The Benefits of Collagen | Why take a collagen supplement?
Collagen seems to be everywhere even in that infamous, middle aisle of my fave discount supermarket . But what is it? Why is it so fashionable and what separates the bargain basement from the eye-watering pricey premium products and are they worth investing in?
Before we get started, what is collagen and how come we need to supplement with it?
We used to consume collagen until the 1970's
Okay, roll back a few years, even as recent as the last couple of generations. Think of your great grandmother and envisage how that generation prepared food and ate … we literally boiled , boiled and roasted everything for hours or even days (this is how you extract collagen!) and nothing was wasted.
We had very few vegetarians, rarely any vegans and hardly any processed food. Diabetes, dementia, heart disease and other chronic diseases were no where near the levels they are now, and life span was similar. There wasn't a mental health epidemic, and as far as I can see in photographs, very few people were obese.
People used the whole part of the animal, everybody ate local, everybody ate meat and everybody used the WHOLE animal knowing fine well what we throw away today like connective tissues and organs are all valuable nutrient powerhouses.
The low fat craze took over so we now consume less collagen….
For some crazy reason since the 1970’s we were told to only eat lean muscle meat. The low fat message was loud and strong. Diets were in & we lost sight of basic nutrition.
Fat has been a bad word for decades and is blamed for high cholesterol... and this is linked in our minds directly to heart disease. However we can put this to one side, as the American Heart Association now says that "dietary cholesterol is no longer a molecule of concern for overconsumption"!
What is a collagen supplement?
Anyway, moving back on to collagen, you can either boil the bones and connective tissue, the skin and leftover carcass of an animal for hours until you get a gelatinous gloopy consistency liquid (who has the time for that!) or you can buy collagen peptides and simply add it to your liquids, including things like smoothies soups saurces.
It’s one of the most nutrient dense ways to spike your food without impacting on flavour, the ultimate convenience, health hack.
What are collagen peptides? They are teeny tiny tiny molecules, which the body can readily absorb and are super robust, so not destroyed by heat like boiling water or cooking. Plus, they dissolve super easily into any liquid.
If you buy collagen that is not in peptide form, your body is very unlikely to absorb it and will probably wee or poo it out - so always go for peptides.
In is my personal opinion marine collagen is pushed ferociously within the market, but not only is marine collagen more expensive it has a nasty taste and as far as what the fish ate we simply can’t track it.
I’m thinking about micro plastics here and water pollution and I certainly do not know if it’s wild caught as I cannot seem to get a clear answer about the sourcing - so for me it’s a no because it’s more expensive and basically have no idea where the marine marine life has eaten or been exposed to.
Bovine collagen
Now, bovine collagen is a completely different matter. I can source exactly where my collagen has come from - and that is Switzerland. I know exactly what the cattle have eaten (which is grass) and I know the welfare standards are extremely high.
So why on earth would I pay premium for anything else?
Bovine collagen is also very unlikely to cause any allergies and research is now out there, suggesting that bovine is, in fact, far superior at healing the gut than any other type of collagen.
Which let’s face it, all disease begins in the gut and everyone hates to be bloated and in a foul mood. So for me that’s a nonnegotiable.
Tasteless Collagen!
Another great thing about bovine collagen peptide powder. As I said earlier, it is completely odourless and flavourless so even my child with ADHD, who like me literally smells everything before consuming cannot detect it in his juice, in his pasta sauce, or even in soft drinks (ADHD always lean towards sugary foods to boost dopamine, so this helps balance out the carbohydrate protein balance).
Not just Beauty Collagen
As for hair skin and nails, I don’t mind aging naturally, but I don’t necessarily want to premature age (I spent so much time in the sun), I also run like a maniac so of course I want to support my skin structure over the next 50 odd years.
I have extra collagen when I’m training, to keep my joints lubricated and mobile. In the run up to a marathon I have 30g a day a month leading up to and after the race. Not only does it help with mobility, it’s stopped "runners face" synonymous with long distance and endurance exercise (aka gaunt and jowly at the same time).
Of course I’m a bit vain and I want to look my best as often as possible, but it all starts a good skin for me.
I don’t mind the odd wrinkle and I'm a fan of laughter lines, but I certainly don’t want to look miserable before my time…. In fact I intend to look as happy as possible for as long as possible and this all starts with the peptides available to the body.
I don’t mind people getting Botox and fillers, but I personally took all mine out because I looked ridiculous . Some people really suit it.
I just looked wide and quite masculine so I simply have a teaspoon of bovine collagen at least three times a day it actually protects the gut from caffeine too. It’s so convenient and a no brainier for me and my family.
Collagen is made up of 19 amino acids
Another great thing about consuming collagen is its amino acid profile. Basically it’s full of them (19 to be precise). Amino acids are what the body is always seeking because they are the building blocks of life.
If you have a craving and you are generally peckish, chances are your body is searching for more amino acids. If you are trying to stop snacking or intermittent fasting, adding collagen to your tea and coffee in the morning will help you extend your fast. This gives your digestive system a rest and and can help you achieve autophagy (cellular cleanup and recycling) far easier.
I’d recommend keeping it to about 2-4g of collagen as to not kick off liver glycosis (i.e. breaking your fast).
So collagen can reduce cravings as well as keep you fresh looking and improve the gut brain function so I’m all for it !!!!
Here's to providing your whole body with the building blocks it needs to stay well.
Davinia Taylor.