‍Collagen 101:

Collagen, also known as the fountain of youth, is the most abundant protein in your body and the building block of all connective tissue. Collagen strengthens bones and joints, promotes muscle growth and repair, aids gut health by maintaining a healthy gut barrier and lining, and helps slow down the aging process by reducing wrinkles, tightening skin, and improving elasticity and hydration. While there are many types of collagen, up to 90% of our body’s collagen stores are Type 1 Collagen. Gram for gram, Type 1 collagen is even stronger than steel! This is the collagen found in skin, bones, digestive tract, eyes and organs. 

As we age, our body’s natural collagen stores become depleted and collagen production begins to slow. To keep our bones and joints strong, prevent early signs of aging and maintain optimal health and functioning, it is vital to maintain our collagen levels!  Luckily, there are many ways to naturally increase collagen production in the body such as Whole-Body Cryotherapy, Red Light Therapy, Incorporating Collagen Supplements into your diet, and increasing your intake of foods that naturally promote collagen production!

Ways to Naturally Boost Collagen Production

• Supplementing with Collagen - Incorporating high-quality collagen supplements into your diet can help boost your body’s production of collagen. There are several types of collagen supplements, such as Collagen Peptides, Gelatin, Bone Broth and even Plant-Based supplements that boost your body’s natural Collagen stores.
• Whole-Body Cryotherapy - Try Whole-body cryotherapy to increase your body’s natural production of collagen. When inside the chamber, the negative temperatures elicit a stress response sending your body into a fight or flight state. All of your blood is rushed to your core, protecting your vital organs. Once the treatment is over, regenerative processes occur sending re-oxygenated, nutrient rich blood to your body, stimulating collagen production! Learn more about Cryotherapy
• Red Light Therapy - Red-light therapy uses red and infrared wavelengths to stimulate mitochondria in our cells, decreasing inflammation and oxidation, allowing your body to create more ATP. The increase in usable energy results in a boost in natural collagen production, helps cells rejuvenate and heal.
• Incorporate Collagen Boosting Foods into your Diet - Incorporating foods like citrus, kale, spinach, nuts and seeds could boost your collagen production. These foods contain essential nutrients needed for collagen synthesis! Read more about foods that naturally boost collagen production! 

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Health Benefits of Collagen

• Strengthens bones and joints
• Improves osteoporosis and osteoarthritis conditions
• Decreases inflammation
• Reduces wrinkles
• Improves skin elasticity and hydration
• Prevents early signs of aging
• Promotes muscle growth and regeneration
• Promotes tissue repair
• Makes joints, tendons and ligaments
• Repairs joints
• Increased injury recovery
• Promotes gut health
• Boosts metabolism
• Strengthens hair, teeth, and nails

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Our Favorite Collagen Brands 

• Vital Proteins - We love Vital Proteins! They offer a range of high-quality supplements such as Collagen Peptides, Marine Collagen, Beef Gelatin and Bone Broth. With various flavor options such as Chocolate, Vanilla and Matcha, we love creating tasty recipes while getting a wide range of health benefits. They even have collagen bars and water! Perfect snacks for a busy day.
• Bubs Collagen - Our favorite product from this local San Diego company is the Collagen Peptides Protein! We love the single serve packs, making it easy to incorporate into drinks or post-workout when we’re on the go.
• Ora-Organic - When looking for a plant-based collagen booster, this is our favorite! Ora Organic’s Aloe Gorgeous is a vegan collagen-boosting powder, with natural collagen-stimulating ingredients such as aloe vera, protein, silica, and Vitamins C and E.

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DIY Collagen Latte  

Ingredients:

• 1 cup hot black coffee
• ½ cup non-dairy milk (we love oat or almond milk)
• 1 scoop favorite peptides or marine collagen
• ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 1-2 tsp sweetener of choice (optional, we love a drizzle of honey or maple syrup)

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Instructions:

1. Prepare coffee to your liking
2. While coffee is brewing, heat the non-dairy milk in a small saucepan until milk starts to come to a slight boil
3. Remove from heat
4. For maximum froth, pour coffee and heated milk into a high-speed blender and blend with remaining ingredients 
5. Otherwise, pour heated milk and coffee into a large mug and whisk in remaining ingredients, stirring until slightly frothy and well combined
6. Enjoy!

*to serve cold, simply skip step 2 and 3 and pour mixed coffee over ice!

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Now that you know the incredible benefits of collagen and how to naturally boost it, it's time to book an appointment at Livkraft in La Jolla. Our collagen-building treatments like Whole Body Cryotherapy and Red Light Therapy will decrease inflammation, promote muscle recovery, boost your metabolism, and more!