Low Sugar Lemon Gelatin (That is Actually Nourishing)

Something that has been bothering me for quite sometime now is the food served in most hospitals.  As a dietitian, that used to work at a hospital, I never really thought much of it until I started supporting the real food movement.  I have had many moments that I would think long and hard about the type of dietitian job I wanted to have.  The first thing on my list was that I needed to be able to promote the type of nutrition that I believed in.  I wouldn’t be entirely happy working at a job were I had to promote nutrition that wasn’t promoting true health.  I am all for splurging and even I am not super strict with my diet 100% of the time.

I am sure we could have a long conversation about the disadvantages of the food served in our healthcare systems.  Some may be open to better options and others not so much but education has to be a part of the conversation as well.  I hope that in my lifetime that these menus get cleaned up to the point of preventing and treating disease.  If it were me or someone I loved I would want them to be using the most powerful medicine there is available…food!

One food that stands out to me the most when I did work at a hospital was how much gelatin we served everyday.  Gelatin was served to just about everybody at some point during their hospital stay.  Diabetics could eat as much gelatin as they wanted since it is considered a “free food.”

Even if people are sick at home oftentimes your mother would make you some gelatin.

Sugar free gelatin is even passed off as a diet food.

Gelatin if done correctly can have some health benefits.  The problem with most gelatin is the artificial flavors, artificial colors, and gelatin made from conventionally raised animals.  You may be eating a bowl of gelatin that may be doing more harm then good.  And you may be eating it in a time of your life that you should be getting high quality nutrition and could really benefit from helpful nutrients.

I wanted to create a recipe that could prove it is possible to serve gelatin in a better way.  We can use higher quality ingredients to create something healthful that is served everyday to so many people.  I have already created a raspberry applesauce gelatin recipe, with my mom’s inspiration, made with 100% fruit juice.  Today I wanted to share with you a low sugar version.

My version also contains electrolytes, vitamin C, and easily digested carbohydrates.  If someone you know is sick or has an upset stomach this low sugar lemon gelatin will actually provide nutrients without the artificial flavors and colors.

Reader Feedback:  What are some of the hospital foods that you would change if you could?