out any juice flavors you enjoy and customize for your preferences.

• Author: Mia Votapka, RDN // The Fitnessista
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 2-4 hours
• Total Time: 2-4 hours

• 3 cups pure cranberry juice, not from concentrate 
• 1 cup tart cherry concentrate
• Squeeze of fresh lime
• 1 cup of filtered water
• 6 Tbsp grass fed gelatin
• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• Pinch of sea salt

1. Sprinkle the gelatin over 1 cup of room temperature water, just until it thickens and rehydrates the gelatin.  This is called “blooming” the gelatin.
2. Next, heat the 4 cups of juice plus lime juice and mix in the bloomed gelatin.  Add honey or maple syrup and salt.
3. Let it all dissolve over medium low heat.  Once completely dissolved, remove from the heat and pour into gummy molds or your favorite shapes.  You can also pour into a glass dish to set. 
4. Let it set up for 2-4 hours before enjoying it! Keep for one week in the refrigerator.

Notes

*Note: pineapple juice cannot be substituted 1:1 as a juice replacement. It must be cut with at least 50% of another kind of juice like orange, grape, etc.  Pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that aids in digestion of proteins and will prevent your gummies from forming a shape.

Quick how-to video

Here’s a quick video I made on how to make these little gummies! P and Liv both helped and it was a fun little project to do together. They were a snap to make – the hardest part was waiting until they were set. I put the rest in a baking dish and it was like a homemade version of Jell-o. So good!

Have you tried making gummies at home before?

What’s your kids’ favorite healthy snack?

xo

Gina

PS you have to try these amazing collagen brownies!