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Does Collagen Break a Fast?
Skipping meals has now become a common practice for many. This fasting has been embraced by a sizeable segment of those looking to improve their health, control their weight, or reap any number of other benefits but sticking to a fast means imposing significant disruptions to your daily schedule, not to mention enduring hours or days of hunger pangs. One of the most common issues among those who fast is figuring out just what foods or drinks might break that fast and throw off their internal biology.
Will Taking a Collagen Supplement Break Your Fast?
For many people who enjoy the benefits to the skin, hair, and nail health from using a collagen supplement, adding a scoop of collagen to your coffee is a great way to integrate this essential protein into a diet. Because coffee has almost no calories, it’s frequently enjoyed as part of a fasting diet, but does collagen also have a place on days when you’re not supposed to eat?
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Technically, any food, drink, or supplement that has even a single calorie is enough to break a fast, so collagen would, too. However, most people who practice a form of fasting allow themselves just a tiny number of calories, such as the four or five calories found in a cup of coffee. Still, one scoop of collagen powder generally has about 35 calories – still not many, but several times what would be in a cup of plain coffee.
Even if you consume 40 calories in the morning, though – five from the coffee and 35 from the collagen – you’re still likely to see many of the benefits of a fast. The main process that’s likely to be impacted is autophagy, which involves the body ridding itself of damaged cells and replacing them with healthy ones. To get the greatest benefit from this, you’ll probably need to eliminate all calories from your diet during periods of fasting, which would mean no collagen. That said, you could still see some of the benefits of autophagy, even with a few dozen calories in your day.
Technically, any food, drink, or supplement that has even a single calorie is enough to break a fast, so collagen would, too. However, most people who practice a form of fasting allow themselves just a tiny number of calories, such as the few calories in a cup of coffee, as long as the process of autophagy is not impacted. Autophagy is the process in which the body rids itself of damaged cells.
Benefits of Using Collagen During a Fast
In addition to the autophagic effects of fasting, those who use collagen during a fast will see some other benefits as well. One of the best things about fasting is that fasting makes you eat less food overall. For those who fast to lose weight, this reduced calorie intake is a huge advantage and, collagen can help.
Studies have shown that ingesting collagen can trigger the production of hunger-suppressing hormones, making you feel fuller longer. By adding a scoop of collagen to your morning coffee, you can limit your appetite and make it easier to stick to your fast since you will not have hunger pangs. In this way, collagen supplements can actually complement your fast
Of course, that’s not the only benefit to using collagen, during a fast or otherwise. This key protein is what gives your skin its elasticity, and it’s used to help maintain the condition of your hair, nails, joints, and muscles. Some users have even reported benefits as diverse as improving heart health or preventing the degradation of bones. Whatever your reason for taking collagen, know that it’s probably fine for all but the strictest of fasts.
Does Taking Collagen While Fasting Kick You Out of Ketosis?
Along with the widespread popularity of intermittent fasting, many people have come to depend on a keto diet, which actually has much in common with fasting. Both rely on triggering biological processes – in one, it’s autophagy, and in the other, it’s ketosis – and both can be disrupted by eating or drinking the wrong thing at the wrong time. Luckily, collagen fits even better into a keto diet than it does intermittent fasting.
Ketosis is a process maintained by eliminating carbs from the diet, which forces the body to use fat for energy instead. If you take in carbs at any point once ketosis has begun, your body will stop the process, and you’ll be back at square one. Some people fast in addition to their keto diet to bring out even greater benefits, but whether you fast or not, you won’t have to worry about collagen causing problems. Supplements from Indigo Collagen are made with only one ingredient – collagen peptides – and contain no carbs and will not hinder ketosis.
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Include Collagen in Your Diet Plan for Healthier Skin and Fewer Wrinkles
