Try it Tuesday- 5 Facts about Collagen + Smoothie Recipe

Bones cracking, joint pain, fine lines, wrinkles and dullness of skin has our society running to collagen.

Did you know? According to the Nutrition Outlook, “Sales of collagen supplements increased by almost 60% just from 2019 to 2020.” That is crazy!

So what’s the deal, does it really work? Well let’s talk about what it is first.

What is collagen?

“Excluding water and fat, the human body is made up of many different proteins. Collagen is one of those proteins, and it makes up about 30% of all proteins in the human body. A good way to think of collagen is as the “glue” that holds our bodies together.

Inside of our bodies, collagen makes up a good chunk of your dermis -that’s the deeper layer of your skin. It’s also found in cartilage, which is a soft, gel-like padding that cushions our joints to allow for painless movement. Collagen can also be found just about everywhere else – coating your organs, inside of your bones, tendons – and, even, on the surface of your eyes Unfortunately, as we age, our natural collagen levels decrease about 1% each year, starting in our mid-twenties. It is because of this decrease in collagen that many people who never needed reading glasses end up relying on them by middle-age.” - Vivian Schemper, registered dietician.

Here is what you need to know about collagen:

1. Collagen is a naturally occurring protein found in the human body. It is also naturally found in animals, so this is where your collagen supplements come from.

2. Collagen comes from an animal and there is no such thing as vegan collagen.

3. There are 3 types of collagen.

   1. Type 1 - is the one that provides structure to your skin, tendons, and bones.

   2. Type 11 - is particularly found in elastic cartilage — your nose, ears, and in between the joints.

   3. Type 111 - this one supports the structure of muscles, organs, and arteries.

4. The dosage recommendations are all over the place, but most experts agree that 5 – 10 grams of collagen per day is appropriate.

5. Collagen is an incomplete protein, meaning it does not have all of the amino acids making it a complete protein.

So do we recommend collagen?

Collagen will help reduce joint pain and slow down the wrinkle process but it is NOT a magic pill. Things you need to incorporate into your everyday living: get plenty of sleep, drink water and eat good, whole foods.

Here is one of our favorite smoothie recipes that includes collagen.

Cocomango Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen mango

• 1 cup coconut water

• 2 Tbsp dried, unsweetened coconut

• Zest and juice of one lime

• 1 scoop protein powder

• 1 scoop of collagen

• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Instructions:

• Blend and smile.

Jenn

Certified NETA Nutrition Coach