A new member of the local buying club I coordinate recently sent me these pictures of the poultry aisle in a Walmart Super Center in Rosarito Beach, Mexico. Her daughter is shown smiling in wonderment in the second photo at a picture of chicken feet that are included in a package of chicken pieces!
This Walmart also offered fresh fish right from the Pacific courtesy of local fisherman and a bakery and produce section to rival any farmers’ market!
Ah, if only the Walmarts in the USA offered such an incredible selection of local foods!
Unfortunately, most Americans regard chicken feet as something to be discarded (USA sources are shipped to China or ground into parts for animal feed). This is such a shame as this very nutritious part of the chicken is loaded with natural gelatin!
Gelatin is colloidal in nature which means that it attracts digestive juices unlike other cooked foods which repel digestive juices.
Raw foods are also colloidal in nature which explains why raw foods, for the most part, are so much easier to digest than their cooked counterparts.
Gelatin protects the digestive system from any invasion of pathogens. It prevents these pathogens from attaching themselves to the gut wall.
In other words, eating foods with natural gelatin will frequently protect you from food poisoning as well as intestinal bugs that may be going around.
Soups and sauces made with homemade bone broths that include gelatinous parts like chicken feet are part of a nutrient-dense diet that will go a very long way toward protecting your digestion from any unwelcome invaders!
Gelatin is also a very important part of recovery from foodborne illness. If you or someone you love is having trouble keeping food down or having an issue with diarrhea, homemade broth loaded with gelatin can stop these symptoms in their tracks!   Hint:  sipping a few ounces every half hour or so works much better than a full cup once or twice a day.
One final plus about gelatin: Â it is a protein sparer which means that eating it allows you to eat much less meat in your diet and still be healthy! This is very helpful in keeping food costs at a reasonable level as quality meat is typically the most expensive line item in the food budget.
So, if you buy your poultry locally and I certainly hope that you do, make sure to ask your farmer for the feet!
Check out my recipe for chicken feet soup if you would like to try incorporating this nutritious part of the bird into your family’s diet.
I live near Sacramento, CA. I do not usually buy meat at Walmart, but was browsing through that section a few months ago and found packages of “Chicken Paws” in the fresh meat section! They were inexpensive, but I don’t remember the price. It might be worth a look!
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for this. I’ve recently been learning about benefits of natural gelatin and been learning to make my own broth for the family. Are there different types of gelatin which are more or less safe? The best quality I can find in the UK is organic pork gelatin found here (I believe organic standards in UK mean animals are out doors most of the time): I wonder if this is related in some way to msg? Look forward to hearing your thoughts.
There are small amounts of msg in powdered gelatin. There is even some naturally formed msg in homemade broth and fermented foods. It is not the same health robbing msg as added to processed foods however. From what I understand, the processed foods type of msg is not an exact chemical replica of naturally occurring msg and is the mirror image of it much like synthetic vitamins are the mirror image of natural vitamins.
Ok thanks, that is reassuring. The gelatin I use if leaf gelatine but probably no difference to powdered gelatin?
What Kathryne is talking about, I think, is primarily raw vegetables which are more digestible when cooked in butter. Dr. Price wrote about this in his letter to his nieces and nephews before he died. Salads are ok if you have strong digestion as is raw veggie juice (which is highly colloidal) but vegetables are easier to digest when cooked in butter. This is what I meant "by the most part".
Very ripe raw fruit is fine too but be very careful not to overdo.
Ok, now I'm confused. You state: "Raw foods are also colloidal in nature which explains why raw foods for the most part are so much easier to digest than their cooked counterparts." That has also been touted by Dr. Mercola. However in reading the article in this quarter's issue of Wise Traditions on Acid Reflux by Kathryne Pirtle, she states that raw foods are not easily digested and can cause issues particularly if you have a leaky gut. I have been eating salads and fruit daily for quite a number of years. I don't believe I have any digestion issues, other than occasional flatulence. So what is one to believe when there are so many contradictions? It's very disheartening to find out what you have thought to be good for you is suddenly not.
Joan
I haven't tried chicken feet yet, but I REALLY want to. I make stock with whole chickens from a local farmer most of the time.
At re: Walmart, I've found a few surprisingly nice things there recently. Not THAT good, but not bad!! Yogurt where the only ingredient is "cultured milk." (No fillers or junk!) Sour cream where the only ingredient is "cultured cream." Whole milk buttermilk! And they are CHEAP! I know they're not local but I can't buy those things locally anyway, so I go there to buy them. Part of my compromise in feeding my family well yet not breaking the bank. 🙂
My husband is actually a big supporter of Walmart (bigger supporter of local farms) because he says they will cater to what the clients want. If they demand local and organic, Walmart will do it! Just have to make our movement better known first. 🙂
I use chicken feet in my chicken stock all the time! I love it. I don't know if it makes a difference but I use about thirty chicken feet and maybe two whole chickens for a little over a gallon of stock. It jells at room temperature.
And tastes great!!!;-)
Yes, powdered gelatin, while not anti-pathogenic like natural gelatin, does appear to assist digestion.
Would adding unflavored gelatin (like used in making panacotta) to smoothies, for instance, give any of these health benefits? I've heard of people being told by naturopathic drs. to sprinkle it on their food. Just wondering…