This post was sponsored by Vital Proteins.
A little over three years ago I was introduced to gelatin and its protein powder like cousin collagen by Dr. Ray Peat. Since then, it has been a smoothie-filled love affair with the powered convenience food that helps me get more of the amino acids that are typically missed in the American diet. You see, one of the greatest benefits of using collagen is to aid in balancing your amino acid intake by helping reflect eating the “whole” animal. Because collagen makes up approximately 50% of the whole animal, collagen protein can be used to help create a more complete protein balance in your diet. The typical American eater tends to eat a higher consumption of muscle meats (such as beef, chicken, pork, lamb, and turkey), which, when not balanced by other proteins (such as eggs, fish, dairy, shellfish, a variety of organ meats, collagen) can contribute to inflammation.
If a person eats a large serving of meat, it’s probably helpful to have 5 or 10 grams of gelatin at approximately the same time, so that the amino acids enter the blood stream in balance.” -Dr. Ray Peat
Collagen protein has a unique and very non-inflammatory amino acid profile, which primarily consists of glycine, glutamic acid, proline, and alanine. Even though your body can make these amino acids (called non-essential), if you’re eating a low nutrient diet or have a stressed liver, chances are you are not able to manufacture all the non-essential amino acids that you body actually demands. In particular, the liver needs an abundance of glycine (the biggest constituent of collagen) to fuel phase 2 detoxification in the liver and help your body “take out the trash.”
Benefits of collagen protein
The benefits of collagen are astounding, but I’ll try to be brief…
-Supports Liver Detoxification: Collagen is rich in glycine, an amino acid needed to support neutralization of toxins in the liver. In today’s über toxic world, often the body cannot make enough glycine to keep up with your detoxification needs (a toxin is anything from chemicals, food additives, alcohol, recreational drugs, RX drugs, BC pill, etc).
-Fights Aging: According to Dr. Ray Peat, “It happens that gelatin is a protein which contains no tryptophan, and only small amounts of cysteine, methionine, and histidine. Using gelatin as a major dietary protein is an easy way to restrict the amino acids that are associated with many of the problems of aging.” (source)
-Therapeutic for Digestion: Regular consumption of bone broth, gelatin, or collagen is very therapeutic for digestive disorders including food allergies, Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, Colitis, IBS, and lack of stomach acid. (source)
-Fights Lactose Intolerance: When consumed with dairy, collagen can improve dairy digestion for those lactose-intolerant individuals.
-Combats Inflammation: “The degenerative and inflammatory diseases can often be corrected by the use of gelatin-rich foods” (source)
-Skin and Beauty Support: Collagen protein is very beneficial to the skin and can increase elasticity! (source)
COLLAGEN HELPS FILL IN THE AMINO ACID GAPS IN THE STANDARD AMERICAN DIET
How much collagen do you need?
Before you go gung-ho on the collagen, there are a few very important things I want you to know:
1. More is NOT always better.
2. Go S-L-O-W with your dosing. If you’ve never tried gelatin or collagen before, take it easy at first by starting with 1/2-1 tablespoon. This is EXTREMELY important if you already struggle with poor digestion. Then over time, you can slowly increase your dosage every few weeks or so. According to Dr. Ray Peat, gelatin/collagen can make up about 30% of total protein intake, which equates to 3-6 tablespoons per day for the typical personal (1 tablespoon of collagen = 6 grams of protein).
How to get collagen in your diet:
There are a few easy ways to get collagen protein in your diet….
1. Use collagen as you would a protein powder in your smoothie.
2. Add a little bit into ice cream, juice, yogurt, baked goods or desserts for a little collagen protein boost.
3. Use gelatin to make fruit snacks, gummies or bars.
4. Make mineral and glycine-rich bone broth.
You can find a variety of recipes with gelatin and/or collagen right here. While my favorite way is my weekly batch of Saturday pancakes, the following are reader favorites:
Double Chocolate Ice Cream with Coconut Milk
Chocolate Lava Cake (gluten free)
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (with coconut milk)
And a seasonal recipe you’ve got to try!
