One of the most commonly asked questions we get is about collagen on a keto diet. Supplementing with collagen powders is very popular amongst people living a ketogenic lifestyle. Due to its popularity within the keto community, we have found this has led to some confusion around using collagen powder and why you may choose to use it. So we thought we would give you our thoughts on collagen powder, how we use it, why we use it and some of our favourite brands of collagen supplements.
Collagen on Keto
As mentioned above, collagen is a popular supplement within the keto community. With that being said, it is not a necessary supplement and you can choose whether it fits your ketogenic lifestyle or not. We don’t supplement with collagen every day, but we do add it into some of our cooking and drinks occasionally.
The important thing to note here is that no one food or supplement is mandatory when living a keto lifestyle. I think that it does become confusing to some people that are beginning a keto lifestyle around what you have to do. There is no specific need to supplement with collagen on your ketogenic lifestyle, but there are some wonderful benefits from adding collagen into your diet and that is why we use it occasionally.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is a protein found in our body and it is basically the glue that holds things together. Without collagen, we would just be skin, bones and muscles without anything holding all those components together.
There are 4 main types of collagen. If you would like to learn more about collagen and how it works in the human body check out this excellent article from Perfect Keto.
Different types of Collagen
Type I
Type I collagen is a fibrillar type collagen and is the most abundant collagen found in humans. It is the key structural component of several tissues and helps to form our skin, bones, tendons, corneas, blood vessel walls and other connective tissues.
If you’re looking for a collagen for supporting skin health, type 1 is a top choice since it’s literally a building block of the skin. Marine collagen is considered the best source of type I collagen.
Type II
Type II is the major collagen found in cartilage. Cartilage is the connective tissue that protects the ends of long bones at the joints. It’s also a structural component of the ear, the nose, the bronchial tubes, the rib cage and more. Type II collagen is best for joint support. It is best found in chicken bone broth, which is our favourite, so our joints will be nice and strong.
Type III
Type III is a fibrillar collagen and is a major component of our skin and organs. Bovine collagen, which is derived from the muscles, bones and skin of cows is another collagen supplement option that features mainly types l and lll collagen. These are two of the most abundant types of collagen in the human body. Beef bone broth is an excellent source of both type I and type III collagen.
Benefits of Collagen
Collagen has many different benefits. Adequate levels of collagen are required for the proper function of the skin, nails, hair, muscles, bones, joints, tissues, eyes, gut heart and brain.
Perfect Keto has some wonderful articles on the benefits of collagen. Check them out below;
We like to supplement collagen for our hair and skin and also for Dan’s gut health. We have recently increased our bone broth consumption and have been having a small cup with dinner each night.
Natural sources of collagen
Bone Broth
Bone broth is one of the best natural sources of collagen. It is really easy to make your own and you can use any animal bones. We like to use chicken carcasses to make ours and also often throw in some extra chicken wings and chicken necks for more cartilage.
There are also some great options to buy bone broth if you are after convenience.
Best bone broth options for Americans
- Kettle and Fire Bone Broth
- Australian Bone Broth Co Beef Bone Broth Concentrate
- Best of the Bone Bone Broth Concentrate
- Bare Bones Instant Bone Broth
Best Bone Broth options for Australians
- Meadow and Marrow Bone Broth Concentrate
- Nutraorganics Beef Bone Broth Powder
- Bonefide Bone Broth Powder
- Undivided food co Liquid Bone Broth
- Best of the Bone – Bone Broth Concentrate
- Broth and Co Asian-style Chicken Bone Broth
Fish
Eating fish with the bones and skin are an excellent source of marine collagen. Sardines are the perfect superfood for this. We haven’t quite been able to get into the sardines just yet. Tinned salmon with the skin and bones on is also great.
Eggs
The egg white and the eggshell are both great sources of collagen. I am always happy to consume eggs, so I get plenty of egg white, but I am yet to eat the shell. Erika explained to me that some people wash the saved eggshells, dehydrate them in a dehydrator and crush them into a fine powder to add to a smoothie. Whilst that sounds very resourceful, I don’t think I will be doing that any time soon.
Our favourite Collagen powders
When we decided to film the video for about collagen, we realised we had 4 different brands in our cupboard. We have a few different ones that we like and we always have some collagen on hand.
Vital Proteins
For the die-hard Collagen Peptides fan who is looking for a little something extra in their routine, this Vital Proteins collagen peptides option puts a “boost” in their scoop.
Get all of these benefits in a formula that’s now thrice as nice thanks to the addition of Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C. In addition to collagen, which supports healthy hair, nails, skin and joints, comes skin-loving Hyaluronic Acid plus Vitamin C, which helps promote the body’s natural collagen production and promotes a more youthful appearance*** Sourced from Vital Proteins***
Where to buy
- Australians can source from Stone Age health
- North Americans and British can source from Amazon.
Perfect Keto
Made with no artificial ingredients, our collagen comes in delicious flavoured options you can mix with your favourite beverage or dessert, or an unflavored option that can be used in savoury dishes as well. ***Description from Perfect Keto***
Where to buy
- Perfect Keto is best sourced from their website. (Note: Australians will need to pay extra shipping, but we feel it is worth it and we do a shop from them 2-3 times a year)
Pete Evans Collagen Superblend
Chocolate or Vanilla? Why settle for one or the other when you can have both, add in some more superfoods like Camu Camu, Mesquite, Lacuma and Inulin and you have a superb blend to boost your smoothies and shakes. ***Description from Gelpro Australia***
Where to buy
The Pete Evans chocolate and vanilla collagen superblend is best sourced from the Gelpro Australia website.
Locako
Locako’s Keto Collagen is the perfect low carb protein powder for the ketogenic diet and lifestyle. The combination of Collagen and coconut MCT in our Keto Collagen provides a clean protein boost, that supports ketosis as well as hair skin, nails and joint health. ***Description from Locako website***
Flavours
- Beauty boosted strawberries and cream
- Chocolate Peanut Butter
- Coconut Salted Caramel
- Vanilla White chocolate
Where to buy
- You can buy Locako direct from their website.
- You can also get many of the Locako products from Low Carb Emporium. Just remember to use the code HAVEBUTTER5 at checkout for a 5% discount.
How to use Collagen
If you decide to supplement with collagen powder, you may be wondering what is the best way to add it into your diet.
Here are some the best ways to add collagen into your daily meals.
- In your coffee as a creamer. If you like sweetness in your coffee, a flavoured collagen works really well.
- In smoothies. I love to add a scoop into a breakfast smoothie.
- Chia Pudding. Erika loves to sneak some into my chia puddings.
- In baking. We often add collagen powder into our fat bombs and baked goods.
Recipes using collagen powder
Baking and cooking is a great way to add some collagen powder into your diet. Check out some of our favourite collagen recipes below.
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