From mood-boosting ingredients, to plant-based meat, there seems to be a food trend for finding food with more than one health benefit. While collagen powders have certainly been around, there have been newly discovered benefits that make the powders even more enticing for your drinks. With benefits ranging from more glowing skin, to improved joints, and healthier hair, here’s a guide to improving your collagen levels even with age.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is a protein found in your muscles, tendons, skin and throughout your body. As you age, your body naturally makes less collagen. This can lead to things like your skin losing elasticity, tendons becoming stiffer, and muscle mass decreasing. These can lead to other side effects such as more aches and pains, brittle nails, and less healthy hair. There is no way to measure the amount of collagen in your body, but your collagen levels can decrease starting in your mid-to-late 20s.
Collagen Powders
Scientifically speaking, powdered collagens are hydrolyzed form of gelatin, making them easy to stir into liquids or other foods. Most powders are almost tasteless making it easy to add to your favorite coffees or teas. The recommended starting dose is 10 to 30 grams a day and be sure to look for ingredients such as hydrolyzed collagen or collagen hydrolysate. While many powders are flavorless, there are a wide variety of powders such as fruit-flavored powers that can compliment smoothies and savory powders for soup.
Where to Find Collagen Powder Locally
Two places you can find collagen powders are at MI Nutrition and your local Better Health Store. Both stores carry a wide range of collagen powders from ones that are gluten-free, to ones that are ketogenic, to even flavored ones such as fruit punch. MI Nutrition has locations in Royal Oak and Bloomfield Hills, while Better Health Stores has locations throughout Metro Detroit including Ann Arbor, Novi, Livonia and more. Natural Ways of Getting Collagen Powdered collagens are best when you’re traveling or if you’re consistently on the go, but the best way to make sure you get the nutrients your body needs to make collagen is through your diet. One of the best foods for building collagen is bone broth, which can be found in almost all grocery stores. By providing a wealth of amino acids, bone broth can help with decreasing collagen levels. Other ways of accomplishing this include eating beef, chicken, fish, and eggs. Benefits Whether you’re boosting your collagen levels through powders or naturally, there are numerous benefits to try either method. The most discussed benefit is keeping the elasticity in your skin and therefore decreasing the amount of wrinkles. Some other benefits include the improvement of joint health as they counteract wear and tear for people who have osteoarthritis, better digestion, and improved muscle mass.