Peach Blueberry Smoothie (add to a blender and enjoy!):
1 ripe peach
1/2 cup fresh or frozen organic blueberries
2 pastured egg yolks
1 1/2 scoops Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides (about 2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 tablespoons simple syrup
1 coconut milk ice-cube (blend 1 can of coconut milk and freeze it as ice cubes for easy smoothies)
2 tablespoons water
Where to find:
Several months ago I was introduced to the Vital Proteins brand and have used it for the last several months. I have to say it’s my new go-to brand for gelatin and collagen. One of the reasons I’m naturally drawn to Vital Proteins is their commitment to sourcing pasture raised and grass-fed cows. According to Vital Proteins, they source pasture raised bovine hides exclusively from Brazil where the cattle industry is based on perennial tropical grass pasture systems which align with the Global Animal Partnership’s 5-step Animal Welfare Rating Standards. Brazil is also home to laws that prohibits the addition of hormones to feed. I’m impressed with their commitment to sourcing and transparency.
You can find Vital Proteins Collagen here.
So tell me, do you use gelatin or collagen in your diet? Please share in the comments!
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References:
Broth is Beautiful by Sally Fallon Morell
Gelatin, stress, longevity by Ray Peat
Meat, Organs, Bones and Skin by Christopher Masterjohn
Traditional Bone Broth in Modern Health and Disease by Allison Siebecker
Why Broth is Beautiful: Essential Roles for Proline, Glycine and Gelatin by Kaayla Daniel
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BUTTERNUTRITION20 coupon code is being rejected as not valid
Hi Jerri,
So sorry about this! I’ve notified the company, but in the meantime, you can always proceed with an order by phone (224.544.9110), or by placing an online order and then emailing them at [email protected] with your Name & Order Number, along with the correlating Coupon Code (BUTTERNUTRITION20). They will then gladly apply a 20% credit. FREE shipping will automatically be included in all U.S. orders.
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I would like to be using collagen, but am unable to have anything sourced from red meats, poultry, or marine (amongst other things!) Is there another form of collagen I can buy?
Hi Rob,
This may or may not interest you but I recently got some cricket powder (yes, crickets, they’re much more eco-friendly to raise then any other livestock with a low carbon foot-print). Since with cricket flour or powder you’re eating the entire animal it’s the perfect protein with all of the essential amino acids, much like collagen. If you’re interested you can buy protein bars made with them or experiment with the powder here’s a link on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Cricket-Flour-Peruvian-Chocolate-American/dp/B014EPOX9K
Well, I certainly never thought of that!! Unfortunately, on clicking the link I see the product has chocolate in it – which is yet another food I cannot eat….. Thanks for the suggestion, though – definitely thinking ‘outside the box’!
Anyway, eating insects would be worse than eating porc.
Bone broth and gelatin powder have been lifesavers for me! I’d developed joint, tooth, and gum issues after many years of really restrictive dieting and juice fasting. This is the only thing I’ve noticed that’s beginning to help me heal and be less achy and prone to injury. I’m taking lots too – probably a couple scoops of gelatin in a smoothie and a cup of broth with my other two meals. Amazing stuff.
Please comment on the free glutamic acid in collagen and bone broth. I have epilepsy and am avoid MSG and free glutamic acid which are in any protein that has been processed (even heated at very low temp for a long period of time). Any protein that has been processed frees up the glutamic acid which can react like MSG and trigger electrical imbalances, etc. in the brain. Are you famiiar with this and what do you recommend for someone like me who needs the glycine and the benefits of collagen and bone broth but cannot handle the free glutamic acid which is very,very high in these foods. [email protected]
Hi Kayla! Thank you for the excellent question. We hope this helps provide some clarity, for you and others.
Glutamic acid is a naturally occurring , non-essential amino acid found in eggs, milk, beef, and chicken. Our Collagen Peptides contain 2.3 grams of glutamic acid per 18 grams of protein (2 scoops), which is lower than most protein sources. An equivalent serving of beef with 18 grams of protein would contain 2.7 grams of glutamic acid.
MSG (Mono Sodium Glutamate) is different in that it is free form glutamic acid, meaning it is not bound to other amino acids in a protein structure and is unnatural. Glutamic acid is a valuable amino acid for muscles, intestinal lining, and other body functions that is best obtained with whole proteins. MSG sensitivities can cause someone to react to the glutamic acid in foods, including collagen, however, those who are sensitive can also react to a home-made bone broth, or other high glutamine protein sources.
