10 health benefits of gelatin

1. Muscle growth: According to the Gelatin Manufacturers Institute of America, gelatin contains lysine, an amino acid that is important for muscle growth. It would seem, then, that eating gelatin would help growing muscles, especially for athletes and those who want a more muscular build.
2. Metabolism: Gelatin contains another amino acid, arginine, which is supposed to help the body's metabolism. A stronger metabolism means more calories are getting burned, so it's not impossible eating some gelatin could help you lose weight. However, a word of warning: One study has found that an arginine supplement could be deadly to those who have suffered a heart attack; so if you've had a heart attack, foods containing arginine are probably not right for you. Check with your doctor or cardiologist.
3. Losing weight: Gelatin does not contain fat and usually has no sugar or cholesterol in it. Which means gelatin is a pretty good food for those of us watching our waistlines. Jell-O even makes sugar free and low calories desserts, if you are interested.
4. Joint conditions: Suffering from stiff or sore joints? Gelatin might be able to help, especially before the condition worsens. Gelatin contains lots of amino acids important in helping to prevent the weakness and degeneration of cartilage in joints. Gelatin likely won't help to heal a joint condition, but it possibly could prevent the situation from growing worse.
5. Finger nails: Remember all those amino acids in gelatin? They also help to strengthen finger nails and over a period of time can help to heal up cracked or roughened finger nails. Also, gelatin has a lot of protein, which is good for nails. If you suffer from weak nails, especially ones that break easily, you might want to try some gelatin in your diet.
6. Hair: Gelatin is also known to help hair grow stronger, faster and longer. Gelatin also helps to keep hair healthy and shiny. What is it about gelatin that promotes all this great hair? It's the high amounts of protein. Just in case you need to know for dietic or religious purposes, most gelatins sold in stores are made from animal; however, gelatins can be made from some plants, most notably seaweed, so check those ingredient labels on the boxes of gelatin you might consider purchasing.
7. Protein boost: Gelatin itself has a lot of protein, but unfortunately nearly all that protein is protein the body can already make for itself. Thus a diet in gelatin alone is not healthy. That being said, studies have shown that the protein in gelatin does help give a boost to proteins in other foods. In other words, just as an example, if you eat a steak full of protein then add a little gelatin to your meal, the protein in the gelatin helps the protein in the steak to be more nutritional for your body. So, if you need protein, you know what to do. Add a little gelatin to your diet.
8. Drink purifier: According to the Gelatin Manufacturers Association of Asia Pacific, gelatins are often used in the making of alcoholic beverages, such as wine and beer, and even in some juices and ciders. The reason for this is that gelatin acts to congeal impurities, allowing for easier separation of the impurities from the drink itself. If you happen to be a home brewer or juicer, I suggest contacting the folks at Knox gelatin for any recipe advice.
9. Skin health: Gelatins are used in plenty of cosmetics. Why? For two reasons. First, the gelatin acts as a thickening agent, thus helping makeup and other cosmetics to remain to the skin longer and more easily. Second, we're back to the proteins again. All that protein in gelatins is good for keeping up a good looking skin tone.
10. Digestion: Gelatin can also help with digestion, especially with foods that can be rough on the digestive system, such as meats and dairy and nuts and even some beans. The gelatin helps these foods to ease through the stomach and intestines.