Did you know that collagen is the most abundant protein in your body? It’s true. It is used in our hair, nails, skin, connective tissue and joints. Some say it is like the glue holding us together.
What are some ways you can get more collagen happening in your body? I wrote about topical collagen HERE so will not go into it now. Eating collagen and collagen rich foods has done wonders for me. Bone broth is rich in collagen. That gelled stuff that happens in bone broth is collagen. Bone broth is healing, in my experience. I use it when I’m not feeling well. Maybe it is a placebo, but I swear the collagen and gelatin in bone broth is like a tonic for my entire digestive tract. It really is soothing. I will add some spice, or butter and blend it in. Just depends on my mood. You can jazz it up, or keep it plain. I do like it warm, though. How do you like it?
Also eating foods that help prevent the breakdown of collagen is a good thing. Dark green leafy veggies seem to always make the list of healthy add-ins, don’t they? It is because of the antioxidants. Dark green leafy veggies and berries are loaded with antioxidants known to protect against the breakdown of collagen. The vitamin C along with your dietary collagen to aid in collagen production. In fact, your body won’t make collagen without vitamin C. Red veggies help the body rebuild collagen, too. I don’t eat a lot of produce so I supplement vitamin C.
Another way to get dietary collagen is to eat connective tissue. I don’t know about you, but even with intent to increase my dietary collagen, I just could not get down the connective tissue very well. It is stuff like salmon skin and pork skin. Nope. . .I’m not eating that very often. Tried, and it just does not go down well for me and I keep trying, but, let’s get real. . .I cannot count on it for my collagen. Tougher cuts of meat like oxtail have good amounts of collagen. I did better with oxtail but I don’t have a ready supply of that. And the tougher cuts of meat that are rich in connective tissue are just too difficult for me to eat. I don’t know about you, but I like to enjoy my meals and fighting to get down connective tissue just doesn’t count as enjoyable. So I opt for a supplemental collagen supplement that is made from grass-fed cows.
Here is what I do
I sprinkle my collagen peptides on top of my meat dish. Lately I’ve been doing this with gelatin as gelatin is easier for digestion. I do not have trouble with digestion, but I prefer digesting my food than letting is pass on through. Both add in the extra amino acids from the connective tissues to balance out the amino acid profile in the muscle meat. At first it feels/looks weird to do that, but the collagen just soaks into the juicy meat. It sometimes leaves a bit of a gel on top, but not really. It’s not bad. Actually, it is good, but you really don’t notice it after the first few times. I will also have a cup of bone broth with dinner on occasion when adding powdered collagen just isn’t gonna cut it.
I like Ancient Nutrition Collagen, but have used Primal Kitchen, Bub’s, Design for Health, and other brands as well. As long as they are unflavored and made properly, I’m okay with it. For gelatin I buy the Thrive brand, but I know the Great Lakes brand is good, too. For bone broth, I’m not fond of making bone broth so I use Epic, Kettle Fire or Bonafide. Epic comes in a glass jar so no chemicals from plastics or box liners, but it is a few dollars more for the same amount of bone broth. Kettle Fire is more reasonably priced so it is the one I use the most. I prefer Bonafide, but it comes frozen here so I have to plan ahead. That just isn’t quite as convenient as the shelf stable Epic and Kettle Fire. For anything animal based, I look for grass-fed, pastured and/or wild on the label, then make sure there are no added ingredients that are opposed to my health goals. What’s your favorite brand?
One of my favorite dessert recipes
Here is one of my favorite dessert recipes featuring collagen. Getting in collagen is not hard at all. It goes in smoothies, sprinkled into or onto your meal, or even blended into this amazing dessert. This recipe has modified over the years as I perfect it. Sometimes I like to add cinnamon, and sometimes I don’t. That’s what is so good about this recipe – you can adapt it. This is where it is right now. Let me know how you make it.
Luxurious Collagen-Rich Chocolate Dream Mousse
Ingredients:
4 cups of canned coconut milk (I like this one.)
1 Tablespoon of grass fed gelatin
2-4 Tablespoons of ghee (or butter)
1 Tablespoon of vanilla
¼ teaspoon of salt
¼ cup of sugar substitute (or to taste)
¾ cup of cocoa powder OR 4.5 grams of quality dark chocolate
2 scoops of collagen (save this to add at the very end. See note in the instructions.)
Instructions
Add ½ the coconut milk to a saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the coconut milk and let it bloom for a few minutes. Heat coconut milk over a low temperature. Add in salt, vanilla and butter. Let it all melt and slowly heat up together. Stir frequently.
Meanwhile add the rest of the coconut milk, and the sweetener to a blender.
At this point, IF you are using dark chocolate, add the chopped chocolate to the sauce pan so it melts into the coconut milk mixture.
IF you are using the cocoa powder, add it to the blender.
Mix well the items in the blender.
Keep an eye on the saucepan to keep the coconut from sticking. Low and slow.
When the chocolate is melted, and just before a boil, remove it from the burner. Let it cool just a bit. Add to the blender, and blend thoroughly.
NOTE: NOW add the collagen and blend gently to just mix it in. You do not want to destroy the collagen. Just mix it in gently.
Place in serving dishes and cool in the fridge for a few hours to set.
This is wonderful topped with chopped salted macadamia nuts or fresh blueberries.
As always, this post and everything in the blog is for entertainment and for conversation only. If you need or want medical advice, I cannot provide that. Please speak with your health care provider.
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