Collagen Craze: What Taking Collagen Does For Our Bodies
As many of the people in my life know I am in the wellness trade. I studied skin health in 2012 obtaining my California Esthetician’s license, my Bachelors in Kinesiology in 2016, and my daytime job for the last 2.5 years being Personal Trainer. So when the trend of taking collagen as a supplement arose in 2018 in the U.S., I thought “the stuff that keeps your skin elasticity?” I had no idea why people were taking it, so I did my research and here’s what I came up with.
The trend started in Japan and South Korea (where the skin care game is always to infinity and beyond ahead) where taking collagen became popular to promote healthy skin, organs, and tendons. Naturally collagen can be found in our tendons, ligaments, bones, teeth, scar tissue, cartilage, intestinal walls, blood vessel walls and skin. It’s essentially a structure that holds our insides together. When we buy this supplement high in protein (usually about 18 grams a scoop) the source is animal or marine collagen (vegetarians/vegans: increase your vegetables and fruits intake. Scientist have also come up with collagen made from genetically modified yeast and bacteria, I have not tried.) I’ve attached a photo of sources to find natural sources of Collagen from @AlgaeCal at the bottom of this article.
Stay healthy!! Your body does decrease production after your 25th birthday but, there are things you can do to slow down the process besides taking this as a supplement.
Wear SPF. 90% of wrinkles come from the sun 🌞 keep your chances of collagen loss low by finding a good SPF, wear daily.
Lower consumption of sugar. Our body works harder to break down refined sugar and refined grains because they cause a spike in insulin, they are dehydrating, and can cause inflammation. According to @sugarmovement through a process called glycation -end products (AGEs) attach to collagen in elastic causes wrinkles, acne, and rosacea.
Digestion. Collagen can help heal digestive tract and mucous lining in stomach, it is high in a amino acid (glycine) that helps break down fat and protein.
Decrease smoking cigarettes. Again, wrinkle city, smoking ages your skin faster, thinning out your skin.
Autoimmune Disease(s), Celiac, Type 1 Diabetes. Collagen will help keep your skin hydrated.
Summary
- ✅ Skin, hair & nails supplement.
- ✅ Improves joint health and digestion
- ✅ Improves cardiovascular health and metabolism
- ✅ On average your body’s production of collagen decreases after 25 years old.
What kind to buy:
I enjoyed @wellandgood post on how to buy the right collagen, go check it out!
Recipe Ideas
- Smoothies & Protein Shakes
- Oats & Overnight Oats
- Yogurt & Granola
- Collagen Matcha/ Turmeric/ Coconut Latte
- Cookie Dough Collagen
- Collagen Muffins
- Collagen Creamer
Vegan & Vegetaran Guide to Natural Collagen:
