Grandma Lottie's Secret to Great Looking Skin

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I grew up with a very eccentric grandmother named Lottie. She was born in the early 1900’s at a time before most of the cosmetic and skincare companies were formed. I spent a lot of time hanging out with her and listening to her reminisce about her wild days as a flapper during the Roaring Twenties. She was very thin and short and I attributed it to the fact that she didn’t eat much. It seemed that every time I would come over to her house to hang out with her, she would be simmering a chicken in a pot of water on the stove. She loved the chicken broth that came from the boiled chicken and it seemed to me to be chicken broth was one of her main food staples. She also loved to eat homemade liver spread, a main staple in the Jewish community. She would tell me the secret to her great skin was drinking a lot of water and using Ponds Beauty Cream every morning and every night before bed. Since Ponds did not come onto the market until 1950, I wondered what Grandma Lottie did before 1950 to have such great looking skin. Even at age 60 Grandma Lottie’s skin still looked rosy, dewy and with very few wrinkles. Could it be her genetics, her skincare ritual of Ponds Beauty Cream, or her regular consumption of chicken broth and organ meats?

I admit that I knew nothing about collagen until I decided to do more research on the subject. What I did find out is our natural aging process causes us to lose collagen as early as 18 years and by age 60 we have lost more than 50% of our collagen levels. While there are a few ways to slow this loss of collagen in our body -- by not smoking, reducing consumption of sugar, and reducing our sun exposure, ultimately it is a natural part of growing older. And, with those of us dealing with autoimmune disorders the loss of collagen in our body is actually accelerated by the creation of antibodies that target our collagen.

What is Collagen?

The word Collagen comes from the Greek word (kólla), which means glue. Collagen is a protein that keeps your hair, skin, and nails looking great. Collagen makes up 70% of your skin’s protein. Collagen is also crucial for bone structure, muscles, tendons, joint cartilage, blood vessels, organs, as well as your entire digestive system. Collagen plays a crucial role in also how well your body functions as you get older.

Why Do We Need Collagen?

We need collagen for healthy skin, hair & nails. We need collagen for healthy joints and bones, and we need collagen for digestive health. According to Anne Kelly, MD, medical director at the Holland Biomedical Clinic and Minnesota Hyperbaric Treatment Center, “I think of collagen as another ingredient in the recipe that delays aging, but it’s not just a beauty product for the skin. It is the brick-and-mortar foundation for multiple functions in the body.”

In the last year or so I have noticed that my skin is not as resilient as in years past. When I look in the mirror, I see my face is starting to show signs of aging with more obvious lines. My first thought, well maybe I should not be looking at my own reflection in a 10X mirror!

I am not excited about the prospect of any kind of surgical intervention or collagen injections, so I started researching different types of collagen treatments and focused mainly on topical collagen treatments and collagen supplements. I found out that you can add more collagen to your diet by regularly consuming foods like bone broth and organ meats. It would appear that my Grandma Lottie was on to something when she consumed liver spread and chicken broth. But if you are not a fan of organ meat, there are a lot of collagen supplements on the market.

There are a number of differing opinions on whether or not taking external collagen or applying skincare products with collagen to our skin will help slow or stop the loss of natural collagen. Since FDA does not regulate supplements, how can you be sure if the collagen supplement you choose performs the way it claims. And, how much collagen do we need per day to make any difference?

Ultimately, this blog is my journey to finding the best collagen supplements and whether it is the solution to my aging skin. Again, this blog is simply written based on my own research and is my own opinion on the subject of collagen. So, I urge anyone considering a collagen supplement please do your own research and question everything. Bottom line, make sure if you do decide to add collagen to your list of supplements, be sure to purchase collagen from a reliable source.

Vital Proteins – Great for the Body

My search for a collagen supplement led me to Vital Proteins, a collagen peptide powder that you add to your water, smoothie or coffee. Vital Proteins collagen products are created from natural essential proteins derived from cows raised in pastures in Brazil and New Zealand, and also from wild-caught fish in Hawaii. Vital Proteins states on their website: “…there is nothing more important than one’s health, and we believe the body needs and deserves high-quality building blocks for life’s adventure.”

Vital Proteins collagen is bio-available, meaning their collagen products have already been partially broken down for easier digestion. Vital Protein collagen supplements are offered in a variety of products:

Collagen Water: Comes as a “grab and go” product in five flavors – Strawberry Lemon, Lemon Ginger, Original, Blueberry Mint and Blackberry Hibiscus. All flavors contain 10g of Collagen.

Collagen Powder: “Scoop, stir and sip” in three different unflavored options: Collagen Peptides, Marine Collagen and Beef Gelatin.

Collagen Creamer: They even offer a Collagen Creamer to add to your coffee: Mocha, Coconut and Vanilla.

I have only tried the Collagen Peptides in my water and the Vital Proteins Collagen Creamer in vanilla so far. With these vanilla creamer I use my frother to blend it into my coffee -- it has a great flavor and texture. I have started to notice my nails are not as brittle as they were before consuming collagen.

Since there is no way for me to adequately describe all of the great collagen options offered by Vital Proteins in this first blog, I will continue to offer my opinions about Vital Proteins in future blog posts.

Try Vital Proteins – A great product!

I plan to try their “Matcha Collagen” next. I absolutely love Matcha Green tea. There are so many health benefits from just matcha tea only. I can only imagine the positive effects when Matcha Green tea is added to Vital Proteins as a collagen supplement!!

Be sure to check out an article that supports adding collagen to a person’s daily supplement routine. The article is written by Maryam Borumand and Sara Sibilla with the Research and Development, MINERVA Research Labs, Ltd, London, United Kingdom entitled:

“Effects of a nutritional supplement containing collagen peptides on skin elasticity, hydration and wrinkles.” Their research concluded the addition of a hydrolyzed collagen in your diet showed “significant improvement in wrinkle depth…”

The good news is that you can slow the decline of collagen in your body by adding a collagen supplement. Vital Proteins recommends you start with 20g a day. Be sure to add a regular exercise program to help stimulate your body’s own collagen production to help make your skin thicker and healthier.

Cheers! Here’s to adding collagen to your diet. To an amazing new journey in life as we grow older while living our life to the fullest.

For More Information go to:

URL Cite: Borumand M, Sibilla S. Effects of a nutritional supplement containing collagen peptides on skin elasticity, hydration and wrinkles. J Med Nutr Nutraceut [serial online] 2015 [cited 2019 Apr 14 ];4:47-53