Finding desserts that are OK to eat on the autoimmune protocol can be challenging. Just before I started AIP, I was experimenting with chocolate puddings. First, using chia seeds, then, using gelatin and coconut milk. Chocolate is excluded on the AIP, so I immediately started working on a vanilla cinnamon version and it turned out amazing! Sooo rich and creamy, and feels so decadent, but it is made with just 5 healthy ingredients.
Part of my leaky gut healing protocol involves consuming gelatin every day. Gelatin is well-known as being recommended to soothe and heal the digestive tract, and is especially indicated while working to heal leaky gut.Homemade bone broth is the #1 recommended source of gelatin, but I have to admit that I do have trouble drinking broth every day. I know that a lot of people love to put plain broth in a mug and drink it like tea, but I just don't enjoy that. I wish I did. I've been trying to make simple soups with things like sliced onion, ginger, and cilantro, but have found myself getting bored with that.
So, I've tried to include gelatin in other ways, too. I have both the red (bovine) and green (collagen hydrolysate) canisters of Great Lakes grass-fed gelatin. The green can will dissolve in any liquid and is tasteless, so sometimes I just add it to water or my Repairvite drink. I've been using the red can in as many recipes as I can as an egg replacement. I've got two great recipes for plantain pancakes (one using plantains, and one using plantain flour) that use gelatin, I've used it as a binder in meatballs (recipe soon), and, of course, I've used it in dessert recipes like this one or my homemade raw citrus Jell-O.
Since I'm all gung ho about gelatin these days, I'm also currentlyreading The Gelatin Secret by Sylvie McCracken of The Hollywood Homestead. I was so excited when Sylvie sent me a review copy - the timing couldn't have been more perfect! This is a very comprehensive e-book (over 150 pages), which begins by explaining the history of use of gelatin in the human diet and how we have stopped consuming as much as we used to traditionally. Sylvie then goes on to explain the various ways that gelatin consumption (or lack of it) can affect our bodies, including our bones, joints, the brain, hair, skin, and nails, and even dental health. And, of course, a large chunk is devoted to digestion (including hunger and blood sugar regulation) and leaky gut.
If you want a TON more healthy dessert recipes using gelatin (the last 70+ pages are all recipes), The Gelatin Secret is the book for you. Just look at the cover! Those are not dyed with artificial food coloring like the boxed stuff -- that rainbow comes from fruit only! I can't say enough good things about this book or the recipes in it.I've got my eye on the strawberry lemonade gummies and the avocado cucumber smoothie - can't wait to make them! But don't worry -- there are also plenty of savory recipes, too, including in-depth tutorials for bone broths.
Anyway, enough about the book, let's get to my recipe. There's something so satisfying about pudding thickened with gelatin. It just feels so comforting! Takes me back to childhood with those pudding cups (I don't even want to read those ingredients now), but made with only a few simple, clean ingredients.
Links below are to products that I personally use and trust and think you will love, too! They areaffiliate links. I appreciate your support :-)
Coconut Milk
Unfortunately, you probably don't want to pick up just any old can of coconut milk from the store. If you look closely at the ingredients, you will find some questionable additives, preservatives, emulsifiers, thickeners, and sometimes even added water to dilute the product (some brands proudly proclaim that it's "reduced fat"). If you already have gut issues, these additives may cause you to experience digestive distress. Also, some companies use a lining that contains hormone disrupting BPA, which is more likely to leach out into a fatty food like coconut milk.
I know everyone is all abuzz about coconut sugar these days, but I'm still not sure what to think about it, as there is very little information available about it, and that which is available has been put out by those that have an interest to sell it (and thy sure do make it sound like a miracle sweetener!) I do own a bag, but I am waiting for there to be more independent information available about it before recommending it as better than panela or sucanat(which is also unrefined). I much prefer the taste of panela over coconut sugar, anyway!
