Zint Beef Gelatin Powder

A couple months ago, I started taking gelatin daily for back and hip pain, and I’ve noticed enough improvement that I’ve decided to continue taking it. It's not a cure, but it helps me put in a full day’s work in front of the computer. I'm also getting a full night’s sleep instead of waking up in pain, despite being an incurable stomach sleeper. I started with what was available at the grocery (Knox). Since it worked for me, I decided to start taking gelatin as a part of my daily routine. That makes it more important to know what I’m ingesting. Zint claims to be made from pasture-fed cattle, so I do feel better about taking it every day. It dissolves completely in hot liquids using the method below, and it has very little taste or odor that I can discern. There’s the slightest tinge of something if you really *try* to taste it, but I find it very faint and quite tolerable. Here’s how I dissolve it: Put a teaspoon of the powder in a custard cup, small bowl or coffee cup. Add just enough room temperature water to stir easily. LET IT SIT (this is important) for a minute or two to form a thick slurry or gel, depending how much water you added. (It can do this while your coffee or tea is brewing.) Spoon the slurry or gel into your hot beverage (or pour the beverage on top of it) and STIR until it’s completely dissolved. It will melt gradually, like an ice cube, as you stir. I do add sweetener to my coffee and tea, so if there is any faint flavor, it's not noticeable. Sometimes I gel up a larger batch of it, store it in the fridge, and spoon out a chunk at a time for my hot beverages. Bonus: it cools the beverage to drinking temperature as it dissolves. I think there is a very slight change in the texture of hot drinks with added gelatin and I actually like it, especially in tea. It adds a bit of body that I find more enjoyable than plain tea--similar to what a little bit of cream does for coffee. I like tea more now than I did before I started adding the gelatin. If you suspect you have super sensitive taste buds, I suggest you do as I did and try a small package of the store-bought kind first before buying the Zint brand. The only thing I don’t like about the Zint gelatin is that it comes in one of those fiddly zip-close bags. If you don’t “zip” it just right, the bag doesn’t close fully. I wish they sold it in a jar or canister, but I guess I can keep my eye out for a suitable container and transfer the product to it. That’s a matter of personal preference, though—some people might prefer the bag. If you’re looking for something to dissolve in cold beverages, Zint also sells collagen hydrolysate, which should have the same benefits for your skin and joints as regular gelatin. Zint was out of stock when I ordered, so I got the Great Lakes brand. I’m taking two tablespoons of that daily now (the recommended serving size is larger), in addition to my one teaspoon a day of the Zint gelatin, for the convenience of being able to just stir and drink. Collagen hydrolysate is considerably more expensive, so if cost is a factor, stick with the plain gelatin.