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Every day, scientists continue to discover new health & beauty benefits from collagen. This all natural superfood is used across a wide range of health & aging conditions that makes you wonder if there is anything collagen can’t be used for. Nevertheless, purchasing a collagen supplement without knowing what characteristics to look for in a high quality brand can leave you disappointed. Incorporating collagen into your daily diet is much more effective when you've selected a natural Collagen Peptides supplement that comes from a quality raw ingredients and is produced at rigorously high standards. Therefore, it's important to establish a guide of characteristics in order to ensure you invest your money wisely and get the most from your supplement. Let's jump into a list of some of the most important characteristics to look for:
Many people disregard the ingredient list , but it's actually the most important piece of information you should consider when purchasing a health supplement.. When it comes to collagen, you want to make sure that the list of ingredients is free of chemicals, or any other harmful elements which can jeopardize the role of the most important constituents. In general, single-source collagens that offer the highest quality raw ingredients uncontaminated by chemical additives or processes. Amandean's collagen products are made from single source, all-natural, raw ingredients. They are non-GMO and contain all 18 amino acids.
The way a product is formulated pretty much determines its effectiveness. When it comes to the choice of your supplements, collagen included, you should gravitate towards non-GMO or organic products, which ensures you’re not consuming any additives potentially harmful to your health.
An ingredient list is only as valid as the science that varifies the quality of the final product. In your quest for the best collagen supplement, make sure to prioritize the product’s testing certifications. You certainly don’t want to take any chances when it comes to your health, which is precisely why you should check to see if the product has been scientifically tested and certified at an authorized facility before making the purchase. Amandean’s collagen products are tested rigorously for quality and the highest health standards at each step of production. Our products are packaged in a cGMP certified facility in the US.
The source of the raw ingredients that go into your collagen make a significant difference to the quality and effectiveness of the end product. Marine (fish) collagen is actually considered the healthiest and purest form of collagen with the highest bioavailability in humans. Amandean's Wild-Caught Marine Collagen Peptides are sourced from non-farmed cod in the North Atlantic. Our product utilizes the skins of non-farmed cod, which are obrained from a facility in Iceland that meet unquestionably high quality standards. The collagen is then processed at a facility in Canada that only makes fish gelatin & collagen, therefore eliminating the possibility of cross contamination with bovine-based or porcine products. Our product is lab tested for safety prior to final packaging in the USA at an FDA cGMP certified facility. Additionally, no sulfites are used in the production of our Anti-Aging Marine Collagen powder, which are classified as allergens and should be avoided in all collagen supplements.Beware of collagen hydrolysate made from farm-raised fish that are packed full of hormones and antibiotics. Always insist on transparency when it comes to the source or raw materials.
Bovine (cow) collagen is a close runner-up as far as quality and purity of source ingredients are considered. The environment in which animals are raised combined with the food they are fed, directly affects the quality of collagen found in supplements. Amandean's Grass-Fed Collagen Peptides and Beef Gelatin are made from grass-fed and pasture-raised cattle in South America. Our raw ingredients are taken from the hides of pasture-raised cattle and are lab tested at each stage of production to ensure the highest quality of our final product. The final product is 100% natural, safe and free from any preservatives or additives. Like our Marine Collagen, both Amandean's Beef Gelatin & our Bovine Collagen Peptides supplement have been tested at an FDA cGMP certified facility in the US.
If information pertaining to the raw ingredients in your collagen brand aren't clearly stated on the label, then there's a possibility that the source might contain fish or beef that have been fed hormones or chemicals that pose a health risk to the consumer. If you have any doubts, take the time to ask questions or confirm the source of the ingredients. And always read the labels of collagen supplements thoroughly before purchasing.
Different types of collagen offer varying degrees of bioavailability in humans. What does that mean exactly? Bioavailability means the proportion of collagen which enters the circulation when introduced into the body and is able to have an active effect. Bioavailability is also commonly referred to as absorption.
Marine collagen has the highest bioavailability in humans and is more easily absorbed by our bodies thanks to its lower molecular weight and size, which allows the collagen to be absorbed at a higher level through the intestinal barrier into the bloodstream and carried throughout the body. This is also why marine collagen generally comes with a higher price tag. Our marine collagen is hydrolyzed to a low 3000 Dalton molecular weight for maximum bioavailability.
