My collagen story – what is collagen and what does it do?
I don’t know about you but I’m terror for not taking things that would, quite possibly, help me – particularly as I head further into my 50s. I have friends who take vitamins, tinctures, powders and linctures religiously and consistently, whereas I am more of a “dabbler”. I remember many years ago taking spirulina (it covered my teeth in green slime) and protein powder (disgusting!) so since then, I’ve steered clear of anything else.
The trouble is…
I like to be able to see the results of actions that I take in quite an obvious way. When it comes to exercise, for example, that’s an easy one. It’s relatively easy to feel your body getting stronger, or fitter, or quicker, or your jeans getting looser (or indeed the converse, when you take your eye off the ball.)
The sceptic has arrived…
But when it comes to powders, sachets and tablets which claim to benefit the appearance of your skin; well it’s harder to measure whether they deliver the results that they promise and also, whether they’re worth the investment. The same is true of anything that promises longer term health benefits. How do you know how you would have fared had you not taken them?
I know I sound like a sceptic and that’s because I pretty much am. But then again…
I had a nagging doubt…
I definitely had a nagging doubt at the back of my mind that I probably ought to be investigating what was available. Because, in all likelihood, I was wrong and there were products that could make a difference, if I gave them a chance.
Then as luck would have it, the stars aligned and I was approached by the team at Zooki whose strapline is “Nutrition done differently.” Zooki offered to send me two weeks’ worth of their new Concord grape flavour collagen sachets for me to try, in exchange for some content on Instagram.
I hadn’t heard of Zooki before so I did what I always do when I’m approached by a brand I haven’t heard of and I checked them out online. I liked that the collagen sachets could be recycled, that you could subscribe and save, that you could refer a friend and that they offered a 30 day money back guarantee. As I was about to go on holiday, I thought it would be easy for me to take the collagen sachets with me, so I agreed to try them for 14 days.
When the sachets arrived, I was pleased to read that the business was family run and that the company was set up 6 years ago after a serious rugby injury inspired Marcus Mollinga, the co-founder, and his school friend Jack, to set up Zooki – “with the goal to make impactful, great tasting supplements that you’ll look forward to taking every day.”
So what, exactly, is collagen?
According to the Zooki website “Collagen is a protein found in the body. Collagen’s strong fibres provide the structure and function of our skin, bones and cartilage and ensures the integrity, elasticity and strength of our body’s connective tissue and organs. Collagen is the most abundant and complex protein in the body, making up around one third of our total protein!”
What does the collagen claim to do?
The information on the box indicated that the collagen would help with cartilage, skin, muscle maintenance and bones. Even I couldn’t deny that all of those are pretty important. In fact Zooki call their collagen:
“Our cartilage supporting, bone bolstering, skin nourishing secret weapon.” And with 756 five star reviews, it seems that others agreed.
The fact that Zooki collagen comes in sachets is a USP of theirs. It’s easy to take on the go.
My plan…
My plan was to take the collagen for the 14 day period before writing about it, or featuring it on Instagram. I needed to be confident that I could, at the very least, take the collagen sachets myself for 14 days, before talking about them.
Best laid plans…
I did really well for 4 days and then on day 5 I got a sickness bug. It took me a long time before I could face eating anything other than toast or crisps (healthy!) and so I put the collagen on hold for about a week.
Since then…
Since then, I’ve taken the collagen sachets every day and I’m now on day 13 of 14. I think it’s partly the accountability that has helped me to stick to my side of the bargain and I’ve quickly worked them in to my daily routine.
The way I do it…
The sachets are really easy to use. You can take them out and about with you and all you do is rip the top off and squeeze the contents out. The collagen is designed to be taken on its own, in smoothies, stirred into yoghurt or put over porridge.
My preferred way of taking the collagen is before bed and by swallowing it in one go. Although the collagen comes from cod, it doesn’t have a fishy taste at all. The concord grape flavour is a new addition to the range and it’s perfectly palatable.
Can I tell a difference?
I’ve made a few changes recently, such as swapping my cleanser and moisturiser, doing yoga twice a day and giving up caffeine and alcohol, so it’s hard to say whether the collagen sachets have had an impact or not BUT I do feel that my skin is clear and perhaps a little less lined and a little more plump. Plus for some reason, I don’t find looking in the mirror such horrifying experience any more!
And aside of all of that, it feels really good to have created some new habits and I like that one of those is taking something for myself that (will hopefully) help with cartilage, skin, muscle maintenance and bone strength. It should help me to keep on running for as long as I can, perhaps help to keep the family arthiritis at bay and if it also helps with the appearance of my skin, I’m in!
The cost
The cost of the Zooki collagen is £24.49 for 14 servings, which works out at £1.75 per day (this decreases to £1.46 per day for 30 servings or £1.39 per day for 90 servings). I also have a discount code ZOOKIBETH20 which gives you 20% off your first order, should you like to try it out.
Conclusion
I wouldn’t ever try to persuade anyone to buy anything if it was going to make things difficult for them financially. I know that I was definitely spending £1.39 each day on Diet Coke before I gave it up and in the long run, I’ve got no doubt that the collagen is a better bet for me, so I’m happy to re-direct the “Diet Coke Funds” to the collagen.
Although I can’t say with 100% certainty that I can see results just yet, as I already mentioned, my skin is clear and healthy and it feels more hydrated…as if there’s a little glow from the inside out. My plan is to take the collagen for at least another 14 days and now that I’m used to taking it as part of my daily routine, I can see it as being a long term commitment.
If you’d like to find out more about Zooki collagen you can take a look HERE and to find out more about the other products Zooki has to offer, take a look HERE . Oh and that code again is ZOOKIBETH20
PS Zooki didn’t ask me to write this blog post but I felt bad that I’d had to delay taking the collagen sachets due to a sickness bug and I also felt that it would support the Instagram content that I created in a much more detailed, and genuine, way.
