Skip to main content

An Alternative To Gelatin For Vegetarians

Author: Jesus Smay

Gelatin serves both nutritional and culinary roles in nonvegetarian diets; however, a lot of vegetarians and all vegans do not consume gelatin in its many forms because it is often created out of boiled pig skins and dissolved veal cartilage and bones.

This leaves vegetarians with a gap in cooking functionality when a recipe calls for a gel or thickening agent. It also leaves vegetarians with fewer options if they need a source of gelatin to increase bone and cartilage health.

If you are a vegetarian and you are looking for something to replace gelatin, do not despair. Here are some alternative options for you:

  1. Use a rice starch alternative. A&B Ingredients recently developed a rice starch alternative to gelatins that mimics the cooking functionality of gelatins closely.
  2. Use a soy-based alternative. Soyfoods USA developed NuSoy Gel, a gelatin alternative which was created entirely out of of soy isoflavones and contains 100% of your vitamin c recommended daily allowance.
  3. Use seaweed-based alternatives. Agar-agar, for instance, is a seaweed based alternative to gelatin that can simulate the culinary functions of gelatin.
  4. Increase your calcium intake. One component of gelatin supplements that allegedly increases joint health is calcium. If you want to increase your calcium intake without eating gelatin, you can simply consume more calcium-fortified foods and even take supplements.
  5. Increase your vitamin c intake. Another component of gelatin supplements that allegedly increases joint health is vitamin c. You can increase your vitamin c intake by consuming more citrus fruit.
  6. Increase your glucosamine intake. No foods contain glucosamine, but you can increase your intake by purchasing supplements at your local grocery store or pharmacy. This is rumored to improve joint health if taken regularly.

To reiterate - gelatin has two major functions: it works as a thickening agent for foods and is rumored to improve joint health; both of these functions can easily be mimicked by structural and nutritional alternatives.


Learn about tomato facts and apple facts at the Fruits And Vegetables site.
Article Source: Article Alley

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 13, 2011 at 5:50 AM

    Don’t preheat your oven. Have you ever been pressed for time and just shoved that tray of chocolate chip cookies in an oven that hasn’t been preheated? What happened? Presumably you may have had to add one or two minutes to the cook time but it certainly didn’t add ten minutes or more to the cook time. With many ovens it takes 10-15 minutes to warm up to 350 degrees, and that’s wasted energy. Don’t waste your time and energy preheating, get those cookies in the oven and enjoy!

    Healthy cooking tips

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mav2020April 14, 2011 at 8:51 AM

    @Dan.Eliot yeah thanks for the tip :) i'll make sure not to preheat it overtime

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Vegetarian Recipes for Breakfast Author: Danielle Tucker Starting the day off right is essential no matter what kind of food you like to eat.  While many people think of only cereal with milk or bacon and eggs as breakfast foods, those who don't eat animal proteins find those ideas unappealing.  Does that mean you are relegated to salads for breakfast if you are a vegetarian ?  Absolutely not!  Recipes for great breakfasts, whether you eat eggs or not, are easy to make and tasty too. Breakfast Burrito The easiest of recipes, this one can be adapted easily to a vegan palate as well.  Fry up some garlic and onions in a saucepan.  Add some chopped extra firm tofu, chopped tomatoes and peppers, or any other veggie you like.  Fry until the veggies are tender.  Salt and pepper to taste and then splash on some Tabasco sauce if you like it hot.  Wrap the filling in sprouted grain tortillas and top with soy or regular cheese and sour cream.  You can make several of these at one time a...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Make Vegan Fondue

How to Make Vegan Fondue Being vegan doesn't mean being fondue-free. This delicious substitute fondue recipe will keep you in good spirits at the next fondue party; bring your own or send the host the link for this recipe if they ask! Ingredients 2 cup non-alcoholic white wine 1 cup water 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes 1/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats 1/4 cup tahini 4 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons onion granules 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper pinch of freshly grated nutmeg , or ground nutmeg accompanying vegan-friendly food Steps Put all of the ingredients into a blender. Blend for a few minutes. Ensure that the oats are ground until fine. You are aiming for a smooth consistency. Pour this mixture into a heavy-based saucepan. Bring to the boil whilst stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer for a few minutes. Continue to stir. Keep cooking until...
Post a Comment
Read more