Watch it wiggle, see them jiggle…and squirm, and meltdown, and bounce off the walls. Yup. I’ve seen it. My kids love jello, at least they did the two times I made it for them. But both times I cringed as I poured hot water over that neon colored powder, the overly sweet smell wafting up through the steam. But who am I to deprive my kids of that fun, jiggling food product that makes them giggle? I don’t have to.
This weeks comparison is between JELL-O Brand Grape Jello and Out of the Box Food’s Fruit Juice Jello which is made from real fruit juice not artificial colors and flavors.
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THE COMPARISON: JELL-O brand Grape Jello vs. Out of the Box Fruit Juice Jello
(All ingredients followed by an * can be referenced at www.wikipedia.org by clicking on the ingredient)
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JELL-O Brand Grape Jello
Ingredients:
- sugar
- gelatin
- adipic acid* (for tartness)
Contains less than 2% of:
- artificial flavor*
- disodium phosphate* and sodium citrate* (control acidity)
- fumaric acid* (for tartness)
- tannic acid*
- red 40*
- blue 2* (see also RELEVANT READS for an excerpt from “A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives” by Ruth Winter on FD and C Blue No. 2)
**All listed product ingredients are taken from product’s package label. Though Out of the Box Food makes every effort to provide complete ingredient information, please check the package for the most current information.
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Out of the Box Food Fruit Juice Jello
Special Equipment: 8×8″ square baking dish
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp gelatin (gelatin is an animal product, not suitable for vegetarians)
- 2 C water
- 1 1/4 C unsweetened natural grape juice (or juice of choice, we also used blueberry)
- 1 tbsp granulated or raw cane sugar
Directions:
- Pour 2 cups cold water into medium bowl. Add gelatin. Stir briefly then set aside.
- In small saucepan, bring fruit juice just to simmer. Whisk in sugar until dissolved.
- Add hot juice to water mixture and stir.
- Pour liquid into 8×8″ square dish.
- Refrigerate until set (45min – 1 hour)
- Cut into squares or use favorite cookie cutter to cut into fun shapes.
*Note: Clear juices work best for appearance of the jello. If using an unfiltered juice, expect to see a cloudy (yet equally delicious) finished product.
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Listen, can any jello product be considered a health food? Not in my book. However, I believe in making smart choices. If faced with a choice between a jello product colored with something studies have linked to hyperactivity and cancer or a fresh fruit juice option…it’s an easy choice. Until next week…
