Brand Spotlight: Vital Proteins
On a daily basis, it seems I'm constantly sharing my favorite brands for various health and wellness products to my clients, friends, and family. I even have several photos of the most popular items saved as a favorite item on my phone! Thus, it only seemed natural that my next semi-regular series on the blog would feature some of my favorite brands and products. I am in no way affiliated with any of these brands, nor am I sponsored by them (I'll let you know if I am!). Rather, these are brands and products that I've come to trust and recommend in my own practice and utilize frequently in my own life.
First up in the brand spotlight series: Vital Proteins.
According to their website, "Vital Proteins helps people feel better and live fuller lives through sustainably-sourced nutrition products, promoting health, fitness and natural beauty."
Vital Proteins sells a variety of supplements and products that I would consider true superfoods including gelatin, collagen, and encapsulated liver. They make eating such foods easy and manageable (not many people actively eat liver on a daily basis, for instance). Plus, their products are also extremely high quality and well sourced, which is why I typically recommend them over other brands with similar products. A few years ago when I first heard about Vital Proteins and their collagen peptides, they were about the only brand on the market. Now, there are so many different options, but I still will always love and trust VP for their quality and sourcing.
My Favorites from Vital Proteins:
Hands down, the product from VP that I recommend most often is the collagen peptides. Collagen is one of the my abundant and crucial proteins in the body and aids in the formation and health of our skin, hair, joints, bones, nails, and gut health. Collagen is one of the superfoods I recommend to anyone looking to heal their gut or resolve any digestive upset!
The collagen peptides from VP come in several varieties including unflavored powder, capsules, and flavored/mixed. Typically, I recommend the unflavored powder because it can be stirred into any liquid, hot or cold, and dissolves quite readily. It is the easiest way to get some extra protein and nutrition into a meal in an easy manner! I've even stirred it into water when I'm in a pinch, and it doesn't taste too bad. The capsules are easier to take if you are super, super sensitive to taste (although I think it is pretty mild in taste, if any). The flavored varieties are also great options if you want to use the collagen in smoothies or something of the like. I've tried the mixed berry collagen peptides with water, and it's a great combination!
Unflavored Powder Collagen Peptides
Encapsulated Collagen Peptides
Desiccated Beef Liver Capsules
If you are among those who choose not to consume liver on a regular basis (I would argue that that is about 99% of us...), then supplementing with a high-quality liver supplement is often a good idea. Liver is a true superfood, rich in numerous vitamins and minerals crucial to overall health and well-being. Plus, because liver is a whole food, these nutrients are in their most bioavailable form for our bodies to absorb.
Gelatin powder is a different form of collagen that gels when it is cool, making a great option for homemade "jello" or other foods of the like. I'll admit, I haven't used the gelatin myself because it's not often that I make recipes that call for it, but for anyone with children or someone who needs to consume more soft foods in their diet (like jello), I'd HIGHLY recommend gelatin powder as an easy way to add in more bioavailable nutrition.
Of course, these products are just the starting point. Vital Proteins has a variety of other products including beauty waters, whey/collagen protein blends, and coffee creamers. I always recommend starting with the unflavored collagen and adding it to your coffee, tea, or a smoothie once a day for a couple of weeks and see what happens! From there, you can start to branch out and try a variety of other products suited to your needs. Let me know how you like them!
xoxo Olivia
