When I first heard people were consuming collagen, I thought “weird hippy food eater.  Totally not me.  I like normal, or at least relatively normal food.  Collagen… Isn’t that in our skin, our bones? Why would I eat that.  No, thanks.  Sounds weird.  Not my thing…”  Yes, I can be totally stubborn to trying new things, especially when it’s not a staple in the traditional American diet.

But upon learning more, and actually giving it a try I’m a huge advocate. It is the most abundant protein in our bodies. It’s found in our muscles, bones, skin and tendons. It’s the “glue” that helps hold the body together. It gives our skin strength and elasticity, and helps replace dead skin cells.

Our body’s collagen production naturally begins to slow down as we age. You can thank this process for wrinkles, sagging skin and weaker cartilage in your joints. But… It doesn’t have to be that way!!

Collagen Protein Powder

Collagen is an amino acid that is the connective tissue for the heart, lungs, muscles, joints, blood cells, and arteries. Just to name a few… Yeah, it’s kinda a big deal!! It is the most abundant protein in our body and is made up of the amino acids glycine, proline, hyrdoxyproline and alanine and makes up all of our connective tissue including our vital organs.

As we age our body’s collagen production slows but there is something we can do about it! Whoop, whoop!! Supplementing with collagen protein powder is the best way to counteract the loss that naturally occurs as we age and has many amazing benefits.

Benefits of Collagen Protein Powder

Skin, Hair & Nail Health  Our skin consists 70% of the collagen protein, hence an important part of our overall skin health.  It is healthy collagen production and retention that ensures the cohesion, elasticity and regeneration of skin. Typically in our thirties collagen creation dramatically decreases.

When skin loses its elasticity as a result of decreased collagen, there’s another side effect: more visible cellulite! Because your skin is now thinner, cellulite becomes more evident — no more hiding what’s happening below the surface. Improving your skin’s elasticity through collagen will help reduce that dimpling on your skin.

Collagen is known to create younger looking skin, improved moisture, suppleness, smoothness and improves deep wrinkles. It also aids in healthier hair and stronger nails.

When skin loses its elasticity as a result of decreased collagen, there’s another side effect: more visible cellulite! Because your skin is now thinner, cellulite becomes more evident — no more hiding what’s happening below the surface. Improving your skin’s elasticity through collagen will help reduce that dimpling on your skin.

Quality collagen is incredibly beneficial for pregnant women, and their developing babies.  As the mothers belly expands, skin tearing (stretch marks) has become “normal”, but it doesn’t need to be. Collagen is important building block for babies developing in utero, as collagen makes up to 30% of the protein of the living body.

When collagen is digested, the peptides are attracted to cells that synthesize collagen in the human body, and are the most common cells of connective tissues in the skin.  Quality collagen stimulates the production and reorganization of new collagen fibers by stimulating the cells.

Fat Loss & Lean Muscle Most everyone knows consuming protein promotes lean muscle, and fat loss. Long term continuous strenuous exercise leads to collagen degradation in the body.  These degradations are slow and progressive developments and symptoms such as pain only appear in advanced stages.  Nutrient undersupply and nutrient deficiencies can accelerate these degenerative processes or increase inflammation.

Connecting tissue is a major part of muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilages and bones. These connective tissues contain mainly very flexible collagen structures that are cross linked to bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles that give extreme stability to these structures. Quality proteins are known to be the most satiating macronutrient, often resulting in reduced food intake correlating in fat loss, desired weight maintenance.

Collagen protein powder is a pure protein, unlike other protein powders filled with additional ingredients consisting of anywhere between 15 and 45 fillers.  Fillers… Cheap, crappy, toxic, not beneficial fillers. Fillers that may contribute to hormone imbalance, gut sensitivity and other disease tendencies.

Joint & Bone Strength Bones, which make up our skeleton structure and the cells embedded in hard intercellular material made of mineralized substances and collagen fibers. Like all body tissues, bones are in a continuous state of flux.

The mechanical integrity of the skeleton and the maintenance of appropriate mineral levels depend on a dynamic process called bone remodeling or bone turnover. Collagen just might be the key to aging gracefully, with healthy joints and improved bone strength. Osteoarthritis and osteopenia are two major health challenges among aging individuals, and the leading causes of pain and disability.

Sleep & Brain Function

The Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND), UCSF, and Stanford University studied areas of the brain and found a correlation with increased memory in individuals with Alzheimer’s once they supplemented their diet with quality collagen.

Your brain has approximately 100 billion neurons which communicate with each other via brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters impact your ability to focus, concentrate, and remember. They also control your mood, cravings, addictions, sleep, and more.

Collagen protein powder contains glycine an amino acid known to promote sleep because it acts an inhibitory neurotransmitter and calms the neurons.

Digestion If you suffer from leaky gut syndrome, a condition where bad-for-you toxins are able to pass through your digestive tract, collagen can be super-helpful. It’ll help break down proteins and soothe your gut’s lining, healing damaged cell walls and infusing it with healing amino acids. It aids in the proper break down of food and digestion and can heal stomach ulcers with the amino acids proline and glycine. Collagen is a water absorber, keeping things moving freely in the digestive tract.

Typical Results from Quality Collagen:

• Brighter, more vibrant skin
• Clear completion
• Increased skin smoothness
• Deep wrinkle reduction
• Increased skin suppleness
• Lean muscle mass
• Increase athletic performance
• Maintain the nitrogen balance
• Fat loss
• Quality Sleep
• Brain Function
• Healthy gut functions

Not all Collagen is Created Equal

You might have heard collagen and gelatin mentioned in the same breath. That’s because gelatin is derived from collagen, when collagen breaks down, it becomes gelatin. A great example of this is found in bone broth: The bones are loaded with collagen and, as the broth cooks, it breaks down into gelatin.

In other words, gelatin is full of the same good stuff as collagen, just in a different form. If you don’t love consuming soups often, collagen protein is a great supplement as it is tasteless and can be consumed in water, coffee, smoothies, anything you’d like.

You can get collagen protein from cattle, just make sure it’s grass-fed, pasture-raised cows so you’re not passed toxins in traditional factory farmed cattle.  You can also get collagen protein from fish.

Additionally, while many creams and powders claim to revitalize skin by adding collagen, the molecules in these topical products are usually too large for your skin to absorb. Through bone broths and collagen protein powder, you’ll improve your body from the inside out.

Try Vital Proteins for yourself and receive a 10% discount on all their products automatically.