Joint Health – Coach Approved Jello Shooters

As endurance athletes, we put significant wear and tear on our joints through high impact and repetitive exercise.  New research is showing that our diet is one of our fundamental approaches to protecting our joints and preventing possible session ending damage.  

A University of California at Davis study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that animal-derived gelatin made with vitamin C could support the body’s natural ability to produce collagen, a protein that is critical to joint health and sports performance.

The UC Davis research team recommended combining 15 grams of gelatin with 50 mg of vitamin C one hour before a loading exercise workout that stimulates the ligaments and tendons followed by six hours rest before the next training sessions. For endurance athletes, this protocol is well paired with a muscular force or weight training session.

Recipe

Adapted from the UC Davis original recipe and makes ten servings:

Ingredients

• 150 grams of gelatin
• 4 cups other liquid (choice of juice/liquid for flavoring, or additional water and use a natural sweetener to taste)
• 500 mg Vitamin C – ½ capsule of Thorne’s NSF Certified for Sport® Ascorbic Acid or 10 scopes of Thorne’s Catalyte.

Directions

• Bring two cups of the liquid to a boil
• Mix the gelatin and vitamin C into two cups of room temperature water
• Add the boiling liquid to the gelatin/vitamin C mixture
• Pour into a flat tray or a silicone ice cube tray in ten equal parts
• Place in the refrigerator
• If using a flat tray, divide into eight equal pieces

In a hurry? Athletes can mix 15 grams of gelatin powder into a vitamin C-containing liquid and consume the liquid without waiting for it to set.