I know you have heard about collagen. Maybe you don’t know what it is, but after this post you will! Our bodies are held together by collagen and as we age, our bodies lose more and more collagen. Supplements aren’t necessary but they can be super helpful in nutrients you are lacking. The same goes for collagen. Let’s get into all things about the best collagen powders and supplements to get you to look and feel your best. Learn more about collagen from my first blog post here.
The first thing I am going to say when it comes to collagen supplement, ingest them. There are collagen creams but the most effective way to get collagen into your body and benefit your ENTIRE body is with powders, pills, or liquid forms of collagen.
Collagen Powders & Supplements
When it comes to choosing the best collagen powder or supplement, you need to figure out what works best for you. The supplements will only work if you are consistent in taking them every day. If you like the idea of taking a pill choose one of those, but if you have a smoothie every day, you can opt for more of a powder.
In a collagen supplement, look for:
- Pasture-raised or grass-fed sources
- Added Vitamin C and hyaluronic acid
- Hydrolyzed Bovine Collagen Powder
- Collagen types 1, 2, 3, & 4
- Third-Party validation
- Amino Acids (source)
When looking for the best collagen powders and supplements, look for ‘pasture-raised” or “grass-fed” supplements to make sure they are from a good source. These types of supplements are not only good for your body but also for the environment because they naturally fertilize the soil and reduce grain production.
Additionally, look for collagen that adds vitamin C and hyaluronic acid for maximum collagen absorption.
If you are looking for a collagen mainly for beauty purposes, look for hydrolyzed bovine collagen powder, which will absorb into your body better because it is a smaller size.
There are like 28 different types of collagen but the ones you want to look for supplements that contain types 1, 2, 3, & 4. Types 1 & 3 are the most potent so make sure it has at least these 2. More than 3-4 types of collagen could be watered down or less effective.
Collagen isn’t approved or certified by the FDA, so make sure your supplement is backing up their claims by a third party. Look for seals from USP, NSF, or UL when purchasing products.
We need 20 different amino acids to function properly. Look for a supplement with a bunch of them listed. The more, the better.
**Higher amounts of collagen in a supplement doesn’t mean it will give you better results.
Best Collagen Powders & Supplements
Best Overall Collagen: Great Lakes Gelatin
- This collagen went through third party trials to get their stamp of approval for the brand and their collagen to confirm what they claim on their bottle.
- They are also free of many allergens.
Best Powder: Vital Proteins
- This collagen sources their collagen from the best of the best sources and adds vitamin C in the mix to help with the collagen and hyaluronic acid absorption.
- This powder helps with performance in athletes and people who want to move better.
- I personally use this one the most. I will sometimes try others but I always come back to this one.
Best Pills: Reserveage Collagen Booster
- This collagen pill’s main ingredient is “BioCell Collagen®.” It is a patented hydrolyzed chicken sternal cartilage extract that contains a naturally-occurring matrix of hydrolyzed collagen type II, as well as chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid” (source).
- These capsules target aging or sun-damaged skin. It also can help with joint pain and maintain healthy joints.
Best for Gut Health: Ancient Nutrition Collagen
- Ancient nutrition collagen is made of different collagen sources. It’s a good source of Type I, II, III, V and X collagens.
- It has benefits such as joint protection, immunity-boosting, and restoring gut health.
Vegan Collagen Supplements
If you are on a vegan diet, you might be asking how you get collagen into your diet if it comes from animals. Well, you are in luck because scientists are able to use genetically engineered microorganisms, like yeast, to make vegan collagen.
This process to create vegan collagen is expensive and as of November 2020, there isn’t any out there that has scientific research proving the claim to help produce collagen within the body or its safety. When they claim to be vegan collagen peptides the manufacturers are claiming it themselves and don’t have to provide proof.
Therefore, since there aren’t really any vegan collagen supplements, there are vegan collagen boosters. Booster means it’s filled with naturally occurring nutrients that promote collagen production.
How To Stimulate Collagen in Vegans
Garden of Life Vegan Collagen Builder contains B vitamins, vitamin C, silica, biotin, and antioxidant-packed pomegranate, turmeric, green, and rooibos tea to support strong, healthy hair, skin, and nails.
You need to increase the nutrients in a vegan’s diet to help increase collagen production. To do this they need to eat the right foods high in amino acids, vitamin C, zinc, copper, and other nutrients. These nutrients can help the body make more collagen on it’s own. (source)
However, if you don’t want to take a bunch of supplements you can incorporate the following foods that are high in the top 3 amino acids, glycine, lysine, and proline, to help stimulate collagen production.
- soy products: tempeh, tofu, and soy protein
- black beans
- kidney beans
- many other legumes
- seeds: especially pumpkin, squash, sunflower, and chia
- nuts: pistachio, peanut, and cashew
How long does it take for collagen supplements to work?
Once you ingest your collagen supplement, it gets absorbed into the bloodstream right away and is used by your body within an hour.
It will take a while to feel or see a difference depending on why you initially started taking collagen.
If you take it daily, you can see/feel results within 4-6 weeks. However, everyone is different, and results depend on your goals and your body will determine your results.
If you don’t see results within 6 weeks, don’t give up. Keep taking it because our body needs it regardless with the decline in production as we age.
How Much Collagen Should I Take Per Day?
How much collagen you take after choosing the best collagen powder for you depends on your goals.
Most collagen powders have about 15-20 grams per scoop and I would say that is average for most people to take. Make sure you check the serving size and collagen amount in the supplements you choose.
There is a lot of conflicting information out there about how much you should take, but here is a collagen calculator from Vital Proteins to help you determine how much you should be taking.
I personally take 2 scoops of the collagen powder I am using at the time. My go to, Vital Proteins, contains 20 grams per 2 scoops. There aren’t really any side effects if you take too much collagen. If you do, you might experience fullness, a bad taste depending on what type of supplement you are taking, or heartburn.
How To Take Collagen Effectively
The key to collagen is taking it consistently. Figure out a way that is convenient for you and stick to it. Some people like the pills over the powders and some like the liquid. It’s all what works for you.
If you choose a powder supplement, DO NOT mix with just water and shake. It is disgusting and you won’t stick to it.
Every morning I have protein oatmeal, check out my recipe here. In it I put my collagen in with my protein powder. But I have it every day so I know I will get my collagen in.
Some people just add it to their smoothies and Vital Protein has a coffee creamer collagen supplement you can try. I haven’t tried it.
The trick with collagen powder is you want to put it in something substantial.
Maybe make a batch of morning protein bars to get collagen in every morning. Whatever works for you.
How are you going to implement collagen into your diet?
XO, Annie
