Benefits of Collagen Powder

By now I think you all have heard about collagen powder and how awesome it is for you. I personally love and use collagen powder almost daily and I wanted to share with you guys what the health benefits are and why I recommend you getting some!

First lets dive deep to what collagen actually is. Knowledge is power!

Collagen makes up 1/3 of our bodies protein. It is known to help produce healthy hair, skin, and nails as well as support bone, joint, and gut health. So needless to say, the collagen in our body is pretty important!

As we get older, our bodies produce less and less collagen, which is why our skin gets wrinkly, our bones get weaker, and our joints tend to hurt. This is why I recommend supplementing with collagen powder - because it can help aid our bodies natural production of collagen.

Your body can make 11 nonessential amino acids and 9 essential ones you need to obtain from your diet. Collagen contains 8 out of the 9 essential amino acids, but is primarily made up of 3 nonessential amino acids: proline, glycine, and hydroxyproline. When you consume collagen and other proteins, your body breaks them down into amino acids that are then used to build new proteins and compounds.

With all of this being said.. collagen is NOT a complete protein, so It can't completely replace your protein powder. or other protein sources. But I still highly recommend slowly adding it in your diet :)

Okay, now that we have a little science behind collagen and a base knowledge of what it is.. lets dive into some of the benefits!

Benefits

1. Skin elasticity

Studies have shown that supplementing with collagen peptides can slow down the aging of your skin by reducing dryness and wrinkles. It also can promote the production of other proteins that help structure your skin, including fibrillin and elastin.

2. Hair/nails

So, your hair and nails is mainly made up of keratin, which is a protein in your body. Keratin is made up from your bodies amino acids, and some can be found in collagen. Supplementing with collagen can help your hair and nails grow stronger and keep from thinning and breaking.

3. Joint/bone health

Since the amount of natural collagen in our bodies decrease as we age, our chance of developing osteoarthritis and other joint disorders increases. Supplementing with collagen peptides can improve and reduce symptoms of joint pain and also keep your cartilage and bones strong.

5. Promotes heart health

Collagen provides structure to your arteries (the blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body). Without enough collagen, arteries may become weak and fragile. Collagen may help prevent build up in your blood vessels, which will protect against heart attack or stroke.

6. Easy to digest

Hydrolyzed collagen is easier to digest than most protein powders that contain whey. Hydrolyzed means that the amino acids in the collagen have already been broken down, so it makes it easier for our bodies to digest. Collagen usually contains 10-15 grams of protein in one serving, so it makes a great protein powder replacement to add into your post-workout meals and you shouldn't feel bloated or yucky after consuming!

7. It's Flavorless

Most good quality collagen powders are flavorless which is great for consuming! You can't even taste it so it's easy to add in to almost any drink/food without you even noticing. It should also very easily blend into your warm drinks/recipes, so that's a great plus! However, you can purchase collagen powders with added ingredients to make your smoothies/drinks have a yummy flavor! You just need to look at the ingredients to make sure that they are good and there are no added artificial sugars or chemicals.

Ways to use collagen powder:

Smoothies

Adding a scoop of collagen powder into your smoothies is what I recommend the most. It gives your smoothie an added boost of protein and it will keep you full and your blood sugar more stable. You also shouldn't be able to taste it at all this way and you don't get a gross consistency to your smoothie like you can with protein powders.

Hot drinks

Another very popular way to use collagen powder is in coffees and other hot drinks! It mixes very well with warm drinks and it can add a nice flavor if you get a good quality flavored protein powder. I like to add a scoop in my healthy hot choc recipe.

Soups

Just like warm drinks, collagen powder also mixes very well in warm foods like soups. It's a great way to sneak it in to your family without them even noticing ;)

Oatmeal

Mixing in some collagen powder into your oatmeal as you're making it is also a great idea. You are getting some extra protein with your starchy meal and it will be very filling and satiating!

Baking

Baking with collagen is super easy as well. I like to throw in a scoop into my batter of whatever sweets I'm making and it makes me feel good that I have some protein in there so I'm getting some nutrients and goodness with my sugary desserts! Click here to see how I add collagen powder into my pancake recipe!

Collagen powder brands I recommend:

*when looking for a collagen powder, make sure it either says "collagen peptides" or "hydrolyzed collagen" (it's the same thing)

Ancient Nutrition

Sports Research

Vital Proteins

Orgain

Revive Naturals

Primal Kitchen

Further Food

Foods that contain collagen:

Bone broth

Making your own bone broth or just buying a good quality is a great source of collagen! Bone broth has a ton of amazing benefits and is super good for you (that's why soup is good for when you're sick!)

Chicken

Most collagen companies use chicken for their source of collagen and it's because chicken is filled with it!

Fish

Just like chicken and other animals, fish and shellfish have bones and ligaments that are filled with collagen.

Eggs

Specifically the whites, contain glycine and proline which are the amino acids that make up collagen.

Vitamin C

Eating foods rich in vitamin C assists the production in collagen in your body. Some foods are citrus fruits, strawberries, mango, cantaloupe, peppers, leafy greens, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Do you use collagen powder?! If so, what's your favorite way to have it? Let me know in the comments below :)