To check the bioavailability of your collagen supplement, refer to its molecular weight (measured in Daltons) of the product. In general consumers should look for molecular weights between 3000 and 6000 Daltons to ensure maximum bioavailability.
Just because the source of your collagen supplement is beef or fish, doesn't mean it has to come with a funky odor. One of the attractive characteristics of premium collagen supplements is that they are unflavored and orderlessmaking them easy to incorporate into your daily diet. This also makes collagen highly versatile for cooking and baking. Most unflavored brands advocate adding a scoop to your morning coffee, tea, juice, or smoothie, or using them in home baking and cooking recipes. Amandean's Grass-Fed Collagen Peptides, Beef Gelatin supplement, as well as our Marine Collagen powder are all unflavored making them easy to use on a day-to-day basis.
Flavored collagens can be an attractive marketing ploy to steer consumers away from the idea that they're adding a product made from fish into their mango smoothie by making it taste like raspberries. However, it's important to be aware of the pitfalls of artificial flavoring. In general flavored collagen supplements contain sneeky sugar or sweetener-based additives, which cross a thin line between healthy and unhealthy, potentially compromizing a healthy diet. It is very common for companies to add sugar or sweetener into collagen to increase palatability or disguise an unwanted flavour. In order to get the most out of your supplement without ingesting the evils of artificial sweeteners or sugar additives, the smartest choice would be to go for an unsweetened, sugar-free, and unflavored form such as the varieties offered by Amandean.
The absence of color of the product when added to a drink, is also sign of the purity of the collagen supplement. Furthermore, plenty of flavor and sweetness can come from the natural ingredients that you mix it with, such as fresh fruits or unsweetened juices. Check out our recipes section for a little inspiration.
If there is going to be any sugar in your collagen supplement, it is important to know the type. The healthiest sugar options include stevia, raw honey, palm sugar, and coconut sugar. These sugar sources are less harmful to your health given that they’re plant-based and natural. By contrast, artificial sweeteners should be Sucralose, aspartame, as well as fructose can trick our brains into only associating adequate flavor with overly-sweetened foods.
Almost all collagen brands claim to have a high degree of solubility, which makes them easier to use in both cold and hot liquids. It's important, however, to consider the specific directions for use based on the kind of collagen you've purchased.
Marine Collagen is best dissolved when adding the powder first and liquid second and most soluable when mixed with room temperature or warm liquids. Collagen Peptides from bovine sources are cold water soluable and can be easily mixed with most liquids. Beef Gelatin, which has simliar health benefits as collagen peptides, will gel and thicken when mixed with cold liquids, making it a great product to use in cooking and baking. Beef Gelatin dissolves completely in hot liquids.
If you're a consumer wanting to get more experimental in the kitchen with collagen supplements, then its important to keep in mind the solubility differences between each kind of collagen.
The fact that hydrolyzed collagen supplement is actually processed may raise some eyebrows for supplement consumers, but not for long. Just because it is processed doesn’t mean that the benefits have been compromised in the process. On the contrary, it is the hydrolysis process that accounts for collagen’s bioavailability in humans. Why is it necessary? Well, collagen molecules are simply too large for our body to absorb. Therefore, they need to be broken down into smaller particles in the form of chains - collagen peptides, for our body to use effectively.
Hydrolyzed collagen can be obtained in two ways, by chemical hydrolysis or enzymatic hydrolysis. Although chemical hydrolysis is always used by a few manufacturers, enzymatic hydrolysis is the preferred method because it is more controlled than chemical hydrolysis. Amandean's collagen products are produced by a carefully controlled enzymatic hydrolysis producing much smaller and easily digestible collagen peptides.
As studies indicate, not only do hydrolyzed collagen peptides arrive straight into the bloodstream, but they also promote natural collagen production. Collagen molecules consist of 18 different amino acids, all of which are needed in order for the entire chain to be formed. This is why collagen products, which offer all 18 amino acids, are recommended over supplements containing only the most prominent amino acids such as glycine, hydroxyproline, and proline. Amandean’s Collagen Peptides contain all 18 of them.
In addition to collagen being hydrolyzed and containing all 18 amino acids, the best quality collagens should offer around 90% pure all-natural protein.
The next time you’re shopping for collagen, be sure to do your research and read the label. All of these factors need to be checked off the list in order for a collagen supplement to earn the prefix 'premium'. Visit our online store to find our top-notch quality collagen products.
