There’s a lot of buzz in the health food world right now about collagen. Surely you’ve heard of it for its anti-aging benefits – the reason behind that youthful glow – but does it live up to the hype?
Collagen is a protein found in the connective tissue throughout the body, which serves to protect tissues from stretching. Makes sense then, that collagen is found in all the good wrinkle creams, because collagen loss is the reason for our sagging skin and deepening fine lines.
Collagen makes up about 75% of our skin, over 90% of our ligaments and tendons, and 35% of our bones, so it’s crucial when it comes to maintaining a healthy body. Collagen is the glue that holds us all together!
We’re mostly head-over-heels for collagen because of its important role in healing the gut.
Known to boost digestion and reduce inflammation, collagen works to soothe and heal the lining of the gut, which can lead to many promising effects such as nutrient absorption and detoxification.
9 Benefits of Collagen:
- Improves skin and hair
- Strengthens bones, nails, and teeth
- Repairs joint health
- Aids in detox
- Heals lining of the gut
- Reduces cellulite and stretch marks
- Boosts metabolism
- Strengthens immune system
- Anti-inflammatory
So do we think that collagen is a key component to overall health and well-being?
Absolutely! But sadly, it’s one of those things that naturally breaks down as we age. Lucky for us there are a lot of new products out there that can help, but it’s important to be discerning so you know that you’re getting the best.
Start to look around and all over the interwebs you’ll find collagen being touted in protein bars, gummies, chia pudding, popsicles – you name it! But how do you know where to begin?
One of the guiding tenets of the Conscious Cleanse is to eat whole foods that exist in nature. In other words, eat foods closest to their original form.
Which brings us to our number 1 favorite way to incorporate collagen into your diet – bone broth!
One of the most healing elixirs you can drink, bone broth is like fresh pressed green juice for your body. Highly absorbable, full of minerals, amino acids, collagen, and protein, bone broth is liquid gold.
Check out our recipe for Back to Basics Bone Broth today, dust off your crockpot, and you can be drinking your own homemade bone broth faster than you can Amazon Prime one of the latest and greatest new collagen products out there.
When you can’t have homemade bone broth supplementing is a good alternative. A powder that we’ve been enjoying ourselves is this one by Vital Proteins. It’s tasteless and easy to toss into your green smoothie as a boost.
When shopping for any collagen supplements, be sure to find one that’s pasture-raised, non-GMO, gluten free, dairy free, and free of other fillers.
Now we’d love to hear from you. Do you take collagen regularly? What have you noticed? Be sure to leave us a comment below.
With love and elasticity,
Jo and Jules
I was so excited to receive this info from you two! I had just spent yesterday researching collagen and Vital Proteins was top on my list. I do not incorporate red meat in my diet so which collagen supplement is my best choice? I am looking forward to all of those amazing benefits I am reading about.
Hi Tammy, Yay! We’re so glad it was so timely for you. Vital Proteins doesn’t only use red meat for their collagen. They also have a marine collagen. Have you tried that product yet? If you do, let us know what you think. XO, J&J
I’ve been drinking bone broth all winter and lately I’ve had so many compliments on my skin! I didn’t really put it together until I read this post so thank you!! I’ve been taking a collagen supplement from Standard Process as well but I’m not the best about taking supplements regularly so I don’t think that was the difference. I’m a Rapid Transformational Therapist and I focus a lot on anti-aging so I know my beliefs and my healthy habits are all contributing towards my youthfulness.
Hi Kasia, That’s fantastic! We’re so glad to hear your great results. XO, J&J
I have been taking collagen powder for about six months and my nails are getting better. They used to split down the middle but not any more. I don’t like the bone broth that comes in a box so I’ll try your recipe. Isn’t bone broth the same as stock?
Hi Sharie, Yay to great results! We’ve found that making you’re own bone broth really tastes better and has more collagen. Let us know what you think when you try it. If you have an Instant Pot, we have that recipe in our free Healthy Soup eCookbook here: https://consciouscleanse.com/healthy-soup-free-ecookbook/. Stock and bone broth are a little different. Stock is boiling the bones for a shorter period of time and doesn’t pull the collagen out but captures some flavor. XO, J&J
Do the plant-based sources for collagen work equally well, for those of us who are vegan or vegetarian?