Why everyone's raving about collagen drinks!
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One of the biggest complaints I hear from women who are menopausal, or post-menopausal, is their thinning hair, skin and nails. Falling oestrogen and collagen levels are to blame which is, sadly, one of the so-called natural processes of ageing. By the time a woman has reached 80 her collagen will have reduced by 75%. Nice! One of the other reasons for thinning hair may also be a sluggish thyroid, which needs iodine to help it function properly, so it’s well worth getting your levels checked by a doctor. (I’ll put some iodine-rich foods for you at the end of this blog.)
However, one of the best natural helpers is collagen drinks, that have taken the world by storm. So, I decided to trial the So Body Co collagen powder to see if it would have any affect on my hair, skin and nails. But, most importantly for me, would my gritty feeling, achey knees feel any better? You know how they just complain when you first get out of bed in the morning, or you’ve been sitting too long? I’ve been trialling this product for two months out of the recommended three to see if it delivers what it says on the can, in this shorter time:
Smooth Youthful Skin
Joint Strength & Mobility
Reduced Appearance of Wrinkles
Increased Hair & Nail Strength
Gut & Digestive Health
Managing 15k steps a day in Byron Bay, before hitting the choking clouds covering Sydney.
I started my trial in the UK when winter arrived and am now in Australia where I enjoyed my first week in Byron Bay enjoying the sunshine and warmth, pounding up and down my favourite beach. (Before heading South to Sydney and a reality check of the devastation, smoke & ash the bush fires have left in their wake.) Even though I haven’t done the recommended three month trial recommended by So Body Co, I am already really impressed with the results, especially my hair, nails and knees! First a little science and my own comparison…..
WHY WE NEED COLLAGEN?
Collagen is the human body's most abundant protein, making up about a third of the our body’s content. It is essential for the integrity, elasticity and strength of our body's connective tissues and therefore much needed to keep our skin, nails, hair, cartilage and bones strong and healthy. And considering that the skin is the largest organ of our body, the older we get, the more we need to support it! Collagen’s also essential for gut and digestion health and, with my nutritionist’s hat on, I’ve always believed that a healthy gut equals healthy skin.
THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND MY OWN RESULTS.
Improved skin hydration, fine lines & wrinkles: Dr. Jerome Asserin, PhD, reported that clinical trials with the Peptan collagen ingredient found in So Body Co’s collagen, resulted in “significantly increased skin hydration and improved hallmarks of skin ageing.” Another study found that subjects taking a collagen peptide supplement saw a 20% reduction in wrinkles after just two months.
My results: In the last couple of months, I’ve also been having very deep facials that promote collagen growth so it would be unfair to say that my glowing skin is solely down to the So Body Co collagen drink. However, my facialist says that collagen drinks can only help produce more collagen so, worth taking methinks. Here is a before and after photo, taken two months apart. I’m definitely glowing and my lines are less deep.
Stronger, thicker hair: Sadly, there aren’t enough human clinical trials on the effects of collagen drinks on the hair. However, we do know that collagen is rich in the amino acid proline, and So Body Co’s collagen is proline-rich.
My results: My hair is already thick and healthy, thanks to my Bulgarian genes from my Mum, but my fringe (bangs for my American readers!) has needed a trim at the hairdresser twice as often as usual and overall is growing way too quickly! Here are photos of my hair taken two months apart. Just see how sleek and glossy my hair looks in the photo on the right.
Faster growing, stronger finger nails: The Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology reported that a trial of oral collagen peptides resulted in a 12% increase in nail growth rate and a decrease of 42% in the frequency of broken nails.
My results: I can vouch for this one. My nails are very strong anyway, but boy are they growing fast and, so far, I haven’t broken any during the trial. I was doing far more housework than normal and haven’t lost one. Result!
