We get our fair share of collagen questions at Vital Proteins® — everything from "what is collagen?" to "when is the best time to take collagen?" Today, we’re tackling the latter to make your collagen journey as seamless and as possible.
Keep reading to learn more about when you should be scooping, stirring & enjoying our collagen supplements. Plus, take a deep dive into all things collagen – what it is, how it benefits the body and a quick breakdown of our fan-favorite collagen products.
First Things First: What Is Collagen?
We can't start a "collagen 101" explainer without addressing the all-important question: What is collagen? In Jennifer Aniston's words, "collagen is the glue that holds everything together." And she's right. As the body’s most abundant protein, collagen helps provide structure to hair, skin, nails, joints, bones, ligaments and tendons. Thanks to collagen, we're better able to move, bend and stretch. Collagen is also behind helping hair shine, skin glow and nails stay strong.**
Collagen For Skin**
Collagen is important for the skin in a number of ways. When it comes to aging skin, collagen keeps it firm, plump, hydrated and supple. As we age, our body's natural collagen production begins to decline, which may lead to the appearance of fine lines and sagging skin. In the skin tissue, collagen adds firmness and elasticity.
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Collagen For Joints, Muscles & Ligaments**
Ligaments, joints and tendons are all part of the intricate matrix in our body largely consisting of collagen. Eating a healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise and including foods rich in collagen are a few ways to help keep these important parts of our bodies well-oiled and strong. Vital Proteins' wide variety of ingestible collagen products replace what modern food processing has removed from our diets by restoring and promoting collagen production, which is the key to muscle and ligament health. After an intense workout, it's this fact alone that helps you push harder, farther and longer, getting you back on your feet and helping you dig deeper into every bit of movement.
So, When Is The Best Time To Take Collagen?
As previously mentioned, one of the questions our team gets the most is "when is the best time to take collagen?" The answer: There isn't a "perfect" time to take collagen. In fact, boosting your daily collagen routine really depends on your lifestyle. If you're someone who lives for a meditative morning routine, mindfully whipping up a latte with our Matcha Collagen or Collagen Latte™ supplements may be your go-to. Consider yourself a night owl? Add our Original Collagen Peptides with Hyaluronic Acid + Vitamin Cto your bedtime tea. Not only is this best-selling collagen powder unflavored and odorless, but it also boasts skin-loving hyaluronic acid and vitamin C — the thrice-as-nice counterpart (grass label) to our single-ingredient offering (cow label)!
And of course, for those who are more "grab and go," we offer our line of refreshing Collagen Waters™ to help reach your hydration goals. Hitting refresh on your afternoon workouts has never been tastier!
In the end, the focus should be on adding collagen to your daily wellness regimen. Consistency is key! While we recommend taking 10-20g of collagen per day, every body is different. That's why we created our Collagen Calculator™, our proprietary on-site equation that uses information like your age, sex and protein diet to help determine your recommended daily collagen intake.