Clean Collagen Checklist

Here's a clean collagen checklist to help you nourish your body with collagen that is toxin-free, filler-free, sustainably-sourced, bioavailable and good for our planet. 

Much like meat and vegetables, not all collagen has the same quality, comes from the same source, has the same bioavailability, or has the same environmental footprint. It takes some research to determine the quality and footprint of your collagen, but if we nourish our bodies with clean, non-toxic, sustainable food, our body and emotional state will be more in balance and well. 

Ask these questions to empower your wellness choices and your environmental footprint.

Source & Environmental Impact

 

Most collagen in the market is from hides and hooves and most of the bovine grass-fed collagen is sourced from Brazil. This is a slippery slope because the biggest impact on Amazon deforestation is cattle farming. 

And as for marine collagen, most is from pond-raised tilapia from Asia and is fed antibiotics. There is a negative environmental impact from GMO tilapia getting into the wild and pollutants from the fish-farms entering our oceans and water systems.

Cofo sources from an Alaskan fishery, our collagen is 100% from wild-caught, sustainably-sourced fish that is MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) approved. There are no antibiotics (like marine collagen from pond-raised tilapia) or metals (we test each lot). 

Ingredients

Look to see if there is a 1:1 ratio between peptides and protein. If there isn't, there is most likely a filler in your collagen - this could be whey protein, or a synthetic. 

Since many of our team has allergies and autoimmune disease, we created Cofo collagen to include NO fillers. For every gram of peptide there is a gram of protein.

Some collagen also includes refined sugars (for taste), synthetics, corn-based additives (ascorbic acid which is a form of Vitamin C) and non-organic ingredients. Check the ‘Other Ingredients’ section on the bottom of your supplement facts label.

Bioavailability

Bioavailability refers to the speed and quantity of absorption. Hydrolyzed collagen means the amino acids that make up collagen are in their simplest form so that they don’t need to be broken down in your stomach. Instead they bypass  stomach acid break-down and are transported to cells that are in need of repair and regeneration. 

There is a water membrane that protects each cell, amino acids need to be water soluble to move through the water membrane. There are different levels of water solubility. Hide and hoof cells have a lower water solubility level than fish skin. Fish breath through their skin versus hides that we make into coats and shoes to  retract water. The higher the water solubility, the more amino acids that will pass through the water membrane.

 

We're Connected

We asked these checklist questions when we created Cofo and it took us two years to get a collagen product that we could stand behind. We truly believe our health is connected to the wellness of our food and environment. We believe it's worth it to know the story of what nourishes you! These checklists will help empower your collagen choice, and how your body ultimately feels.