Dr. Kaayla Daniel has an excellent article on this topic here:
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/bone-broth-msg-what-you-need-to-know/
do I buy collagen peptides or collagen protein please?
I’ve used Vital Proteins Collagen for a long time, I usually use an enough amount to help gain my muscles and increase my weight. It actually helps me a lot.
My name is lydia I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroid and I am looseing my hair it is very thin and I am depressed how can I gain or stop from losing my hair plz help me
Lydia-
Me too. After several months the hair loss slowed on its own. I take a keratin hair and nail vitamin, -too new to tell if it is helping. My nails used to be very strong, now they are soft and peel..
I use the collagen peptides. I mix it in with darker teas like black or oolong teas. It disolves well and is relatively tasteless. My reason for using it is that I think that it may support my thyroid. I used to have a slight chilled fealing or even a feeling like I had sensitive skin. It is hard to describe, but my self-diagnoisis is that it helps. Since I try to eat less meat, I also use it as a protein source.
An understanding of the Detoxification Pathways diagram when it was used in a previous artical on this blog changed my life around. I was in pretty bad shape and changed my eating around. During that process, I stumbled upon grapefruit juice making me feel better while detoxifying. I was trying to take in vitamin C as indicated in the chart for phase 1. I later learned that grapefruite juice can slow the phase 1 detoxification. However, that was a good thing. If I felt nausiated, grapefruit juice seem to work well in reducing nausea by slowing down my detoxification until the phase 2 detoxification could catch up. I was guessing on how to proceed, but I listened to my body and thought that these approaches were what my body was telling me to do.
I recently started using gelatin in my morning coffee and within a week have noticed a huge change in the texture of my skin. My skin is super smooth and soft, even without using any moisturizer in this cooler, drier weather! My nails are also a lot healthier… I love it 🙂
Is collagen protein from cow s considered dairy if you are to eliminate dairy
I take collagen daily, but I use genacol, how does your product compare by quality and price?
Are there preservatives in this collagen product? Preservatives give me migraines and sinus issues.
I have started using Proteins Collagen in small amounts that aid me in gaining my muscles and maintain my weight which was lowering down.
I buy grass fed beef bone knuckles and boil for 36 hours. Then freeze in 1/4 cup increments. I make dandelion tea with the 1/4 cup portions every day. This regime seems to have cured SIBO.
My skin was very wrinkled after extensive chemotherapy. Now I look younger than my calendar age.
I don’t know if bone broth contributed to my strength recovery. I’m as strong as ever.
I’ve been using another brand of collagen for close to a year. Began taking for my joints, which are pain free I might add. Add one heaping tablespoon to my coffee. I knew it was good for your gut but hadn’t heard about the liver so that was nice to find out. I also must add that my skin never looked better. Very interesting article. Thanks for the info.
Can you use this if you have issues with histamine?
I would also love to know as I was just diagnosed with mast cell activation disorder which was mimicking other diseases like fibromyalgia, CFS and lupus.
I was following this protocol for hypothyroidism for some time and was doing pretty good!
Then I embarked on milk cure diet consuming only raw pasture milk for 3 weeks. All went well and I gained weight and felt stronger but towards the end of the 3. Week I swelled so bad and stirred to suffer major flare.
This led me to think I may have histamine issues.
I researched an immunologist who performed tests and he indeed diagnosed me with mast cell activation disorder.
I really want to go back to this protocol but I am trying to be on low histamine due to lot of swelling. My histamine is causing me to have vasculitis which is extremely draining.
Interestingly I am not allergic to anything just have a lot of histamine build up in my system to point I get lupus symptoms like butterfly rash and swelling and lupus cutaneous rashes.
I really want to take collagen but it is high in histamine!
Any suggestions please. Will really appreciate it!
Hi. Yes I use Vital proteins 🙂
I have been taking 2 spoons (that comes with the container) in my morning smoothie for about 2 months. Should I increase it to 4 spons? Should I feel a difference if I increase?
Thank you 🙂