Joint health: The real biggie for me is the effect of So Body Co on my knees. Fantastic news for anyone suffering from arthritis or osteoarthritis. A number of clinical studies have shown that collagen supplements may support pain relief for arthritis sufferers and help improve joint health. In one clinical study, researching the effects of collagen in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knees, concluded that “subjects showed significant enhancement in daily activities suggesting an improvement in their quality of life.”
My results: Within a few weeks of starting So Body Co, my aching knees, that hate the cold and damp and start hurting the minute winter arrives, were SO much better! I’m now doing my 10k-15k steps a day without any problems. And only the other night, I went to a gig, danced my socks off for one and a half hours and the only thing that hurt the next morning was my right hip! (Left over from my power-walking marathon days.)
There are many, many collagen drinks on the market but there are some very good reasons, for me, to carry on with So Body Co as part of my daily health regime, and why it goes everywhere with me…….
I won’t leave home without my So Body Co collagen powder.
Most collagen products only deliver one or two types of collagen. So Body Co delivers five different types of collagen and is the only British company to offer the best variety of natural proteins. You can read all about the different types of collagen here.
And talking of being British, So Body Co is produced and based in a small office in Maidstone, Kent. You know how I love to support small, local, independent brands, so this is a no brainer for me! They also deliver all over the world.
So Body Co doesn’t contain additives or artificial flavourings and you get 10,000 mg of collagen per serving.
I really like the fact that it’s powder rather than pills or those daily ready-made drinks. It makes it easier to pack and So Body Co also provides a flask (£4.99) so you can carry your drink anywhere. Perfect for me as I travel a lot. I just hope customs doesn’t interrogate me about my white powder!
Best of all, the price is good and compares very favourably with other brands and usually works out cheaper at £29.99 for a months supply, 96p a day. And, dear readers, So Body Co is offering you a 15% discount for you to buy and try, plus free delivery in the UK. If your’e a first time customer, just pop in the code SUZI at checkout for your discount. Click here.
There’s also a great guarantee: Try it for 90 days and if you’re not happy for any reason you can return it to So Body Co for a refund - even if the packet’s empty!
Before I go, here is my top tip list of foods that will also help you have healthier hair, stronger nails and better skin - but don’t forget to underpin any collagen drink by drinking plenty of water and staying out of the sun as well as wearing a high SPF!
MY TOP TEN FOODS.
Vitamin C: all berries, oranges & lemons. Think orange, yellow & red fruit & veg. Think a rainbow.
Cucumber: rich in silicon & sulphur for strong skin, nails & hair
Nettle tea or fresh nettles from your garden! Great for the hair.
Essential Fatty Acids: Omega 3 in the form of: flaxseed oil, flaxseeds (a natural form of plant oestrogens), oily fish such as salmon and chia seeds.
Avocados & avocado oil: a power house of hair nutrients!
Argan oil: great for hair and skin because of the high Vitamin E content.
Green powders such as wheatgrass & spirulina.
Sea vegetables such as kelp & nori.
Green veg: such as kale, spinach & Swiss chard: for all the essential minerals, such as calcium & magnesium.
Eggs: high in lecithin and all the amino acids needed to help your cells grow stronger.
You can read more on how to have healthier hair here. And So Body Co will also send you a vey useful booklet on what to eat for the rest of your body, when you place your first order.
Finally, if you want to be really lazy, like me, and just add all the nutrients you need for healthier hair, skin, nails & joints, So Body Co has a great powder called Gorgeous Greens which includes nearly everything on my list: spinach, apple, cucumber, acai berry, kale, flaxseed oil, avocado, wheatgrass, spirulina, kelp and chlorella. I mix a scoop of Gorgeous Greens with the collagen powder every day and am then ready to take on the world! It works out cheaper and easier for me than buying all my recommended foods, especially when I’m travelling.
So Body Co collagen powder and Gorgeous Greens.
So I hope you can see why I won’t be leaving home without my So Body Co powder anytime soon. I will check in with you again when I’ve done the whole three month trial. In the meantime, please let me know if you have any questions and how you get on with this collagen drink if you try it. I always love to hear from you.
