The Inside Job – What A Boost Of Collagen Can Do For You

Creams, oils and sunscreens make a huge difference to your skin, but your complexion also depends on what you eat, how you exercise and when you sleep. It is seriously an inside job.

I came across an article the other day by Goop. They’ve certainly outdone themselves with a clever invention – a drinkable potion that contains collagen. They’ve been busy studying various types of collagen found in existing collagen supplements and how quality of collagen is determined by its origin.

Ever thought where Collagen used in beauty products come from? There are three main sources of collagen:

Mammal-derived Collagen – from beef and pork

Marine-derived – from wild fish and farmed fish

Plant-derived – from vegan products

The first two types are both viable forms of Collagen that are widely accepted by the cosmetic industry, because the animals are not just harvested for Collagen. Collagen is if you like a byproduct, where the meat is the main product.

The nutrients found in both wild and farmed fish are both similar, however farmed fish collagen is more cheaper, perhaps due to the over exposure to heart metal contamination.

So which one did they choose?

The collagen used in their superpower goopgenes is marine derived from wild fish, which means it comes from clean water. When they say they took a deeper dive in innovating this product, they literally meant it.

It resembles the colour of Himalayan salt, a pale-pink colored drink with a vanilla flavour. Hmmm, who doesn’t love vanilla?

The wild collagen has been combined with Aloe, Astaxanthin (anti-oxidant) and Ceramides. They’re promoting it as being a ‘drink it any-time’ treat, that can also be added to smoothies. Smoothie ingredients are all the hype today and although I only choose to put Organic Cacao, (high in iron and magnesium) in mine, there are so many products out there that are being marketed to smoothie lovers.

It looks like marine collagen and clear skin are really made for each other. It is well known to improve skin elasticity and overall health. And a product containing the word ‘GENES’ in its name, is going to grab the attention of women who want good healthy genes.

Collagen has tremendous powers to travel through the body after it has been digested, in the form of collagen peptides, which then stimulate skin cells to produce new collagen.

Collagen is a structural protein that acts like scaffolding to hold up the skin. UV Rays can break down this scaffolding, which is why it’s important to wear sunscreen daily (even in the winter) The most powerful skin-preserving mechanism is to stay out of the sun.

However, even with age, collagen production starts to diminish anyway. Which means eating foods rich in collagen, such as bone broth or wild salmon can help you get some collagen peptides into your skin cells.

Peptides (tiny fragments of protein) are extremely clever. They fool your skin to start a healing process and that’s when new, fresh collagen begins to grow again. What’s even more important is to moisturize daily. Dry skin can place healthy collagen at risk.

Just before we leave, we’d like to share a recipe for a collagen-infused cocktail. It’s actually one of my favorite drinks I order on holiday, with an added scoop of collagen mix.

Ingredients (Serves 1)

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1 freshly squeezed lime

1/2 cup of unsweetened apple juice

1 scoop of collagen powder (available from many suppliers online)

Mint to garnish

Ice

Preparation

1. Combine the ginger, lime and apple juice with the collagen using a blender to dissolve the powder.

2. Pour into a clear glass and add ice, before garnishing with a sprig of mint.

Voila! Enjoy.

You can also add collagen to your morning smoothie if you’re looking for an energy-packed nutritious breakfast.