5 Ways Collagen Can Boost Your Health

You might recognize it as an ingredient in your favorite body lotion or perhaps noticed supplements in the vitamin aisle that feature it. But what is collagen? What does collagen do, exactly? ­­And how can you incorporate it into your life?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies It’s found in muscles, bones, skin, blood vessels, digestive system and tendons. Collagen benefits are so striking because this protein is what helps give our skin strength and elasticity, along with replacing dead skin cells. When it comes to our joints and tendons, in simplest terms, it’s the “glue” that helps hold the body together

 

 

What Is Collagen? Collagen Nutrition Facts

Just how healthy is collagen (and other related proteins like gelatin) for you, really? Very! And is collagen a protein? Yes!

Collagen is often referred to as a “complex protein,” which is not surprising considering it contains a whopping 19 different amino acids. These include a mix of both nonessential (also called conditional) and essential types. Collagen is a particularly great way to get more conditional amino acids, like arginine, glutamine, glycine and proline.

 

Top 5 Collagen Benefits

 1. Improves Health of Skin and Hair

Collagen for skin? It’s considered the No. 1 collagen benefit for a reason. As we age, collagen production declines — it’s happening as you read this! You’ll notice it physically: looser skin, more wrinkles and less elasticity. Increasing collagen levels can help your skin look firmer, increase smoothness, and help your skin cells keep renewing and repairing normally.

2. Reduces Joint Pains and Degeneration

Have you ever felt like you’ve got “skeleton legs,” the types that feel extra stiff and cause pain when you move? Yup, that’s likely a loss of collagen rearing its ugly head. That’s because when we lose collagen, our tendons and ligaments start moving with less ease, leading to stiffness, swollen joints and more. With its gel-like, smooth structure that covers and holds our bones together, collagen allows us to glide and move without pain.  

3. Helps Heal Leaky Gut

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 helps break down proteins and soothes your gut’s lining, healing damaged cell walls and infusing it with healing amino acids.

4. Boosts Metabolism, Muscle Mass and Energy Output

A boost in collagen may help increase your metabolism by adding lean muscle mass to your frame and helping with the conversion of essential nutrients.  And remember that retaining muscle mass is crucial as you age, since it helps support posture, bone health and burns more calories than fat.  

5. Strengthens Nails, Hair and Teeth

Ever had peeling and splitting nails? Well, a lack of collagen could be to blame. Collagen protein is the building block of your fingernails, hair and teeth. Adding collagen into your diet regimen can help keep your nails strong and possibly reverse signs of hair loss.

 

 

What Are Collagen Peptides?

 Meanwhile, there’s been a lot of hype about collagen peptides in the health and fitness circuit lately, and for good reason. Collagen peptides contain the same exact set of amino acids and nutrients as collagen, but have undergone a process called hydrolysis to break them down into shorter chains of proteins.

 

Not only can hydrolyzed collagen be dissolved in both hot or cold water, but it’s also much easier for your stomach to break down and digest

 

How to Add Collagen to Your Diet

 The top ways to consume more collagen include:

• Making or drinking real bone broth.
• Using protein powder made from bone broth in recipes. You can consume bone broth on its own or use it in all sorts of sweet and savory recipes depending on the type of product.
• Taking collagen supplements. A collagen supplement can be found typically as hydrolyzed collagen, which helps form new collagen — these may take the form of collagen protein powder or collagen pills. When you hydrolyze collagen, collagen peptides become bioavailable.
• And lastly, eating a well-rounded diet that helps increase absorption of the collagen peptide you consume.

 

Our ancestors chowed down on quite a bit of collagen as a natural way of life, since earlier traditional diets incorporated whole-animal eating. Simply put, they ate many animal parts, like skin, tendons and ligaments, that we now commonly avoid or discard. Luckily, it’s becoming easier then ever to “get back to the basics.”

 

Collagen supplements, like collagen protein powder, are an easy way to increase your collagen intake. Make sure that you get your powder from grass-fed, pasture-raised cows (with no antibiotics or chemicals). Collagen supplements can be mixed into smoothies, soups or even into baked goods to provide collagen’s healthy benefits without adding any taste to your favorite meals.

 

 

Looking for the best Collagen selection, products and prices in Metro Detroit and Lansing? Visit your neighborhood Better Health Market (thebetterhealthstore.com).  What’s more, their in-store nutrition experts make it easy to find the Collagen solution that’s right for you.  

 

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