Liberty Asks: What is Collagen
Cut through the myths as we ask an expert nutritionist everything you need to know about the biggest buzzword in wellness.
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Liberty Asks: What is Collagen
Cut through the myths as we ask an expert nutritionist everything you need to know about the biggest buzzword in wellness.
With even the smallest glimpse into the wellness world, there’s one topic that looms large in many-a-conversation: collagen. And it really is everywhere: drinks, shots, powders, creams, serums and beyond aiming and claiming to boost your collagen levels, add a bit more collagen to your diet or strengthen the collagen you already have.
With such an wave of collagen-creations, it’s easy to lose sight of why it became such a hot topic in the first place. What collagen is, and why its integral to health and wellbeing goes far beyond what its prevalence in the beauty aisle suggests. An essential protein in the body, not only is it found within the skin, but its also involved in tendons, joints, muscles and much more – with complex, and fascinating, mechanisms in our bodies behind its creation, strength and maintenance.
To decode these collagen conundrums, it takes an expert. So, Liberty called on Jessica Shand, a registered naturopathic nutritionist, author of The Hormone Balance handbook and friend of the cacao and bone broth brand Holy Cacao, to explain what collagen actually is, beyond and behind the hype, and to tell us more about how and why keeping it healthy is a welleness addition worth thinking about…
What is Collagen?
With Jessica Shand, Registered Naturapathic Nutritionist.
What is collagen and why do we need it?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and acts as the structural glue that holds us together. It’s found in our skin, joints, bones, muscles, gut lining, blood vessels, and connective tissue.
From a women’s health perspective, collagen is essential not just for appearance and keeping our skin looking healthy, but for hormone balance, gut health, joint health, and healthy ageing. As we age, particularly after around our mid to late-20s and significantly more noticeably during perimenopause and menopause, our natural collagen production declines, which can manifest and show up as facial fine lines, wrinkles, joint pain, slower recovery, weaker hair and nails, and even gut issues.
What are three things you wish more people knew or understood about collagen?
1. Collagen is not just about skin. It’s foundational for joint health, gut integrity, hormone signalling, and tissue repair throughout the body.
2. You can’t out-supplement a stressed body. Chronic stress, inflammation, and poor blood sugar control will break down collagen faster than supplements can rebuild it.
3. Consistency matters more than quantity. Consistent, daily support has a far greater impact than sporadic high doses and one of the easiest ways to stay consistent is to build collagen into a daily ritual that feels so soothing and nourishing.
Why is collagen something that we might consider as a supplement?
Modern diets no longer provide the same collagen-rich foods our ancestors consumed regularly. We’re eating more muscle meat and far less connective tissue, skin, and bones. At the same time, stress, blood sugar imbalances, inflammation, and hormonal shifts all accelerate collagen breakdown.
Supplementing collagen helps bridge that nutritional gap, providing the body with key amino acids needed for tissue repair, skin elasticity, gut lining integrity, and joint support- especially for women navigating hormonal transitions or challenges.
How can we make sure we’re supporting our collagen levels?
Supporting collagen isn’t just about taking a powder, it’s about creating and nourishing the right internal environment.
Adequate protein intake is foundational, along with key nutrients like vitamin C, zinc, copper, and silica, which are required for collagen synthesis. Managing stress, balancing blood sugar, supporting gut health, and reducing chronic inflammation all protect collagen stores.
Collagen supplements and bone broth can be powerful tools, but they work best when paired with a whole-food, hormone-supportive lifestyle it's always a whole body approach and we should never look at anything in isolation.
Holy Cacao uses bone broth as a source of collegen - what are some of the benefits of the ingredient?
Bone broth is a uniquely holistic form of collagen support. In addition to collagen peptides, it provides gelatin, glycine, proline, glutamine, and minerals that support joint health, gut repair, immune function, and even nervous system calm. For women dealing with digestive issues, hormonal stress, or inflammation, bone broth can be incredibly grounding, nourishing and restorative. It’s not just a beauty food, it’s deeply therapeutic, particularly for gut health and adrenal support.
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