All right, so today we are going to talk about collagen. More specifically, we are going to talk about collagen creams and why they don’t work. I am sure many of you have heard how wonderful collagen creams are supposed to be and how they are the next best thing to botox. Well sadly they are not and here’s why.
I think the first thing ya’ll need to know is the definition of collagen.
Collagen ” an insoluble fibrous protein of vertebrates that is the chief constituent of the fibrils of connective tissue (as in skin and tendons) and of the organic substance of bones and yields gelatin and glue on prolonged heating with water“- http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collagen
Now if ya’ll remember I did another post not too long ago, about how the skin absorbs certain particles and that these particles have to be less than 500 Daltons. Well one of the smallest collagen molecules is about 3,000 Daltons which is definitely too big for your skin to absorb. So basically collagen cream is just a really, really expensive ($25-$170) moisturizer!
But don’t fear there are still other ways to get collagen. Like eating it! How you say? In gelatin form of course, because as you remember from the definition of collagen gelatin is collagen just boiled down and dried out.
So how do you go about eating this gelatin? Well you could make jello. I personally add a big spoonful to my cup of coffee or tea in the morning. When adding gelatin to any hot liquid you need to first dissolve it in a cool liquid or else you will end up with a big ooey-gooey glopy mess! You can also add gelatin to soups and stews or protein shakes in the morning. Speaking of protein 1 tablespoon of gelatin has 6g of protein. There are lots of other ways to incorporate gelatin into your diet.
We recommend using Bernard Jensen or Great Lakes Gelatin. Both come from grass fed cows! Great Lakes also makes a Collagen Hydrolysate, which gives you all the benefits of gelatin without the gelling factor so you can use it in just about anything.
