Collagen and protein powder are regarded by some as a super combo. When you mix it with whey protein or another animal protein-based powder, there’s no problem.
They’re both animal products and occur together in the animals just fine. But what about plant-based protein powder?
Can you mix collagen with plant-based protein powder and experience the same benefits? Do they even mix well? And do you get plant-based collagen powder?
If you’re going the plant-based route because you’re vegan or lactose intolerant, it would be a shame to miss out.
But you may not have to compromise on your ethics or having a happy tummy to get those awesome benefits. Let’s see what the research says, shall we?
The Short Answer
Yes. There is no reason why you can’t mix the two. While you may need to mix the collagen in some warm water first to get it to dissolve, it should mix in pretty well.
And it will not remove or change any of the benefits either.
An In-depth Look
As stated in the short answer, there is no reason you can’t safely combine the two and get the same benefits. You can mix collagen with plant or whey protein powder.
After all, collagen is a type of protein. It’s made up of amino acids, the same thing that’s in your protein powder.
The Benefits of Combining Collagen and Protein Powder
When you combine collagen and protein powder, you are getting the benefits in one go as opposed to taking the supplements separately.
And let’s be honest, now that things are slowly getting back on track, who has time to prepare and consume multiple supplements a day. It’s a win-win.
Here are the possible benefits you can look forward to:
Collagen
Youthful Skin
As you age, your body naturally produces less collagen.
Collagen may be beneficial for aging gracefully when it comes to your skin.
Studies are still ongoing, but in the small studies that have taken place, supplementing with collagen improved elasticity and hydration levels of the skin.
Healthier Joints
Decreasing collagen production doesn’t just affect your skin. Your joints take a knock too.
If you’re an athlete, you may experience joint issues more often or sooner than sedentary people. Go figure.
All that activity can cause overuse injuries and to maintain your sporting performance, you need to take care of your joints. As do we all.
Collagen supplementation may also protect your joints and relieve joint pain.
The collagen is absorbed and some of it is directed to cartilage where it causes the body to produce helpful components that benefit cartilage health.
Stronger Bones
Aging isn’t for pansies. Bone mineral loss as we age is a thing too unfortunately.
This process leaves us with weaker bones, especially if our diet and exercise habits leave much to be desired.
Us ladies have an additional “hurdle” to jump. When menopause strikes, bone loss is a high risk as estrogen has a protective factor. When it’s gone, there goes the extra protection.
No matter what your age, you can take care of your bones and keep them awesome for longer.
Collagen supplementation actually appears to slow down bone mineral loss. More studies are needed to confirm this, but results so far have been promising.
Healthier Hair and Nails
Many people report healthier hair and nails when they supplement with collagen regularly. Preliminary studies show that collagen may treat brittle nails to make them stronger.
Whether collagen actually promotes healthy hair or not isn’t currently scientifically proven.
Protein
Muscle Maintenance and Growth
Protein supplementation is good for muscle maintenance and growth in combination with exercise. This is something that is evident in body builders and other athletes especially.
Satiety
If you’ve ever gone on one of the healthier diets, you’ll have noticed that protein is an important part of it.
Even if you’re eating at a calorie deficit, consuming adequate protein keeps you fuller for longer.
This is partly because it reduces the hunger hormone ghrelin, and at least in mice, it raises the levels of a substance called YY peptide which promotes satiety.
Supports Weight Loss
Protein boosts your metabolism. Your body burns calories just by digesting protein and protein requires more effort to digest than other foods.
This effect isn’t so significant that you should rely on this measure alone to become leaner, but every little bit helps.
In some people, a high protein diet may also support weight loss.
Protein is an Important Component of Many Vital Things in the Body
Although there are numerous other jobs that protein performs in the body, that is usually covered by food and what the body can create.
These “jobs” include making hormones, enzymes, and antibodies.
How to Mix Collagen and Plant-Protein Powder
Some Quick Tips
Mix it into your favorite smoothies and juices or with water or milk (whether plant-milk or dairy-milk).
You may need to mix the collagen powder in some warm water first to dissolve it so that it doesn’t form clumps.
Check the flavor of your collagen powder and make sure that it doesn’t clash with the flavor of your protein powder or with the ingredients in your beverage.
Anywhere that you would use protein powder, it’s generally safe to use collagen powder too.
Vanilla Blueberry Smoothie
Ingredients
- A cup of blueberries
- A cup of almond milk or coconut milk
- A scoop of vanilla protein powder e.g. Garden of Life Raw Organic Vanilla Protein Powder
- A serving of collagen powder (preferably vanilla, unflavored, or a berry flavored collagen powder)
Method
- Put all the ingredients into a blender
- Blend it until smooth
- If it’s a little thick, just add a little more milk
Banana Chocolate Collagen Muffins
Combining collagen and protein in drink form not your thing?
You can either substitute ⅛ of your flour with a combination of collagen and protein, or stick to your protein shake and eat a collagen muffin instead.
This recipe is from asassyspoon.com.
While it is dairy-free, You can substitute the egg for flax egg, if your vegan or suffer from egg allergies.
How To Mix Whey Protein Powder with Collagen
Along with plant-based protein, you can also mix whey protein with collagen. The simplest way is of course blending a mixture all in a smoothie.
Just look up your favorite smoothie recipes and add in a scoop of collagen/protein. It’s really that simple.
Flavor Pairings
In case you were wondering which flavors of collagen and protein go well together… you can see I’m a fan of chocolate:
- Chocolate and vanilla
- Chocolate and coconut
- Chocolate and caramel
- Vanilla and most fruits (I am not a fan of citrus flavors with vanilla)
- Chocolate and fruity flavors like banana and strawberry
- Coffee and vanilla and/or chocolate
- Spices (cinnamon, cardamom, chai, etc) and vanilla and/or chocolate
- Vanilla and most dessert flavors
- Coffee and cinnamon
- Coffee and caramel
If in doubt and for the ultimate freedom, get flavorless options and pair them with whatever other flavors you like.
