According to the American Food and Drink Days website, this week is Jell-O week. I may have to pull out the Jell-O products I have in my cupboard and whip something fun. Jell-O is a great snack or dessert to eat on a diet. The gelatin is low in calories and fat free. You can also purchase sugar free, if you are interested. Pudding can be made with skim milk to cut out calories and fat. It just may be able to satisfy the sweet tooth of a craving dieter.
Fun Facts:
*In 1964, the slogan “There’s always room for Jell-O” was introduced, promoting the product as a “light dessert”.
*In 1974, comedian Bill Cosby became the company’s pudding spokesperson, and continued in that position for almost thirty years.
*In 2001, Utah declared the state snack as green Jell-O.
*There are 300 million boxes of Jell-O sold each year!
*You cannot use fresh pineapple, papaya, kiwi, and ginger root in a Jell-O mold because they contain enzymes that prevent the gelatin from “setting.”
*Some fun flavors currently on the market are: cranberry, cheesecake, pumpkin spice, candy cane, Boston cream pie and tropical fusion.
*Some unusual flavors that have been discontinue: celery, turnip, Italian salad, mixed vegetable, bubble gum, plain, chocolate (gelatin), coffee, cola, and Admiral Nelson.
Jell-O has been around since the 1800s. Cough syrup manufacturer, Pearle B. Wait purchased the patent for powered gelatin in 1885. He and his wife gave it the name Jell-O and developed flavors such as strawberry, orange, raspberry and lemon. They saw no real success in the company and sold it to their neighbor for under $500. It still had a slow start but eventually once an artificial sweetener was added in the 1900s, the famous dessert too off.
Jell-O is a fun product and one loved by dieters everywhere. This week we will explore a few fun ways to eat Jell-O and stay within our calorie boundaries.