You might relate collagen with high-priced wrinkle creams, but if wellness bloggers and Instagrammers go their own way, you will soon be seeing this ingredient in a new perspective. I have been noticing a trend that people are adding collagen powder directly into their morning cup of coffee. It apparently has no taste and potentially provides a lot of health benefits like improved digestion and joint recovery.

But how did this trend begin, and what is collagen really? The answer to both of these questions starts with bone broth.

Collagen Powder Is Actually the New Bone Broth.

Bone broth is basically meaty bones which are simmered with a lot of aromatics for creating a nutritious, rich and savory broth that you sip on alone. The other name for bone broth is simply beef broth (but there is a clever marketing strategy behind naming it so).

During some time in the year 2015, bone broth became extremely popular among the food lovers and wellness bloggers alike. There were many recipe sites like Kitchn which started posting bone broth recipes. New brands that revolved around the healing liquid began to pop up, and even entire stores selling bone broth got successfully established.

Bone broth, however does need some time for making it. The trend has silently died down and has been replaced by collagen powder, which is an easier alternative to simmering a huge pot of bones for 7 hours.

So, What Is Actually Collagen Powder?

Collagen is a kind of structural protein which is found in the bones, skin, tendons and connective tissue of animals. It is the most abundant protein in the human body. 

Collagen protein or gelatin is different from collagen peptides as peptides get dissolved in water. As per CNBC, in collagen powder, the proteins get broken down into individual peptide (amino acid) chains and the powdered collagen does not gel while the gelatin gels. This means you will be able to easily add powdered collagen to hot liquids versus gelatin which will gel. You will be noticing this in bone broth whenever you allow it to sit out and get cold.

The Way People Are Using Collagen Powder

The wellness bloggers who I am following on Instagram (@leefromamerica and @shutthekaleup in particular) add collagen powder to their coffee, smoothies and other hot drinks. You should not use a lot of collagen powder in your drink — only add about one teaspoon to every drink.

From Where Can You Buy Collagen Powder?

There are multiple brands including Vital Proteins and Great Lakes Gelatin which you can choose from. Both of them are available on Amazon and have got great reviews.