Collagen powders are the latest beauty “fad” that all the celebrities are taking and it is now a multi billion pound industry. Well on this one I am ahead of the celebritiies I have been taken collagen powder for over two years and prior to that was consuming Skinade daily for about 5 years.
From your mid twenties collagen declines at about 1 % every day rising to a steep drop in your menopause of about 30% of total collagen.
So does our collagen need large replacement doses as we commence our menopause ?
WHAT IS COLLAGEN ?
The largest protein found in your body. Found in bones, muscles, tendons and skin. Think of it as a scaffold holding up the skin. As this diminishes so does the structure of our skin particularly evident on our faces as the connective tissue start to weaken and sagging and wrinkles appear. It is the glue that holds everything together and is found in teeth, nails, hair even corneas as well as the skin. So a super boost of collagen surely must hold many benefits.
DOES IT WORK ?
Well it certainly has eased my arthiritic joints and my hair is super glossy and my skin is glowing although I am not wrinkle free…..yet. I only embarked on the collagen journey having met up with an old friend whose skin had improved dramatically and she seemed to have a glow about her to which she attributed to Collagen powder.
You have to commit to taking it EVERY day in a hot or cold drink. Although purists say it has to be cold as heat breaks the collagen down. So pop it in your morning smoothie. I have a bovine collagen drink though so I make it into a hot drink rather like a cup of soup. I t can also aid weight loss as it makes you feel quite full.
With these new wonder foods I honestly think the only way to see if they work is try it every day for at least a month and see if you notice an improvement.
MARINE V BOVINE
Collagen powder is either fish or animal derived. There are some vegan options but these seem to be largely vitamin c based. Although I personally have taken bovine collagen there are now some question marks over the sources. In some products large amount of metals and cadmium(also in spinach !!) have been found. Also when you think these powders are largely ground up bones , connective tissue and by products of cows I wonder how regulated these products are especially considering the BSE outbreak a number of years back ! I have now embarked on the marine collagen by Vital Proteins to see if it is just as effective as the bovine appeared to be.
But if taking supplements is not for you then there are foods that are natural sources of collagen.
FOOD SOURCES OF COLLAGEN
- Egg whites
- Chicken
- Fish
- Berries
- Garlic
- Citrus fruit
- Kale
Or, you could try making your own bone broth with good quality bones sourced from a reputable butcher.
Remember diet is always first and foremost when it comes to good quality skin. All the above foods I include in my diet on a regular basis then the question would be whether I really need to be taking extra supplement when I cannot be sure on the source of the powder.
MMmmmm that is the big question and definitely ‘food’ for thought.
Mwah mwah. xxxxxx
JOJO x
JOJOS STYLELIST TIP: REMEMBER PREVENTION IS ALWAYS THE BEST OPTION. THE BIGGEST CAUSE OF LOSS OF COLLAGEN IS UV RAYS SO SPF 50 SUNBLOCK IS A MUST ALL YEAR ROUND. OH AND NO SMOKING!!!