Everyone is talking about collagen these days and I am sure some of you are wondering what’s it all about. Is it another health craze? Why do I need collagen in my diet? I am sure some of you are thinking, well I don’t know what this is and I will be fine without it. You don’t know what you don’t know, right?!
Have you ever wondered what’s keeping everything together, you and your body, what’s responsible for the elasticity in your skin, or what’s responsible for keeping your joints working with ease, keeping your joints and tendons healthy and functioning? Have you noticed that signs of aging or poor health often come in the form of weak thin hair, sagging and wrinkled skin, joint pain as a result of weaker or damaged and decreased cartilage? What is this all about? Your health is failing you and you don’t know why. The first thing you should do when you start to feel your health go off course is take a look at your diet. Examine your lifestyle. What changes do you need to make to get to the root cause of these symptoms. When it comes to aging, we all desire to age gracefully. Sometimes the best fix is what you do on a daily basis to ensure that you live your best life. The result of a good lifestyle will show in your appearance, how you feel; your overall well-being.
WHAT IS COLLAGEN?
Collagen, “the glue” that keeps your body together is the most abundant protein. Collagen a long-chain amino acid, is a protein in your body. Hydroxyproline, proline, glycine and arginine — amino acids, are what collagen is composed of. It’s found in your skin (elasticity), bones, muscles, tendons, cartillage, blood vessels and digestive system. There’s a reason why bone broth is good for you, it contains collagen! Therefore, you can’t forget about collagen because you need it. It’s one of the key components to your overall vitality. The secret to that long good life you seek or glowing from the inside out is naturally occurring within you but requires you to eat the whole foods needed to keep it abundantly flowing.
As you age collagen production begins to decrease. Therefore, a good diet plays an essential role in maintaining and increasing your collagen levels and production. Processed foods, bad habits (smokers!!) and high sugar intake (obviously this doesn’t include real fruit) were not part of the whole food diet your ancestor consumed. Long ago, nothing was left for waste, bones were stewed for broth, every part of the animal would be eaten. Since collagen is mostly found in tissue and bones our ancestors reaped the nutritional benefits of collagen through their diet.
If you want firm, smooth glowing skin, increase your collagen. Collagen can also improve weakened hair by supplying the collagen needed for renewal and regeneration. Remember in most cases hair health starts from within. Create a healthy scalp environment by increasing your collagen intake whether it’s with a supplement or food sources that contain a good amount of collagen.
Collagen also helps with stiff joint and muscle pain. For those looking to improve their gut health collagen is great for repairing and healing your stomach.
HOW TO ADD COLLAGEN TO YOUR DIET
If you have the time to make bone broth then give this a try. There are a lot of good videos online that show you how to make bone broth and how to store it. Take a look at Ancient Nutrition.
I try to make bone broth when I have time, if not I take a supplement
If you decide to take supplements, be sure to look for high-quality sources of collagen. Research the company and find out where they source their collagen.
What I Use
VITAL PROTEINS
I am currently taking Vital Proteins bovine collagen. Bovine sourced collagen has a high amount of proline and glycine (amino acids found in collagen). This is good for your skin, bones, and muscles. Due to its creatine production, bovine sourced collagen aids in strengthening muscles. It also helps your body produce more collagen.
There are marine sourced collagen products available as well.
I have been using Vital Proteins for a few months and so far I am loving it. So I thought, it was time for me to share with you! Obviously, there are other brands, this is the brand that I use.
- Sourced from grass-fed, pasture-raised bovine hides.
- Highly bio-available, digestible and soluble in cold or hot liquids
I add this to my coffee along with coconut oil. I have also added it to soups and smoothies.
For those looking for a marine collagen.
The source of this collagen is wild-caught snapper.
Here is another one you might like as well. It’s made with wild-caught snapper (marine collagen) & a mixture of greens.
Cover Image Courtesy via Vital Proteins – Blackberry Thyme Infused Cocktail
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