This recipe is going to be part of my Treats that Heal Digestive Guide and Recipe book. You can get more info on my book here. It will be full of low sugar treats that support your healing and digestive health while still satisfying your soul.
This recipe brings together the fun of gummies and the medicinal powers of apple cider vinegar (ACV), gelatin and bone broth.
There are so many benefits of ACV (apple cider vinegar), one of which is improving digestion.
ACV increases stomach acidity, which helps your body create more pepsin, the enzyme that breaks down protein.
The functional root cause of indigestion, heartburn and reflux is thought to be low stomach acid (NOT high stomach acid!). In these cases ACV is a better, cheaper and more natural solution than proton pump inhibitors, which can leave your body vulnerable to bacterial overgrowths, parasites and fungal infections.
Stomach acid is an important line of defense against ingested pathogens and improves digestion so no food is left over to feed bacterial or fungal overgrowth. You can use these gummies to increase stomach acid by taking them before a meal.
Because the ACV in these gummies is diluted with broth, water or coconut water and honey, it’s easier to stomach than a straight vinegar shot and easier on tooth enamel.
And they’re pretty easy to make.
Many benefits of ACV
Apple cider vinegar helps detox and support the liver and is antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral. This makes it a good cold and flu prevention and support.
It aids in balancing blood sugar and weight. According to a couple of small studies, the acetic acid in vinegar may stave off blood sugar spikes that otherwise prompt your body to store fat.
There is some evidence that ACV also helps with cholesterol management. Lastly, ACV can have a beneficial antihistamine effect on allergies, wheezing and sneezing.
It is important to use raw ACV which still contains its active live culture, also called a “mother”, made up of a colony of beneficial bacteria.
These gummies also contain bone broth, which along with gelatin provide protein, amino acids and minerals. They also contain collagen which help seal intestinal lining.
The taste of broth in these gummies is mostly masked by the taste of vinegar, coconut water, honey and lemon/blueberry if you choose to use it. Blueberries add biome-feeding polyphenols to the mix.
These gummies will join the ranks of other gut healing treats in my book like the h. pylori-fighting matcha mug cake and my soon-to-be-famous parasite “ball busters”.
I didn’t think these ACV gummies would spark much interest. But I got many recipe requests when I posted the link on instagram . It inspired me to publish the recipe as a preview.
“Treats that Heal” won’t just be a typical cookbook, but rather, a guide to learning about and wisely using anti-inflammatory ingredients to support and heal your gut.
These gummies are more medicinal than treat, while other recipes provide comfort or satiate cravings for less healthy foods. You can indulge in my treats. without derailing your gut healing diet or protocol.
If gummies or broth are not your thing, my book will include a recipe for a refreshing apple cider vinegar tonic.
Ingredients
1 cup of bone broth
7 to 9 tablespoons of gelatin (like this grass fed brand)
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 cup of water or coconut water (could also use coconut milk) it will be sweeter with coconut water
1-2 Tablespoons of honey
Optional: take the edge of the apple cider vinegar taste you can add one cup of fresh or frozen blueberries blended with the juice of half a lemon. Add one 1 Tablespoon of gelatin if you are adding blueberries.
Optional: 1 teaspoon of powdered cinnamon, Tumeric, ginger.
How to
Blooming the gelatin.
Blooming the gelatin means soaking it in water for 5 to 10 minutes to soften it first. If you add powdered gelatin to boiling water it will clump and be hard to melt in. You can soak it in either the regular water or coconut water that’s part of the ingredient list. Add enough liquid to completely soak the gelatin.
Heat the Broth
After the gelatin has bloomed, heat the bone broth and add hot broth to the bloomed gelatin one tablespoon at a time to warm it up and gentle mix it in. Add the gelatin to the hot broth and lower the heat so the broth is not boiling. Mix in the gelatin until it dissolves.
If the gelatin still clumps, keep stirring until it dissolves. This may take a little time and patience.
Add in the honey and stir until it dissolves. If you are using water instead of coconut water in this recipe you can add another tablespoon of honey to mellow the flavor the vinegar.
Mix in the rest of the ingredients
Turn off the heat and mix in the water or coconut water, apple cider vinegar and blended blueberries with lemon juice if using. If you add blueberries add an extra tablespoon of gelatin.
How much gelatin you use also depends on how firm you want your gummies. 7 tablespoons will produce a firm jello while 9 will give it more of a gummy texture.
Transfer to your molds. You can use candy or gummy molds or for bigger gummies use silicon muffin molds. I used this one.
Let it cool on the counter if still piping hot then put in the fridge for 4 hours to set.
Enjoy before a meal to boost stomach acid or when you want to stave off sugar cravings. The protein, sourness and fat in the gummy will help tame that sugar dragon. And give you something much healthier to munch.
And who knows, with time you may even look forward to these medicinal gummies as a treat. And love them like I do.