A little over a year ago, I started eating a packet of plain gelatin every day, hoping it would ease the pain of a shoulder condition. I read that gelatin is a form of collagen and is believed to be beneficial for joints. It turned out that the condition I had (frozen shoulder) did not benefit from the gelatin, but after eating it daily for a few weeks, I noticed that my frown lines were less pronounced.
He had been fighting these lines for years. They first appeared when she was in her early 30s. After sleeping on one side or the other of my face, a deep line would appear along the nasolabial fold. Moisturizing and exfoliating these lines would help in the short term, but over the years they became permanent.
One morning, after I had been taking the jelly faithfully for several weeks, I noticed that on one side, the line was barely detectable. On the other side, the one I sleep on most often, the line was considerably less pronounced. What was he doing differently? It was not a new moisturizer. It was not a change in my skincare routine. The only thing that came to mind was jelly.
At this time, the anti-aging benefits of gelatin were unknown to me, but I had read that gelatin was animal-derived collagen and that it helped muscles, joints, and tendons. Maybe it will help the skin too, I thought.
So, I started researching gelatin and its effect on the skin. An illuminating article written by Dr. Frank Shallenberger referenced a study conducted by researchers at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology in which they looked at the effects of eating gelatin on skin repeatedly exposed to ultraviolet light.
They used three separate groups of hairless mice. The first group was not exposed to ultraviolet light. The second group was exposed to light repeatedly each day, and the intensity increased over time. The third group received the same amount of UV light exposure as the second group. However, the third group was also given a serving of gelatin to eat each day. What they found was that the mice exposed to light without the gelatin had an average 53% decrease in the collagen content of their skin, compared to the mice that received no UV light exposure. Surprisingly, the mice that were exposed to light, but also fed gelatin, had no decrease in collagen. In fact, they had an average collagen increase of 17%.
The reason for this is that gelatin is made up of collagen. When the gelatin is ingested, it passes into the bloodstream and from there to the connective tissues, including the skin. Once it is introduced into the tissues, it stimulates the additional production of collagen, which results in a reduction of lines and wrinkles. I would describe it as the way plants grow and proliferate. When you plant a grass seed, it doesn’t just grow, it creates more grass, it spreads. I suspect that collagen proliferates in a similar way. We introduce it (plant the seed) and that, in turn, inspires the further creation of collagen. However it happens, having experienced it, I can assure you that it works.
Unflavored gelatin is sold in the baked goods section of your grocery store and comes in boxes of 4-packs or 30-packs. A box of 30 costs less than $10. You can also buy it in bulk online through Amazon.
Add it to natural yogurt or a drink. It does not add any flavor. To add it to yogurt, simply pour the contents of the packet into a yogurt cup and stir. You may notice the little grains, but it doesn’t really affect the texture too much. I prefer to add it to my coffee or green tea. When adding it to coffee, prepare the jelly first, pouring the contents of the packet into an empty cup. Then add a small amount of cold water, just enough to just cover the gelatin powder. Mix the water and gelatin until all the dry powder is wet. Then add the hot coffee and stir. You won’t notice the jelly if you drink the coffee while it’s hot. However, if you let it cool, it will turn to jelly!
If you plan to use it with sachet-made tea, I recommend preparing the gelatin first in a small cup, separate from the one you’ll be steeping the tea in. This is because the tea bag will absorb some of the gelatin. Therefore, first mix the gelatin in a separate cup, steep your tea, discard the tea bag, and then add the prepared gelatin to the brewed tea. The gelatin will melt in the hot liquid and you won’t notice it. If you add the dry gelatin to the hot liquid, it doesn’t dissolve as well.
Gelatin is also easily added to smoothies. Put it in the blender with the other ingredients and mix.
So far, I have not seen or heard of any negative effects of eating gelatin, except for the remote possibility of contracting mad cow disease, since it is made from animal products, including beef. While this is a possibility, it is unlikely, and I have not been able to find any cases where gelatin mad cow disease has been reported.
I have been taking it daily for over a year with great results. The deep lines on the sides of my mouth disappeared. They have even asked me if I have filled them externally. When a dermatologist fills in those lines with injections, he often adds collagen or something similar. When you eat or drink the collagen, you are filling them from within. Therefore, it is a low-cost alternative to collagen injections, which can cost hundreds of dollars.
If you try it yourself, I think you’ll be pleased with the results.
I wish you a lot of health and beauty!
