Hello, beautiful humans!
A lot of you know that I use Collagen Peptides in my coffee every. single. morning. Ever since I started using it and posting about my undying love for the product, I have gotten a lot of questions about what collagen peptides are and what the health benefits and purpose of using them are!
I have learned a lot about the subject in the last few months due to working closely with Vital Proteins, and getting the lowdown on allllll the benefits from their awesome team. Plus, my skincare guru Lisa Hyde (listen to my podcast episode 8 to soak in her wisdom!) has been telling me about the benefits of collagen forever, and so has my nutritionist Kelly Leveque (podcast episode 5!).
( Sidenote, after I told the VP team that I was suffering from longtime hormone issues, they also sent me a bunch of Beef Liver, which has been a godsend, and I will be writing a separate post about that next week! Collagen ALSO helps hormone balance — but mainly it helps to balance out the negative effects of hormone imbalance like hair, skin, nail, bone issues! )
But today is all about COLLAGEN — so let’s dig in.
ALSO, we are doing a GIVEAWAYYYY of this RAD AMAZING PRODUCT below, so if you are skimming this post — just giving you a heads up so you don’t miss the opportunity to enter!
I’ll be real, I first learned about Vital Proteins & their collagen peptides by closely following (i.e. stalking) Jeannette Ogden of @shutthekaleup. If you are looking for an insanely inspirational + fun human to follow on Insta who has ALL of the best eats + wellness tips, check her out. She also loves rap music and has a freakishly cute baby so she is basically the best person to follow ever. (She will also be on the podcast this month!)
Just had to say that because I am so pleased that she kept posting about Vital Proteins, because I became intrigued by the product AND by their super cute + sleek branding, and had to see what they were all about for myself.
Skip ahead — I reach out, they send me product, I fall in love, I bring the collagen peptide stick packs with me everywhere, I sneak collagen into my parents’ coffee, I include the product on my holiday gift guide, I add it into my every day Bulletproof coffee recipe + routine, I include it in ALL of my photo shoots (“I’ll definitely wanna have these photos on hand, K Ash?” – Me) and I basically become a walking ambassador for the product because I bring it up to people on the daily.
So how could I not share the deets with you today!??!?
Let’s talk health benefits!
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides are sourced from grass-fed, pasture-raised bovine hides (so no, they’re not vegan — sorry veg peeps!), which ensures a natural, high quality, and sustainable source of nutrients. While they are not vegan, they are totally Kosher, Gluten Free, dairy-free, paleo and Whole-30 approved!
The main thing to know about collagen is that it is the most abundant protein in the body, as it supports the vitality of our skin, hair, tendons, cartilage, bones, and joints. When we do rigorous workouts or pound the pavement (runners, listen up!!) it breaks down the collagen that our body produces — so it’s extra important to take that extra step to replenish by adding it to our diets.
Collagen is SUPER hydrating to the skin, because it adds nourishment into the deep depths of our skin that are impossible to reach through topical skincare, healthy lifestyle etc.! Upon ingestion collagen is absorbed in our small intestine and then delivered to our skin through the bloodstream. Once we strengthen the collagen network in our skin from the inside out, it can better hold in water and hyaluronic acid (also key for glowy skin + keeping moisture in).
Also, it’s good to keep in mind that collagen is much better absorbed when we ingest it rather than using topical forms of collagen or relying on the body’s sole production of it. Collagen molecules are actually too big for our skin to absorb from the outside! So ingesting it, bringing it to the inside — to our small intestine and then our bloodstream — is the most effective way for our skin, hair nails, bones, cartilage and joints to reap the benefits.
Amazing, right?! Now let’s talk flavor.
The main question I’ve gotten from you guys is HOW does it taste, and does it have a taste at all? Great question!
