I recently mentioned on social media that I was adding collagen to my coffee every morning in order to get collagen into my diet more often. Quickly people asked me what collagen I was using and why. So I thought I would throw all that information into a blog post for you and let you know what I’ve been using lately and the benefits I’ve been seeing! Here’s the thing – I’ve known for quite a while that I’ve needed to get more collagen in my diet, mostly because all my smart friends were doing it. And they told me all the benefits of collagen but the only things I really heard were that it grows your hair and nails, and helps with cellulite and tightening the elasticity of the skin. One of my girlfriends who is 10 years older than me and is super hippy always pushed me to add it into my diet, and she rarely pushes any of her hippy beliefs, so I finally did it. I sure as hell want longer hair, nails, and less wrinkles, so why not?! And it’s been super easy to add in!
But first, let’s just chat about some of the benefits of collagen because it’s pretty rad!
- It enhances your skin by restoring the skin’s moisture, improving the elasticity, tone and vibrance and therefore reducing wrinkles!
- It reduces cellulite and prevents stretch marks!
- It helps your hair and nails grow, naturally!
- It supports healthy teeth and gums!
- It balances your hormones!
- It supports bone and joint health by preventing bone loss and relieving joint pain!
- It helps improve and repair muscle tissue and helps with inflammation and recovery!
- It aids digestion and can help repair leaky gut!
- It improves sleep quality!
- And a bunch of other sh*t that surpasses my understanding of the body
So it obviously does a ton of cool stuff! And it’s easy to add into drinks or shakes and is often unflavored so you don’t even notice it! What I’ve been doing recently is adding 1-2 tablespoons of it into my daily life, simply adding 1 tablespoon to my coffee (thank you to the reader who recommended that!) and 1 tablespoon to something else later on in the day! Every morning I wake up, I make my cup of coffee then add 1 tablespoon of collagen with my splash of heavy cream and some stevia extract and you can’t even tell it’s in your coffee!!
I’ve been using two different kinds of collagen lately and enjoy both of them so I usually switch between the two of them!
- Vital Proteins Pasture-Raised, Grass-Fed Collagen Peptides
- Great Lakes Gelatin, Collagen Hydrolysate, Pasture-Raised Grass-Fed
Vital Proteins is an awesome brand that has a bunch of different collagen products, but I seem to like this product the most. The only thing that I’ve noticed is that I taste more of a “beefy” flavor/aftertaste to it when I add it to anything. So I usually add this one to protein shake or anything that has a more intense flavor and will cover up this one.
Great Lakes is what I use in my coffee every day because it doesn’t seem to have any weird flavor or aftertaste for me. I think it tastes like nothing so it’s a great additive for coffee every morning!
Benefits I’ve seen so far from collagen – I think noticing benefits can sometimes be difficult. Honestly, I’ve been a lot less sore lately BUT I’ve also been doing less CrossFit and more boot camp style classes like Orange Theory, so I’m not sure if it has to do with that. My nails have DEFINITELY grown faster. But those are the only benefits I’ve seen so far after adding in collagen daily for over a month. Even though those are the only benefits I’ve seen, I think of collagen as a long-term thing, just like working out or eating healthy. I may not see the benefits right away, but I will long-term so I just stick with it.
The other thing I get questions about all.the.time is protein powder. Here are my thoughts on protein powder:
- You can eat real food and get the same benefits without the sugar
- You’ll stay fuller longer if you’re eating real food compared to having a shake
- Shakes should be used for days that workouts are extremely intense – and not every day is super intense
- I do not believe in shakes being a meal replacement, and if it is, it shouldn’t be very often
These are simply MY beliefs. I used to train WAY harder when I competed in CrossFit. So when I look at my workouts now compared to what they used to be, I don’t see myself always needing a shake to help me recover right away so I can workout later in the day. What I’ve noticed is I almost get slightly addicted to them. It will be the only thing I think about in my workout. And that’s probably caused by the sugar. And then once I drink them, I’m hungry within 30 minutes of consuming it, which seems to defeat the purpose in my opinion. So for post workout – I just eat real food. I eat breakfast or lunch or dinner, or I just have a food-snack. But on days I feel like treating myself or if I did a workout that made me feel like I couldn’t function afterwards, I’ll have a shake. You can see a ton of my favorite shake recipes here!
Below are the two different whey protein powders I prefer to use:
- Primal Kitchen Primal Whey Fuel Protein Powder – Chocolate Coconut
- Primal Kitchen Primal Whey Fuel Protein Powder – Vanilla Coconut
Both of these protein powders are delicious, sweetened naturally, only have a few ingredients, are gluten free, and they don’t upset my stomach! I probably make a shake once or twice a week since I consider it a treat. And when I make those shakes, I add in frozen bananas, ground chia seed, flaxseed meal, and collagen – to make sure I’m getting the most bang for my buck!
Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section below and I’ll answer them the best I can! Hope this helps you with figuring out your own diet and needs!
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I may be compensated through my affiliate links in this post, but all opinions are my own. This compensation helps with expenses to keep this blog up and running! Thank you for your support with PaleOMG!
Do you ever count your macros? Or have you in the past?
i do not and i have not. i have a podcast about that, actually! https://paleomg.com/paleomg-uncensored-podcast-episode-6-macros-supplements-protein-powder/
I cannot have any dairy. I have been using a vegan protein powder but wasn’t excited about all the ingredients. I recently found a bone broth protein powder by a company called Ancient Nutrition. I was wondering if you have any thoughts on this product in the Paleo world! Thank you!
i haven no clue, i don’t know much about vegan protein powders
I can’t tolerate whey and swear by the Ancient Nutrition Bone Broth powder. It’s good for your gut, skin, muscles, joints, etc. It says Paleo friendly on the package 😉
Jennifer, I can’t do whey either, so thanks for sharing this. I’ll look into it!
Just curious, when you say you cannot tolerate whey, is it due to a reaction you get from it or is it the taste? For me, I cannot stand the taste of whey. I’ve tried many protein shakes in the past trying to find one I could drink, but I can taste the whey in every one of them and for me, it’s just gross. Does anyone else agree about the Great Lakes Collagen having no taste? How about the texture, is there any? Thanks for any help and advice.
Megan- try PureWOD protein powder. It’s made with beef isolate, therefore dairy free (and no, it does not taste like beef, at all).
I just got the ancient nutrition vanilla bone broth protein and it’s SO GOOD! It tastes like golden oreos to me…I just mixed it with unsweetened almond milk. SO GOOD. I would 100% suggest it
Dr Josh Axe makes that bone north protein and he’s amazing! He also is partnered with Jordan Reuben, previously with Garden of Life, which is the vegan protein I have used for over 3 years now. I’ve not found anything I like better and I add in collagen every morning. I won’t consume whey protein either and I’m not vegan. Hope this helps!
Hi Have you found a non dairy/vegan powder with that will supply the same benefits?
no, not vegan.
try KOS plant base organic vegan, I just tried the vanilla and its a taste I need to get used to but the ingredients are super good so its worth it.
I recently purchased the Vital Proteins Collagen and hadnt done anything with it yet so I got up and googled for an article this morning and the articles were meh. Then BOOM instagram notification from Paleomg and there appears and article that I was just searching for.
Mind reader- Thank you
I know you avoid eggs for acne reasons and use Acutane, but I recently started adding collagen to my coffee each morning as well and have noticed NO ACNE! I used to constantly have one or two around my chin area and haven’t had any in a while now (knock on wood!)! Like you said, it’s super easy to add collagen to your coffee in the morning and you don’t even notice it’s in there. I can’t believe all of the benefits from collagen!! I’ve been using Sports Research pure hydrolyzed collagen peptides. Thanks for posting about this!
Thanks for posting this! I have issues with acne too and maybe this will help!
Hi Julie! Love love love your blog and recipes. I’m super interested in the benefits of collagen for reducing cellulite but your kick ass body looks like it doesn’t have an ounce of cellulite on it. My question is you noticed your nail growth but not cellulite reduction, is that because you don’t have any? Do any of the friends you mentioned have any experience with that? Thx!!!
yes, i have plenty of cellulite, i just haven’t noticed a difference in my cellulite from using collagen
I’ve been using Vital Proteins collagen for about a month as well. I feel as if my hair is a lot more shiny, but that could just be wishful thinking! Other than that, I haven’t seen any noticeable results, but will keep it up because I think in the long term, as I get older and my skin ages, the extra collagen will be an added benefit!
What is Whey?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whey_protein
When I read the line “my friend is 10 years old and super hippy,” I thought you meant she had a big butt!! LOL It wasn’t until the next line that I figured it out! I guess because I have a JLo ass!! What heavy cream and liquid stevia do you use? Also a question about bone broth, is it a sub for stock and you can just drink it as a broth as well?
Also, I have been doing your workouts on Saturdays and they are kicking my ass! Thank you for all you do and share!
whatever grass fed heavy cream i can find. and the 365 brand stevia extract. and yes, it is a sub for stock and you can just drink it
Why do you split up your two table spoons of Collagen? I add two Tbls in my coffee in the morning. I’m wondering if, like with protein, there is only so much your body can use at one time, so the rest may be excreted and of no benefit. Is that why you split it up? I’ve never thought about it before, but your post made me wonder. Maybe I should split and consume at two different times. Thanks!
i just like to, no rhyme or reason
I add two tbsp to my coffee every morning as well. I use Great Lakes and the recommended disage is 2 rounded tbsp twice a day.
I’d love to know more about the cellulite reducing? Has anyone actually noticed it?