As part of the 8th Pillar of Health - Gut Health we've been looking into nutrient-rich foods that can help support and restore the health of our gut. Research has proven that most diseases can be traced back to an unhealthy gut, which is why maintaining a healthy gut is so important. 

A big part of keeping your gut flora happy and healthy comes down to what you feed it. Last week we shared a recipe for gut healing gummies. They were so popular we've made another one for you. 

Sweet, fluffy marshmallow is a memory most of us have from our childhoods. The problem is conventional marshmallows are loaded with sugar, wheat glucose syrup and a raft of other ingredients that are less than ideal.

However, traditional marshmallow recipes contain the gut healing superfood gelatin. So our childhood favourites don’t have to be off the menu altogether!

Gelatin is an amino acid that helps to seal leaky gut, feeds the good bacteria in your intestinal tract and can improve sleep, reduce inflammation, reduce sugar cravings and can help with joint pain.

Gelatin makes up almost one-third of all the protein in our bodies and not having enough affects our joints, our skin and our gastro system. Traditionally through eating all parts of the animal (organ meat, marrow and bones), cooking in animal fats and drinking bone broth or stock we got enough gelatin. However, because of modern lifestyles, our intake of gelatin-rich foods has drastically decreased.

While these tasty treats are great for gut health they should be enjoyed occasionally as a treat. Mindful eating is definitely a challenge so you can learn more about this in our 'What is mindful wellbeing?' blog post or 'What your crabings actually means what to eat instead.'

Gut Loving Marshmallow Recipe 

A post shared by Ben Warren (@bepurebenwarren) on Mar 17, 2017 at 11:57am PDT

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp gelatin (we use the Great Lakes gelatin brand, the orange container)
• 1-2 tbsp honey
• 1C boiling water
• 1 1/2 C cold water or natural fruit/vegetable juice for colour  (see below)
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2-3 tbsp freeze dried strawberry powder (optional, but highly recommended! We used Fresh-As brand)

Directions:

1. Put gelatin and honey in a small pan with boiling water over a low heat until dissolved.
2. Pour into a large mixing bowl, add cold water and vanilla.
3. Beat with electric whisk for 15 minutes. (put the bowl in the sink as it tends to splatter out the sides of the bowl as you beat).
4. When the marshmallow is extremely thick and beginning to be almost firm, pour into a 30 x 20cm dish. Beating it for longer than 15 minutes will make a ‘stiffer’ marshmallow.
5. Sprinkle the fruit powder over the top and gently stir through to create swirls if you want.
6. Rest at room temperature for at least four hours (overnight is best).

Variations

You can substitute the cold water for fresh unsweetened vegetable or fruit juice to change the colour of the marshmallow. Either use freshly squeezed juice or a brand that doesn’t use added sugar or isn’t made from concentrate.

You will need to reduce the amount of honey you use to prevent it being too sweet. We love to use beetroot and apple juice, the juice from blended and strained blueberries or unsweetened cranberry juice (don’t reduce the sweetener if using unsweetened cranberry juice!)

You can also layer the marshmallow with gelatin gummies. Simply prepare the gelatin gummies in a square container and let set in the fridge until hard. About 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, make your marshmallow then layer over the top of the set gummie layer.

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