These gelatin treats are a beautiful and nourishing addition to a gut-healing diet. To make them, we make a strong ginger tea, and then add gelatin and optional sweetener. The sweetness these sweeteners provide can encourage children to consume needed liquids, and gummies made with these can be useful as rewards and incentives to finish soup :)
Be sure to read the notes below about gelatin and stevia/monkfruit as they are not specifically called out as ‘okay’ on the GAPS Introduction diet. That said, many of us have found them not only okay but also beneficial to healing the gut.
These GAPS Intro gummies can be made using peppermint tea or any other tea as well!
GAPS Intro Diet
The GAPS Intro diet is a very powerful, yet restrictive and strict protocol designed by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride to heal the gut. We did GAPS Intro on our quest for autism recovery, and ended up healing dairy allergies and eczema in the process!
The GAPS Diet is a strict elimination diet, starting with only very easy to digest low-allergen foods, and then slowly but persistently adding in more varieties of food as the digestive tract heals and the GAPS patient can tolerate them. Read everything you need to know about the GAPS Diet here.
The GAPS Intro goes in ‘stages’ and my best-selling e-book What Can I Eat Now? 30 Days On the GAPS Intro Diet walks you through the stages day-by-day. I used this protocol for my own family with amazing success, though it was a struggle to understand at first. That’s why I put together this printable ebook- to help you save time, energy, and confusion.
In stage 3 on day 15 we introduce these beautiful and delicious gummies, which are such a treat after 14 days of soup, boiled meat, and boiled vegetables!
Gelatin on GAPS Intro
Gelatin is not specifically referenced in the GAPS book, but it is fairly easy to find healthy gelatin made from pure grassfed beef. Perfect Supplements, Vital Proteins, and Great Lakes all are quality brands that I recommend.
Of note, gelatin will set up and make liquids firm, but the similar-looking collagen powder will not. Collagen can also be used if gelatin is tolerated to boost protein by adding spoonfuls to tea or other liquids.
Stevia or Monk Fruit on GAPS Intro
Stevia or monk fruit are no-carb sweeteners that are not specifically indicated on the GAPS intro diet, but many of us have found that we can include both and/or either in our diet.
Stevia comes in both liquid and powder form. For GAPS Intro I recommend finding the powdered no-additive form of this very sweet herb. Monkfruit is commonly combined with erythritol, which should be avoided, but you can find pure powdered monkfruit.
Check ingredients carefully before purchasing. Both are about 200 times (!) sweeter than sugar so very little is used.
In their unrefined forms, both stevia and monkfruit are dusty green in color.
Low-Carb GAPS
Monkfruit and stevia are both used in place of honey for sweet treats while still being low carb. Honey is allowed on GAPS Intro, but will keep you (and/or your child) out of ketosis, so for that reason I omit honey from the first stages of GAPS. In my GAPS Intro ebook so that you get both the gut-healing benefits of GAPS and brain-boosting benefits of ketones.
I am a huge advocate for at least trying out being in ketosis to see how you feel – we talk more about the ketogenic version of the GAPS Diet here.
Ingredients
- 2 inches ginger root peeled and sliced
- into thin coins
- 4 cups filtered water
- 3 tablespoons powdered unflavored gelatin
- Optional: Pure stevia or monk fruit to taste, start with 1/16th teaspoon and adjust as needed *see note above about stevia and monk fruit on GAPS*
Instructions
To easily peel ginger, use a spoon to rub off the skin.
- Simmer ginger root ‘coins’ in water for 15 minutes to make a strong tea. Cool tea to room temperature, right in the sauce pan. You should have about 3 cups of tea, accounting for evaporation.
- Use a whisk or fork to mix gelatin into cooled tea. At this point if you’d like to, you can add the stevia or monkfruit as well (see note below).
- Allow tea to absorb gelatin for at least 5 minutes, then stir again. Heat gently over medium-low heat until all gelatin melts. Pour melted gelatin/tea mixture into silicone molds, or a dish that you can keep in the fridge. Allow to come to room temperature, and then transfer to the fridge to solidify for at least 4 hours. Store in a covered container in the fridge.
- Enjoy these gut-nourishing antiinflamatory treats as desired!