Jelly Crystals

Food · Other · Food, Typed Supps

Sugar and gelatine in a sachet. Once made up with water, a serving is mostly water.

Stage by stage

Preparation and intake (Melts at body temperature): The gelatine network melts just below body heat, so jelly liquefies in the mouth without chewing.
Stomach (Nothing to slow it): No fat, fibre or complete protein, so gastric emptying is rapid.
Small intestine (Fast sugar absorption): Sucrose absorbs about as quickly as any food allows, which is why it suits clear-fluid diets.
Circulation (Immediate energy): Glucose arrives quickly and is used or stored; there is no micronutrient contribution alongside it.

Time to effect

Under an hour: Blood glucose rises within roughly 15 to 30 minutes, faster than most solid foods.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.

Satiety

101 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — moderate. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.

Cost band

Mid — roughly £4 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Added sugar
Gelatine

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 378
Protein: 7.1g
Carbohydrate: 90.7g
of which sugars: 90.7g
Fat: 0g
of which saturated: 0g
Fibre: 0g
Sodium: 520mg

Food vs. supplement

Collagen and gelatine supplements are the same material as the setting agent in jelly. Neither the supplement nor the dessert supplies a complete protein, and the evidence that eating collagen preferentially rebuilds your own collagen remains weak — it is digested into ordinary amino acids like any other protein.

Kitchen tip

Fresh pineapple, kiwi fruit, pawpaw, figs and fresh ginger all contain proteases that digest gelatine, so jelly made with them never sets. The tinned versions of the same fruits are fine — canning heat destroys the enzymes — and briefly boiling the fresh fruit does the same job.

Common myth

"Jelly is a decent low-fat protein snack." In reality: The protein is gelatine, which contains no tryptophan at all and cannot support tissue building on its own. Low-fat it certainly is — because it is essentially sugar, water and a structural protein.