Collagen for the Plant-Based Lifestyle [VLOG #103]

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Transcript:

Note: The following is the output of transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate. This is due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. It is posted as an aid, but should not be treated as an authoritative record.

Hi Beauties,

Our vlog topic today is on Collagen for a Plant-Based Lifestyle. I’m sure you’re aware collagen and collagen supplements are a huge trend right now. They are everywhere. There are powders and foods that are fortified and supplemented with collagen.

You may be wondering whether you’re missing out or if you need to spend money on it. What is it supposed to do? I want to give you my thoughts and ideas and opinions on it today.

What is Collagen?

Let’s talk about collagen first. Collagen is something that our bodies naturally produce. It’s an abundant protein in our body which helps to strengthen connective tissues. It helps with our skin, hair, our nail health. From a beauty perspective, collagen is something that we’re all interested in boosting.

Unfortunately, as we age, collagen production tends to slow down. Collagen is one of those proteins in our body where there’s a lot of discussion on. It’s one of those things that we definitely want to boost and maintain.

Collagen supplements are unfortunately made from hydrolyzed skin and bones of various animals that are ground down and turned into a dissolvable powder. Those of us that are not eating animal products and eating plant-based, definitely cannot ingest those sorts of products.

My Take on Collagen Supplements

If you want beautiful skin and nails, it doesn’t mean you have to eat skin and hooves from animals. There are a lot of things that we can do lifestyle and diet-wise, that will boost the collagen in our skin. We don’t have to resort to taking these collagen products and worry that we’re missing out.

Additionally, studies have shown that health improvements from taking collagen supplements are very new and done with very small sample sizes.

I personally prefer to rely on plant-based sources that promote collagen production. Plant-based sources that are super nutrient dense have incredible plant intelligence to help your skin, hair and nail health.

Collagen Sources

Think about the energy of these powders, which are basically dead, decaying matter. They are the skin, bone and different parts of the animal, ground down and processed.

It’s a very different energy than from plant foods that are vibrant and living. Again, these foods have thousands of different co-factors, vitamins and minerals and a living quality. To me, we want to boost our beauty. There’s a lot of energy that goes into that, and plant foods supply these needs.

Vitamin C

First of all, there’s endless studies on vitamin C, that vitamin C is necessary for collagen synthesis. It supports skin elasticity, protects skin from UV-induced photo damage and combats aging signs like wrinkles.

Vitamin C is in abundance in plant foods like fruits and vegetables, broccoli, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage, red bell peppers, brussels sprouts, papaya, strawberries, leafy green vegetables. Basically everything in your Glowing Green Smoothie®.

Drink hot water with lemon in the morning, incorporate fruits and veggies, and you’re going to get a ton of vitamin C. All of which is incredibly powerful for your skin. Long-term research has really backed this up, and again, collagen supplements do not have that long-term breadth of studies and research behind it.

Silica

Next is silica. Silica is an important mineral for collagen production and it works with vitamin C to build that really healthy connective tissue – resulting in beautiful healthy skin, which is what we’re all looking for.

In fact, a study from 2016 showed that silica is necessary for optimal collagen synthesis and it improves skin and hair health. Great sources of silica include radishes, cucumbers, bananas, beets, dark leafy greens and brown rice.

Benefits from Natural Collagen Sources

If you fill your diet specifically with these foods that contain vitamin C, silica, and all the minerals and vitamins that are found in our Solluna diet, you are going to optimize your body’s natural collagen production. You don’t need to take collagen supplements. I do not take them. I don’t recommend them myself.

Again, for many reasons I do not think they’re necessary. I think lifestyle and diet plays a huge factor. Also for healthy skin, you want to sleep well, make sure you’re hydrated and that you’re using the right skincare products.

You want to do all the things that we talk about here in our four cornerstones of true beauty philosophy. When you do, you are going to have beautiful, amazing skin without collagen supplements.

Collagen Supplements

However, if you’re still interested in taking them, there are a couple brands like Sunwarrior which have vegan collagen supplements. You can explore those if you’re interested. BONUS: use the code FEELGOOD to get 20% off at checkout at sunwarrior.com.

Again, I personally do not take those. I do believe in diet and consistency. Every day, again, having these foods, drinking your Glowing Green Smoothie® is going to give you glowing, beautiful skin.

In Closing

I hope this helped Beauties. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Other than that, thank you so much for tuning in and I will see you next week. Till then, lots and lots of love.