Is Jello Good For Weight Loss? What To Know In 2025

Jello may not be the first food that comes to mind when you think of healthy snacks, but it could help to satisfy your sweet tooth without ruining your diet. One of the main struggles people face when trying to lose weight is resisting the urge to snack between meals. This is because calorie restriction, essential for weight loss, typically leads to hunger and food cravings.

Food cravings are the intense desire to eat a particular type of food, and dieters often crave high-calorie foods^[1] like chocolate and other sugary snacks.

You need to restrict your daily sugar intake to lose weight, but the cravings for sweets may never go away. Jello may help to satisfy sugar cravings, but is jello good for weight loss? 

Is Jello Good For Weight Loss?

Jello is a classic American dessert made from powdered gelatin and available in various fruity flavors. It can be enjoyed by itself or with fruit and maybe a suitable snack for dieters. However, not all jello is equal regarding calorie content, and if you are trying to lose weight, you should opt for the sugar-free variety.

Regular jello contains more calories than the sugar-free version. A snack-sized container of classic jello contains 57 calories,^[2] while the same portion of sugar-free jello only contains 19 calories.^[3] Both types make for a low-calorie snack, but if you’re trying to achieve a calorie deficit, reducing sugar wherever you can is a good idea.

Aside from being low-calorie, jello also contains gelatin, a protein that may also aid weight loss. Protein is thought to be the most satiating macronutrient^[4] you can eat, meaning it helps keep you full for longer. Therefore high-protein snacks, like jello, may satisfy hunger pangs more effectively than sugary, high-carb foods.

Note, however, that jello is made up of collagen hydrolysate and is an incomplete protein. Complete proteins are needed for muscle mass synthesis and metabolic activities. While the amino acids in jello contribute to the protein pool, it is not a complete protein with all 9 essential amino acids.

Appetite Suppressant Properties Of Jello

Gelatin contains amino acids that may suppress appetite and curb your calorie intake. Studies have^[5] shown that proline, which is found in milk, plays a role in increasing satiety and decreasing hunger. As proline is also present in gelatin, eating jello may help to keep you full and satisfied between meals.

Arginine – another amino acid found in gelatin – has also been found to have possible benefits for weight loss. One study found that rats fed with arginine^[6] ate less than others, suggesting that this amino acid affects appetite suppression. Therefore, eating gelatin and other arginine-containing foods may help ease hunger pangs among dieters.

The Nutritional Value Of Jello

A snack-sized container of sugar-free jello contains^[3] 19 calories, 0.79 grams of protein, and 4 grams of carbohydrate. It also contains some essential micronutrients, including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium.

The protein found in jello is gelatin, which contains^[7] a variety of non-essential amino acids and one essential amino acid. Essential amino acids are crucial for your health but cannot be synthesized in your body; they must come from your diet. The essential amino acid in gelatin is arginine, which is key for regulating blood pressure^[8] and immune function.

The most abundant amino acid in gelatin is glycine. Glycine has anti-inflammatory properties^[9] and a wide range of health benefits for the lungs, brain, stomach, and intestines. It also plays a key role in immune function and may help to prevent or manage diabetes.

How To Enjoy Jello For Weight Loss

Amino acids are a fundamental part of a healthy diet, and eating jello can boost your daily intake of these essential nutrients. However, jello does not contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals and also lacks fiber.

Eating jello with fresh fruits or fruit juice can improve the nutritional content of your snack. Low-GI fruits like strawberries, blueberries, or apples won’t spike your blood sugar^[10] or contribute significantly to your calorie intake. However, they are rich in essential micronutrients and have more health benefits than plain jello.

Pairing jello with fresh fruit can help boost your daily fiber intake and provide different flavors to your weight loss plan. Eating more fiber can also help to reduce appetite, so adding fruit to your jello can make your snack more satisfying.

Another popular way to enjoy jello is with a side of Greek yogurt. Plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt is a rich source of protein and calcium^[11] and has a rich, tangy flavor that pairs well with sweet foods like jello. If you are dieting, choose unsweetened, low-fat yogurt to keep your snack low-calorie and sugar-free.

More Ways To Include Gelatin In Your Diet

Jello’s main ingredient has many potential health benefits, but it is not considered a healthy food. Even the sugar-free versions contain artificial sweeteners, colors, and flavors and, despite their gelatin content, have a weak nutritional profile.

Gelatin is a form of collagen hydrolysate, which is key for musculoskeletal health.^[12] Therefore, eating gelatin benefits connective tissues and muscle, bone, and joint health. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to get more gelatin in your diet without eating jello. 

Bone broth is a clear liquid produced by simmering meaty joints and bones in water. It has a high protein and nutritional content and is commonly used as a base for soups and stews. Bone broth is a rich source of gelatin and has anti-inflammatory properties^[13] thought to benefit immune function and protect against infection.

Gelatin can also be added to protein shakes for weight loss. Gelatin sheets can be bought from most major supermarkets and health food stores and added to a wide range of food and drinks. If you want to add gelatin to your protein shake, simply dissolve the sheets in warm water before stirring it into your shake.

How Long Does It Take To Lose Weight?

When starting a new diet, many people are impatient to know how long it will take to lose weight. However, weight loss is a highly individual process affected by a wide variety of factors such as age, genetics, exercise habits, and health conditions.

The first step towards efficient dieting is to develop a clean eating plan for weight loss. A healthy, balanced diet typically includes fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and lean protein. You should try to avoid processed foods or those high in fat and added sugars.

Some people find that weight loss supplements can speed up the weight loss process by boosting their metabolism or helping to suppress appetite.

Conclusion

The key to successful dieting is to eat fewer calories than you burn. This is usually achieved by eating smaller portions and cutting down on snacks while increasing calorie expenditure through exercise. Unfortunately, reducing your food intake often leads to hunger pangs and, for many people, intense food cravings.

Jello is a fat-free, low-calorie gelatin dessert, but is jello good for losing weight? Many people find that snacking on jello helps suppress their appetite and curb their cravings for sugary foods. Replacing more caloric snacks with jello can help to reduce your overall calorie intake and, therefore, aid weight loss.