Curious about Collagen?
Collagen has become increasingly popular among health enthusiasts – but surprisingly enough many people still don’t know what collagen is or why it is so good for you. Luckily your QOL health guru is here to break it down for you. In this blog we will be explaining what collagen is, what it does, and advising some collagen products that are worth giving a try!
The first thing you may be wondering is - what is collagen? Collagen is a protein that happens to be a major component in bones, skin, muscles, ligaments and tendons. It provides structure and support throughout your body and is considered the glue that holds your whole body together! Your body naturally has the ability to produce collagen, but as you age collagen production slows down.
There are four nutrients that can help increase collagen production within your body:
- Vitamin C – this vitamin can be found in strawberries, pineapples, oranges, mangos, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabies, kiwis, and papayas. Vitamin C can also be added to your diet with the help of supplements. Check out our Advasorb® Vitamin C - which features a unique, rapidly absorbed, and better retained form of vitamin C!
- Proline – this is an amino acid found in meat.
- Glycine – another amino acid that is found in many plant sources such as beans, spinach, kale, cauliflower and pumpkin. This can also be found in bone broth, meat, dairy products, poultry, eggs, and fish.
- Copper – found in beef liver, sunflower seeds, lentils and almonds – copper is a mineral found throughout the body.
In addition to aging, there are a few other factors that can slow collagen production:
- Sugar – when you consume sugar it interferes with collagen’s ability to repair itself.
- Sun exposure – having your skin exposed to the sun can reduce collagen production within your body. This is why it is crucial to load up on SPF when you are in the sun!
- Smoking – this can reduce natural collagen production
So why does collagen matter? And why has the health food industry been so obsessed with collagen lately? Well, there are many health benefits associated with adding collagen into your diet:
- Improved skin texture and hair
- More muscles mass
- Reduced joint pain
- Improved leaky gut
- Strengthened hair, teeth and nails
- Improved liver health
- Boosted immune system
- Better sleep
- More balanced blood sugar
There are many new collagen products on the market – but here are some of our favorites that you should give a try:
- This collagen protein powder provides 22 grams of protein per serving and only uses carefully sourced ingredients!
- Try this dark chocolate almond collagen protein bar – which features Turkish almonds, roasted pumpkin seeds and a chewy dark chocolate, caramel coating! This bar is so decadent you won’t even realize it contains 15 grams of protein.
- Amp up your lunch with the cauliflower collagen sandwich wrap! This is a sneaky way to get more collagen into your diet.
We saved the best for last – if you are looking for a fun way to add collagen to your diet try whipping up a batch of these cookies that feature collagen protein powder. Trust us - healthy has never tasted better!
We hope that you now have a good understanding of what collagen is, how it benefits your body, natural foods that encourage your body to produce more collagen, and some unique ways to add collagen to your diet. Share this blog with your friends and family so they can learn about collagen too!
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