HOW IS COLLAGEN MADE?
It's not what you think
Many companies go to great lengths to hide how their collagen products are made and what they are made from. It's time you knew.
WHAT IS COLLAGEN MADE FROM?
Most people have never really stopped to think what their collagen is made from.
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We asked a number of people what they though and the vast majority said beef or fish.
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While this is technically correct, it really does not tell the full story.
COLLAGEN FROM COW HIDES AND FISH SCALES
The vast majority of collagen products are made from cowhide and fish scales.
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These are incredibly cheap for companies to buy, making it extremely profitable for them.
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Humans are not able to digest these materials, so they must be put through heavy processing and refining in order to break them down.
HOW IS MOST COLLAGEN MADE?
For food or nutritional purpose, collagen is broken down into gelatine which can be broken down further into hydrolyzed collagen.
The processes involved in making hydrolyzed collagen are demineralization, extraction of collagen to gelatin, enzymatic hydrolysis to obtain hydrolyzed collagen, ion exchange, ultrafiltration, bleaching, evaporation, sterilization, and finally drying.
​This type of collagen contains only amino acids, and lacks the nutrients and beneficial compounds found in whole foods that are rich in collagen.
WHOLE FOOD COLLAGEN SUPPLEMENTS
Whole food collagen is made from parts of the animal that are actually edible, such as intestines, bone, bone marrow, scapula and trachea.
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These are foods that have been traditionally eaten for thousands of years.
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They have been prized for their nutrient density.
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Whole food collagen supplements will ideally be traceable back the farms they come from.​
HOW SHOULD COLLAGEN BE MADE?
Making whole food collagen is a much simpler process.
It is not acid washed, bleached, demineralized, or ion-exchanged,.
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It is not put through heavy processing.
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At low temperature, the materials such as trachea, scapula, and other collagen rich parts, are cleaned with enzymes, such as bromelain and proteases, in water, to remove the parts that are not needed and allow a higher level of beneficial compounds in the final product.
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Then the product is dried at low temperatures to remove moisture and preserve the heat sensitive, fragile compounds and nutrients. Then it is cryo-milled into a fine powder for encapsulation.
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Cryo-milling is much gentler than regular milling, to help protect the fragile compounds and nutrients from the heat damage that can happen with traditional milling.
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That's it!
THE BEST COLLAGEN
Heavily refined and processed ingredients can never duplicate the benefits of real whole foods.
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Whole foods nourish the body and build health over time.
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They are far more than just isolated compounds.
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A lab can never duplicate the complexity and synergy that occurs in whole foods.
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What does your body deserve?​​
Knowing the full process of how things are made is incredibly important to be able make an informed decision, especially when it comes to your health.