Why Everyone Is Drinking Collagen
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Aside from being great for your skin, collagen does a lot more for your body. And it’s easy to add a scoop or two to your morning coffee to get those benefits!
Here we will discuss what collagen is, what it does for your body, and how to best get it!
First things first, let’s run through what the stuff is. Collagen is the most common protein in your body. It is the keystone of tendons, muscles, ligaments, and skin. That means the more high quality collagen you get, the more you will reap the benefits it provides:
1. Minimizes joint pain.
Collagen helps provide the gel-like cushion between your bones.
2. Supports muscle building.
You already know this one! Adequate protein plus strength training is a one-two punch for building your strongest body. For more on this, read my post about my favorite strength routines here! (Both are convenient because they can be done anywhere with minimal space and equipment, so you never have an excuse to miss a workout!)
3. Prevents bone loss.
Did you know that your bones are roughly 1/3 collagen? I didn’t until now either. Why not load up on something that makes it pretty easy to prevent osteoporosis?
4. Increases feeling of fullness.
Protein boosts satiety, so adding some collagen powder to your morning coffee both caffeinates you and sets you up to not binge on junk through the day.
5. Better hair and nails.
Strong hair and nails require protein and additional energy to produce new cells. In other words, the healthier you are, the more extra energy your body can extend to growing healthy hair and nails above and beyond that required to keeping your organs running smoothly.
6. Younger looking skin.
Collagen production decreases each year you blow out the candles on your cake, which means your skin starts to break down and cannot rebuild as much. Ingesting collagen peptides aids that diminishing supply to keep your skin looking young and supple.
7. Gut health.
The jury is still out on this one, but it could help with leaky gut syndrome. The lining of the gut is supported by the amino acids and peptides in collagen.
There are some food sources of collagen that aren’t necessarily going to be your go-to’s for snacks, namely bone broth and Jell-O (because of the gelatin). I know this sounds gross, so let’s focus on a less gross and more effective way of getting collagen.
Your body absorbs collagen much better from a supplement than from food.
That is correct – the best way to ingest collagen is a supplement.
My favorite way to use collagen powder is in my morning coffee in a recipe that adds in a lot of other benefits. It is easy, delicious, packed with nutrients, and involves no artificial sweeteners.
Put ¼ cup of cashews into a blender (I love my Magic Bullet!) with 2 dates (don’t forget to pit them) and blend. Add in a cup of cooled brewed coffee and a scoop of collagen powder and stir.
This cup of coffee provides antioxidants from the coffee and dates, healthy fats from the cashews, and a boost of protein and joint- and skin-repairing collagen all in one cup!
Here is a side note: vitamin C helps your body process collagen. So pair a bowl of strawberries with this coffee treat.
If you want to give collagen powder a try, my favorite is on Amazon. It’s tasteless, affordable (just over $1/serving), and the most dissolvable in coffee of the brands I’ve tried!
There you have it, gorgeous – you have the reasons and sources for getting collagen, so drink up for less joint pain and more elastic skin! Want more nutrition and fitness inspiration right to your inbox? Sign up here gorgeous!
