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Nutrition Gelatin

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I've been using gelatin as per someone's recommendation. I've been buying the Knoxx gelatin found in the jello section of the grocery store. I recently became aware of Great Lakes beef gelatin. Would it be worth while to order it or is the Knoxx brand good enough?
 
So I looked up gelatin and its benefits. Thought it would be worth a try so I ordered up some of the Great Lakes brand. I've used it twice a day. Mixed with chamomile at night and my tea in the mornings.

Here's the crazy part. I use the HRV app that AnnaC uses to track my recovery. Both mornings after taking the gelatin before bed I've received a perfect 10 on the app. I've been using this app for about 6 months and have scored a 10 once, maybe twice. Now I've gotten 10 2 nights in a row and Ive felt incredibly rested. They say the glycine can really help you sleep. So far I'm a believer.
 
Can someone go into some detail about this? Never heard of it, what exactly is it good for? Taste? Price? Experiences?
 
Wesker- have you tried the store bought Knox version? I'm tempted to order the great lakes version. Are you using the green or orange can?
 
The Great Lakes Gelatin is really expensive. If you take two teaspoons a day seems like a very costly supplement. I have been reading a lot about it, it seems worth using if I can find a reasonably priced gelatin.

I think I would add it to my shakes.
 
I've been taking gelatin for a few years. I make my own chicken foot broth and then fortify it with beef gelatin before it cools down and sets. If I go for any more than a few months without gelatin I basically can't walk. I have bone on bone surfaces in many of my joints and the gelatin (with vit C) builds a form collagenous gristle on the joint surfaces that allows me to function.

The chicken foot broth is rich glucosamine and chondroitin and it has a good amount of trace elements. Gelatin is also excellent for improving bone density and before pharmaceutical treatments were common it was the preferred treatment for almost every problem involving bleeding.

I was reluctant to post a link to anything from Ray Peat as he's regarded as a quack in some circles but his page about gelatin is possible one of the most informative resources about gelatin on the web. It's well referenced and light on Ray Peat's alternative model of physiology that pervades some of his other stuff. Well worth a look.
Gelatin, stress, longevity

The only issue I have with gelatin powders and supplements is that most of them are made from the skin of cattle or pigs. It's common in the livestock industry to de-worm animals through the use of pour on ivermectin that soaks into the animals dermal layer and kills parasites. It's a bang for your buck deal, a beast with a minimal parasite load will weigh more at slaughter, so it's cost effective to regularly pour ivermectin over them.

Normal toxicology tests on livestock involving ivermectin are done on the livers of slaughtered animals, but I suspect higher levels would be found in the hides, as that's where it's applied in many cases. I can't find any information anywhere as to whether ivermectin residues are detectable in the end product for any type of gelatin. Even grass fed livestock still gets ivermectin poured all over it.
 
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@HUNTER1313, I've never tried the Knoxx brand. I can't comment. The Great Lakes brand on Amazon is only 19 bucks and if you take twice a day it will last you a month. I got the orange can and I dissolve it in tea and its practically tasteless.

The app is Elite HRV.
 
Here's the crazy part. I use the HRV app that AnnaC uses to track my recovery. Both mornings after taking the gelatin before bed I've received a perfect 10 on the app. I've been using this app for about 6 months and have scored a 10 once, maybe twice. Now I've gotten 10 2 nights in a row and Ive felt incredibly rested. They say the glycine can really help you sleep. So far I'm a believer.

Haha... now I've got to give this Gelatin a try and see what it does to my HRV.
 
I use the Great Lakes Gelatin daily. It costs about $20 for a can, and one last me about a month. It is a great way to get through "under eating" phases because it is very filling.

It is beef collagen - great source of protein, good for connective tissues, too. 2tbsp has 11g of protein. The one in the green can mixes easily in any beverage. The orange is thicker and needs to be mixed with hot stuff, but even then I find it clumpy.

I am seriously dairy intolerant, so I mix this with a high quality pea and rice protein (mediclear plus from Thorne Research) for lunch almost every day. It gets me through the entire afternoon, and fuels my evening workouts very well. I dig it.
 
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I got the green and orange can and have tried it over the past week, mostly in the morning. It works well in smoothies. My HRV and HR numbers ARE actually a few points better, but I wasn't very scientific about it since I also quit drinking coffee at the same time one week ago (it's probably due to that). Anyway, seems to be a good addition. I will try tonight in chamomile tea as you described, @Wesker11, and see if it helps me get a good night's sleep.
 
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This is interesting, I didn't realize you could buy it like this. I had read about all this stuff in the past but thought you needed to make bone broth and stuff...which I do occasionally, but not often enough. And the sleep stuff is entirely new, I'll try anything for that.
 
Can't say if it helped me sleep, I actually had a harder time than usual falling asleep (45 min or so) but the night seemed pretty good, and my HRV score upon waking was a 10! Interesting...
 
Wow, how did you do it?

It was WAY easier than I thought it would be, despite drinking several cups of coffee every day for many years. Can't even remember the last time I missed a day. I am a creature of habit, and my habit stick like cement. My willpower isn't all that strong, but my HABIT-power is extremely strong. So obviously this works in my favor sometimes, and not in my favor at other times. (Probably why I struggle with diet -- some of the habits are good, and some are not. There are so many aspects to food.)

Anyway, I had listened to Ben Greenfield's "Beyond Training" audio book and he talks about caffeine quite a bit, so that kind of planted the seed in my mind to try. Shawn Stevenson also talks about it in "Sleep Smarter." Not that it's a bad thing entirely, but it has EFFECTS on your body -- just like any medication, some you want (the intended effects) and some you don't (the side effects). So I just wanted to see what "natural" state I was pushing my brain and body OUT of by jacking it up on caffeine every morning.

The first day was last Friday, and I was very sleepy at work. Many yawns all day. Had to kick myself in the a$$ a few times. Saturday and Sunday not too bad because I was able to sleep in. By Monday, no problem. Today I didn't even miss it. I have had a few cups of tea, black tea, green tea, and herbal tea, and maybe one soda, but several days have been completely caffeine-free. Lucky for me, I don't get headaches, so that part hasn't been a problem.

So all in all, not too bad! And I'm glad I did it -- I don't intend to be off it forever, but I wanted to break the dependence on it and reduce the amount I regularly consume. So, hope that helps, @MattM ! Which part do you struggle with the most?
 
@Anna C My problem is just the ritual of making/having coffee. Boiling water, grinding beans, staring at the French press for 5 mins, etc. I look forward to it every morning.

I have cut back, decaf only after my first big morning cup. My sleep improved dramatically and my anxiety reduced after I cut back. Sometimes I think maybe I don't need to stop entirely? I love it and coffee has many health benefits so I think moderation is ok.

The closest I have ever come was drinking lemon water first thing upon waking. That stuff gives me tons of energy! Now I just drink both.
 
That's good - sounds like you have found a good compromise. Yes, if there's one time of day we need a ritual, it's first thing in the morning! Maybe try a cup of decaf first, then regular coffee later? Seems I've heard it actually has more positive benefits later in the morning.
 
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