Vital Proteins has two different types of Collagen Peptides — their new vanilla (HEAVEN!) and O.G. unflavored. When you add the unflavored into your coffee or a smoothie or juice, as long as it’s properly mixed or blended in, then you don’t taste it at all. It does add a bit of consistency to the liquid, sort of like a smoothie powder, but it’s nothing super noticeable. If anything, I enjoy the consistency it brings to my coffee!
The vanilla does have a flavor. It’s similar to a vanilla smoothie powder and also has a hint of coconut to it. In my opinion it tastes extremely natural and reminds me of vanilla bean ice cream and you can even see the little Madagascar vanilla bean flecks in the powder itself.
Both flavors have 20g of collagen per serving, which is an amazing source of nutrients for our bodies / skin! 1 scoop also has 90 calories, and 18g of protein. Pretty unreal, especially for exercise junkies like myself who are always looking for extra ways to sneak in the protein.
The Vanilla Collagen Peptides also have probiotics in them, which are of course great for our gut health and digestion. No wonder starting my day with Collagen Bulletproof makes me feel so dang ah-mazing.
There are NO fillers and NO preservatives in these products. Total staples in my diet, as I would never want to put anything fake into my body that I use on the DAILY.
So, to wrap it up:
If this was a lot of info for you to digest, let’s keep it simple and recap:
- Collagen is amazing for our hair, skin, nails, tendons, bones and cartilage.
- Collagen is best absorbed by ingesting it, so adding pure & natural sources of collagen into our diets is the way to go if we want to reap the benefits from the inside out.
- Collagen promotes youthful, hydrated skin, hair + nails by diving deep into our layers of skin after being absorbed straight into the bloodstream.
- You can choose between flavors, if you prefer the unflavored variety and just want to enjoy the health benefits, OR go with the vanilla if you’re looking for a yummy flavor to switch up your coffee or smoothies with.
- Each serving has 20g collagen, 18g protein, and 90 calories. The nutrient profile is here is INSANE, if those numbers don’t mean much to you upon first glance!
- The product is gluten-free, dairy-free, kosher, paleo, Whole-30 approved, totally natural with no preservatives or fillers, and FULLL of nutrients that your body and skin will be obsessed with.
GIVEAWAY!
Vital Proteins has been kind enough to partner with me to do a GIVEAWAY for you guys of this amazing product!!!
To enter, follow both of us on Instagram (they’re @vitalproteins, I’m @thebalancedblonde… which you probably know if you’re here, hehe) AND comment on THIS blog post + my INSTAGRAM post about why you want to try this product and how you think it would enhance your life.
(Bonus points if you take a sec to “rate + review” my PODCAST on iTunes, where I will soon be talking more about collagen and other similar types of supplements for our diet!)
I really only host giveaways for products I freakishly love, so this is a fun added bonus I am super stoked to be sharing with you guys. Will be choosing a winner a WEEK from today, so enter up!
Lastly…
I have to close out by saying that while I am extremely lucky and grateful to be partnering with Vital Proteins on my blog & social channels, I would have written this blog post and continued posting about them on social media REGARDLESS of any type of compensation. I wholeheartedly believe this is a product everyone should know about, and I do believe that adding Collagen Peptides into your diet is 150% worth the investment.
For those who have mentioned that they are bummed the product is not vegan due to the bovine hides, I just have to point out that there are no clean, efficient sources of collagen for the body that are 100% vegan. If veganism works for you, amazing! I personally experienced a lot of skin problems and nutrient deficiencies when I was vegan — and I wish I knew of a product I could recommend that would help with that. (You could try b12 supplements but they don’t work quite the magic that these peptides do!).
YES!!! So check them out, show them some love, enter our GIVEAWAY, and please let me know what you think of the product if you choose to introduce it into your life! You will NOT be sorry!! MUAH! #MOISTSKINFORLIFE
*PS if you’re not a coffee person and you want to get on the Bulletproof / Collagen train, I would add MCT oil + collagen into a hot green tea or a clean protein shake!!!