I’ve been using Vital Proteins for over a year now and have tried most all of their products. I want to walk you through their most popular products, what I like about them, what I don’t, how I use them, and what benefits I’ve seen. Starting with my favorite’s!

{As a quick note; I don’t get paid for sharing about them at all, I do however receive products from them, and will be using affiliate links in this post (through Amazon). Clicking them sends me a tiny percentage of your sale and I use that money to pay to keep this website up and running. Thank you!}

Collagen:

Collagen is the product I started with, and use the most frequently. I use the Marine Collagen and Collagen Peptides interchangeably. The difference is one is from cows, the other from fish. Otherwise, both are scentless, mix into anything, flavorless, and easy to use in nearly any recipe. I have mixed them into energy balls and granola bars, soups, oatmeal, smoothies, water, tea, coffee (obviously, thats my favorite way to consume all of these!), and avocado pudding too! I haven’t had much success baking with them, and am not sure how/if it negatively effects the benefits to bake them.

Their newest collagen product is Vanilla Collagen, it is still Whole30 friendly, and not packed with any weird ingredients (just collagen and vanilla bean). It doesn’t mix as smoothly into food, but it works perfectly to add a vanilla flavor (and scent!) to coffee, smoothies, and again in a chocolate avocado pudding. Basically, if you are using a bender/mixer with it, then it will mix in perfectly. But it doesn’t stir in as smoothly as the marine or collagen peptides.

My husband and I both can’t smell or taste it (and I have a super sensitive nose), but I have a couple of friends who said they can taste it (and that it’s a plasticky taste), but it’s easily masked if drank with coffee of if you add any other flavor.

Another way I like to enjoy collagen is mixed with cranberry juice, melon juice, and sparkling water. But, add the collagen and cranberry together first, because it creates a very thick foam that can get out of control when you add sparkling water, hah, I speak from WAY too many times experiencing this.

They also have the Collagen Beauty Greens, I use this mixed into super green smoothies (with a squeeze of lemon or cranberry juice), but that’s the only way I can enjoy the taste. It is super grassy, green, and reminiscent of matcha. I don’t hate it, but love the other collagen products more so I end up relying on those.

Benefits of Collagen:

Collagen is a building block of hair, skin, nails, bones and joints. The more we consume it, the more it stimulates our body to create it. Collagen peptides are high in amino acids like Glycine and Proline, those are what help you produce new and more collagen. Because of that collagen can help you protect your joints, grow new connecting tissues, and reduce the risk of injury. I like to have collagen after a workout to help with soreness too! It packs a nice protein punch and helps me to get more protein in my diet. Collagen makes up 90% of organic bone mass, so supplementing with it can help with increasing bone density. I like to use it as a means of proactively looking out for my bones as I age. On a more cosmetic note… my hair, skin, nails are healthier when I am eating it regularly. My nails grow thicker and faster, my hair is longer and stronger, and my skin is plumper and fuller feeling. I haven’t isolated than one collagen source (marine, peptides, or vanilla) is better than another, they all seem to work well for me and my body, so I use them interchangeably.

Gelatin:

I was hesitant to try gelatin, it was one of the last products I tried. I initially bought it just to make marshmallows! But once I got up the bravery, I began mixing it into my coffee and fell head over heels. Using a scoop of gelatin in your bullet proof coffee makes for the best foam ever, and adds no weird flavors or textures. However… if you leave it out over night, you will wake up to a bizarre cup of bullet proof jello.

So far I have only used gelatin in tea, coffee, and to make marshmallows. But I have some plans and schemes to use it in a couple of recipes coming up soon!

Benefits of Gelatin:

I love using the gelatin in my bulletproof coffee, it’s also less expensive than collagen, but I can use it interchangeable in hot drinks. It’s less versatile because it is a thickener, but if you are going to be consuming it quickly, that doesn’t really matter!

Gelatin has many of the same effects as collagen, and has a high protein count as well (a big part of why I use both collagen and gelatin). However it comes with added benefits to your gut health. I opt for gelatin over collagen whenever I am feeling a little stomach ick, or know that I’ll be eating a rich meal that day. But my favorite is a scoop of each (that’s what is pictured here) because the foam is out of this world.

Collagen Whey Protein:

Collagen Whey, the other product that gets some play in our home. It comes with the same benefits as collagen, obviously, but has a far higher protein count and can work in a shake to make it considered a “protein shake” . My body doesn’t react well to dairy, nor does my husbands, so we primarily use this for our daughters. They love smoothies so I blend collagen whey (they especially like the vanilla!) with berries, banana, and almond milk for a “milk shake”. It isn’t chalky at all, add’s a really creamy flavor, and really tastes like milk. I used to use it in my coffee, and as a ‘cocoa’ (the chocolate flavor) with honey and almond milk as a treat with my girlies. It isn’t sweetened at all, has an incredible ingredient list ,and if your body doesn’t react poorly to dairy, I highly recommend it.

I love Vital Proteins, highly recommend them, and they’re adorable and sell this mug, that is high on my wishlist, because DANG is that accurate.

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