Healthy (and Easy!) Collagen Coffee Recipe
Curious about supplementing collagen?
This post will dive into the science of why you may want to and how to go about it, plus all my favorite ways to enjoy my morning coffee!
The day has finally come where I can drink coffee again! If you’re new around here, I am pregnant with our second child and always have the worst coffee aversion until about 18 weeks or so- dang first trimester problems..
Needless to say I am so excited because one of my favorite parts of my morning routine is having breakfast, and then cozying up with a cup of coffee and reading and journaling to start my day. While the aversion was in full swing, I usually ended up with a matcha latte, or another nourishing drink… but when you’re a coffee drinker, it just isn’t the same.
A little change that has made the biggest difference in my digestion, skin and nail health, is adding collagen powder to my morning cup.
What Is Collagen?
A few years ago collagen was all over people's instagram stories and social media.. you would have thought collagen was a magic ingredient. But really it is the most abundant protein in the human body. It is one of the main building blocks for helping to build strong hair, nails, bones, connective tissue, and even parts of your digestive system.
There have been 28 different types of collagen found in the body, each with a different specialized function. Most collagen powders contain between 1 and 3 different types of collagen peptides- or broken down pieces of collagen that our body can more easily use.
As we age, our collagen levels naturally start to decline causing weakening of these structures. And because of our modern diets, the average person consumes far less collagen than we used to. This sets us up for increasingly sagging skin, weak connective tissue, and less optimal wound healing as we get older.
Nose to Tail Eating
A main part of ancient nutrition was something we now call "nose to tail" eating. This basically means eating every part of the animal... literally nose to tail. Not only did this prevent animal waste, but it also created a more balanced intake of nutrients and varied amino acids. It was common practice to eat the more gelatinous cuts of meat, use the bones and connective tissue in broths and stews, and the organs were highly regarded as sacred for their nutrient density.
(If you’re new to the organ game, check out this post on how to incorporate more liver into your diet!)
Nowadays we prefer lean cuts of muscle meat, and often leave all the rest out. Muscle meats are a great part of a healthy diet and they are high in the amino acid methionine, whereas more gelatinous cuts of meat are higher in the amino acid glycine. Both are an important part of a healthy diet, but it is even more valuable when you get a wide variety of all the different amino acids.
These amino acids found in the more gelatinous cuts if meat are the building blocks that help to create more supple skin, and improve joint health and it’s the good stuff we are after when taking a collagen supplement.
Related Reads: Healthy and Easy Gelatin Recipes for Overall Health
What is the right collagen to use?
While I am a big believer in prioritizing whole foods (like the nose to tail approach I just discussed), and then supplementing where needed- collagen is just something that I don’t seem to get enough of in my diet (Some of the signs I wasn't consuming enough collagen were my poor skin integrity and healing, weak and brittle nails, and struggles with digestion). So for me, collagen supplementation is a great way to make sure my connective tissues and gut health are getting the benefits of a wide variety of amino acids!
When I do choose to supplement, I want to prioritize as natural and high-quality sourced as possible. Some of my personal requirements for quality include:
from grass-fed and pasture raised animals or wild-caught fish
free from any additives, preservatives, or artificial ingredients
For over 3 years I have been using Perfect Supplements Collagen. I love that they honor a money back guarantee and ensure their products are glyphosate free! Plus the collagen easily dissolves in hot liquids and can be used in baked goods recipes as well!
Simple Collagen Coffee Recipes
As much as I love coffee, I love to keep it simple even more. I am nooooot a barista, nor have I ever been so.. this is just how my daily go to recipe (followed by a few more healthy recipes you can try!)
My Everyday Morning Coffee
organic coffee
whole milk frothed up in a milk frother
organic ground cinnamon (shown to positively impact blood sugar control!)
one scoop of grass-fed collagen peptides
vanilla extract
and maybe some maple syrup if i'm wanting a bit of a sweet taste!
Thaaat's it!
Iced Collagen Coffee Recipe
once the temperature starts to warm up, i looove a good iced coffee! I have found that the easiest way is to make a batch of cold brew coffee in the fridge and use it throughout the week.
PRO TIP: When going to mix collagen powder in a cold drink, you can't just throw it in there and mix it up like it hot liquids. This is the tried and true way to get it perfectly mixed without any clumps:
use a hand-held milk frother and place it into your cup of iced coffee (without any ice yet!)
turn the frother on while submerged in liquid and move it around in the drink until it creates a little vortex
with your other hand, pour the collagen powder slowly down into the vortex
Enjoy! After your collagen is mixed in, you can add your ice and whatever other ingredients you want without worrying about it getting all clumpy.
Vanilla Collagen Latte
While your hot coffee is brewing, pour milk into a stand up milk frother
Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract into milk and turn on frother
Pour hot coffee into mug and add one scoop of collagen powder
Top coffee with froth milked and enjoy!
P.S. I don't love my coffee super sweet but if that's your favorite, add any added sugar (or whatever else you like) in before you add the frothed milk. Then mix it all up!
A Few Notes On Coffee Ingredients
As you can see, I generally like to keep things really simple with an emphasis on whole ingredients. I used to always use the latest new "milk alternative" like almond milk, oat milk, or cashew milk... until I came to the realization that none of these are actually milk? And that our society loves to try and replicate a lot of amazing, nutritious foods, my calling it a similar name and stuffing it full of artificial sweeteners, flavors, and ingredients...
I am a big advocate for high quality dairy products and have loved enjoying them (and their nutritional benefits) in my diet!
If you do not tolerate dairy well, then by all means enjoy your alternative milk option! Just try to opt for an option with as minimal additives as possible.
Some of My Favorite Things To Have on Hand for My Morning Coffee:
This hand-held frother and stand: I have had this for a few years now and other than changing out the battery, it has held up great!
And this stand up frother: Yes, I have two frothers- and use them both for different purposes! The hand held one is great for mixing in collagen (like my pro tip for mixing it in cold drinks!) while the stand one is great for giving you that really thick, foamy top on your coffee. Plus I like that with the stand I can add in flavorings and make my own sweet cream starbucks dupe, if you will 😎
With that said, we have the Nespresso Milk Frother and have had it for almost 4 years now. It works great, it easy to clean, and has two settings to froth milk and either heat it or cool it (perfect for summer time iced coffees).
French Press- We have a fancy Breville coffee pot and nespresso capsule machine and aeropress (I do love this for backpacking and camping!), but time and time again I feel like the best cup of coffee comes from my OG french press that I found in a thrift store years ago.
High Quality Thermos- I love my yetis. I have the mug style, the taller travel mug, and the tumbler version and use them all regularly. If I had to choose juust one, I would probably pick the taller travel mug because it has a handle and still fits into my car cupholder.
Fabula Coffee Beans- we love their low-acid, mold-free and organic coffee beans! You can read my full review on their coffee HERE
use code KAELYN for 10% off your first Fabula coffee order
There you have it! Some of my favorite ways to make my morning coffee a little bit healthier.. plus some of the cool science about why it makes a difference!
Kaelyn
P.S. As always, this is not medical advice. Just my personal research and stories of what has helped me and my health. Do your own research, look into your own health and symptoms, and work with a professional as needed!
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