“I’ll never graduate from collagen.”
Who said that? That would be the one and only Dolly Parton! Some people hear, “collagen” and they automatically think of lip filler (which makes sense because it’s the most common type).
But here’s the thing, collagen is WAY more than just lip filler.
What’s collagen?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, accounting for about ⅓ of your total body protein!
The word collagen derives from the Greek word kólla, which means glue. So, to put it simply, collagen is like a sticky protein that holds the body together (like glue).
Collagen is found in our skin, tendons, arterial wall ligaments, cartilage, bones, blood vessels, intestinal tract, intervertebral disks, corneas, and teeth! Phew, what a mouthful.
What does collagen do in your body?
There are a few main types of collagen, let’s take a look at them:
- Type I Collagen. Provides structure to skin, bones, tendons, fibrous cartilage, connective tissue, and teeth. Accounts for 90% of your body’s collagen.
- Type II Collagen. More loosely packed fibers found in elastic cartilage (cushions for your joints).
- Type III Collagen. Supports the structure of muscles, organs, and arteries.
- Type V Collagen. This fibrillar collagen is essential for fibrillation of types I and III collagen. It contributes to the bone matrix, corneal stroma, and the interstitial matrix of muscles, liver, lungs, and placenta.
- Type X Collagen. Short-chain, non-fibril-forming collagen may have a role in providing mineralization and structural support for articular cartilage.
Isn’t collagen great?
There’s a plot twist though–as you age, your body will produce less AND lower quality collagen. This becomes visible when the skin becomes less firm and supple. That means you need to find ways to replenish your collagen.
How do I get more collagen in my diet?
You are what you eat. Your diet can affect your weight, your energy, your skin, your ev-er-y-thing!
Since we now know that we need to replenish our collagen as we gracefully age, we want to talk about how you can do that!
- Bone Broth: Okay, this one is the most popular collagen source if we are talking word of mouth. Bones are made of connective tissue that contains calcium, magnesium, amino acids, and many more nutrients.
- Egg Whites: Egg whites contain large amounts of proline (one of the amino acids necessary for collagen production).
- Citrus Fruits: Foods high in Vitamin C can help in the formation of pro-collagen (the body’s precursor to collagen).
- Garlic: Garlic is high in sulfur and sulfur is a trace mineral that helps synthesize and prevent the breakdown of collagen. If you’re a garlic lover (sorry vampires) then take your recipe measurement and double it!
- Multi-Collagen Protein Powder: Our Multi-Collagen is an unflavored powder that allows you to add it to your favorite drinks. Get your collagen intake in with your morning smoothie!
- And many other things: tomatoes, cashews, beans, leafy greens, and more!
What increases collagen loss? (Which we don’t want)
🚬 Smoking triggers oxidative stress that damages collagen and speeds up aging.
☀️ The sun is a major contributor of collagen degradation.
🏭 Pollution. You can’t really avoid pollution completely but you CAN avoid toxic products in your home (and we can help with that).
😞 Chronic stress. Excessive stress can promote the formation of free radicals that damage collagen and speed up the aging process. Find ways to relax.
🍟 An unhealthy diet. Processed foods and sugar increase the formation of free radicals. Your body needs a wide variety of nutrients to make collagen (like fruits and veggies and other things like those listed above) and processed foods and high sugar diets are usually low in nutrients.
None of those should come as too much of a surprise. Those are all things that are bad for our overall health!
Just as there are good behaviors to pick up on your quest for a healthier life, there are also bad behaviors you’ll want to give up.
Multi-Collagen Protein Powder: More Structure In Your Life
We now know two things for sure, 1) how to get more collagen in our body and 2) how to increase collagen loss.
Along with a well-balanced diet, collagen supplementation is ideal to help support our bodies as we age. While bone broth is awesome, one can only drink and make so much (plus making it is like a 12-hour ordeal!)
We wanted to create another way for people to get more collagen in their diet. So, we created our Multi-Collagen Protein:
- Joint Support*
- Skin, Hair, and Nail Support*
- Includes Types I, II, III, V, and X of Collagen
- Unflavored (add to your fav drink)
- Immune System Support*
- Contains a probiotic to help with digestion of collagen*
Mix it with your favorite chocolate or vanilla smoothie for a collagen blasted start to the day!
Let’s listen to Dolly and plan on never graduating from collagen!
