Collagen Powder

Annnnddd I am backkkkkk.... woah it has been a very hot minute since my last blog!

Sorry Guys but I was taking a break to start up my online fitness influencer gig (more about that in a separate blog) and unfortunately blogging was put on the back burner for a bit. However this being the second month of a brand new year I am refocusing and committing to blogging about twice a month... ahhh balance...

Any who this blog is about something you may or may not have heard about already.... COLLAGEN POWDER. I jumped on the Collagen Powder bandwagon a little over a year ago to see if the claims of bouncier hair and smoother skin were in fact true.

Collagen is a well-known substance in the health and beauty industry and its said to have some wonderful benefits for your skin, hair and nails and it is also great for anti aging!

Why is it good for anti aging? Well... Collagen Peptides contains several amino acids which are essential to health skin and hair and may even help reverse skin damage and help smooth and firm the skin!

Unfortunately as we age our body and face tend to lose collagen and its not easily replaced. And I have some more bad news.... if your a woman and over the age of 30 well then you are right there with me and we have a tendency to lose collagen at a faster rate and also at a much faster rate than our male counterparts. That’s why men seem to grow old more gracefully than woman (insert annoyed emojii here)!

I don't know about you but I am definitely trying to age gracefully and since I am a tiny bit over the age of 3o Hahaha collagen powder seemed like a no brainer for me.

Hydrolyzed collagen peptides are not just beneficial for anti-aging, there are a host of other benefits to be had by adding a collagen supplement into your diet:

• It is great for the skin. It can increase the elasticity and moisture in your skin and improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, in fact during my research I found several studies that showed a 20% decrease in the look of wrinkles when a collagen supplement was added!

• It is also great for the nails and hair.

• It can aid the digestion process because it helps to coat the stomach and digestive system.

• Because of the specific amino acids found in collagen it can help to balance your bodies hormones.

• It is also a well-known supplement for bone and joint health and it can actually help with chronic joint pain!

• Also since collagen is essentially protein its a quick and easy way to add some extra protein into your diet.

I don’t know if there is a placebo effect in the works here but here is what I have found:

• After the first couple of weeks my skin and hair looked better. My skin was not as dry and it seemed to have an extra glow. My hair also seemed to have an extra bounce and sheen to it!

• After using it for a year, there were no huge changes but I am not in a rapid aging decline either and my hair has never looked better.

There are many different collagen powders/capsules on the market, so be sure to do your research to see what is best for your purpose. Personally I prefer the powder over the capsules. It just seems easier to use and perhaps more bio-available. You can add it to anything, I like to add it to my Green tea lattes or morning coffee and it completely dissolves into any liquid! And it has absolutely no flavour! With the encapsulated collagen you usually have to take a few doses throughout the day and if you're anything like me you might miss out on a few dosages every day (age induced forgetfulness right?)!

I am currently using Organika Enhanced Collagen which is $47.99 for 500 grams (serving is 1 tablespoon, 8.5 grams) because I found it to be the most affordable for me and it works just a good as any other collagen powder out there.

Other goods Collagen powders that I have found are:

• Vital Proteins $54.95 for 567 grams (20 grams per serving, two scoops) I am not sure why this brand calls for double the serving size the other brands do?)

• Bulletproof $55.99 for 454 grams (8.5 grams per serving, one tablespoon)

• Progressive Complete collagen $49.99 for 500 grams (1 scoop, 10 grams)

It is best to take a collagen supplement internally rather than just applying a cream topically because the creams don't get fully absorbed by the skin. But if you do want to help enhance collagen production in the skin topically its best to do that with a Vitamin C cream or serum, and I will get into that on a future post.

There's not really a downside to taking a collagen supplement the only thing some people reported was a slight gastrointestinal issue, but I didn’t experience that.

Make sure your collagen comes from 100% grass-fed, cows, bovine, chicken or whatever source your choose. Make sure its organic (no hormones or antibiotics), and pesticide and raised in chemical free natural grass pastures!

And while collagen powder might not be the end all and be all to anti aging and while there are still some experts who are skeptical about the benefits of taking an internal collagen supplement, my skin is looking pretty good these days. So I will continue adding it to my morning bevie and see what time has to say!!

And if your interested Organika Health also has a huge line of Enhanced Collagen as well as a host of other products. I have tried their Enhanced Collagen Vitality (Matcha) and their Enhanced Collagen MCT Creamer and both do not disappoint! You can check out their website here.

Have you tried a collagen supplement yet?!

XOXO

SIMPLY TRULY JENNY...