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Breakfast cookies are a fantastic way to get some on-the-go nutrition. These cookies are loaded with healthy fats, different forms of protein, and a little sweetness and crunch. The ground cashews provide a sweet and nutty cookie that’s milder compared to almond-based cookies. Feel free to swap out ingredients to change the flavor of the cookies. Try different nuts or seeds, a mashed banana instead of applesauce, or a different flavor of collagen.

Primal Breakfast Cookies

Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 14 medium-sized cookies

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. salted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup all-natural almond butter
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup cashews
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 1 scoop Primal Kitchen Vanilla Collagen Fuel
• 1 Tbsp. coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 3/4 cup frozen cranberries
• 40g 95% dark chocolate, chopped

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325ºF. In a bowl, combine the melted butter, applesauce, almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.

Use a high-speed blender to blend up the cashews into a flour.

Add the ground cashews, flaxseed, collagen, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl, and stir until combined.

Whisk the egg and add it to the dough. Fold in the pumpkin seeds, frozen cranberries, and chopped chocolate. Allow the dough to rest for 1–2 minutes to allow the coconut flour to absorb some of the liquid. The dough will still be sticky after resting.

Use an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop to scoop out balls of dough. Place the cookie dough balls on a parchment-covered sheet pan. You may need to use two baking sheets, depending on their size.

Flatten each ball slightly. Bake in the oven for 12–14 minutes, or until they are slightly golden. Allow them to cool before removing them from the sheet pan and enjoying. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.

Nutrition Information (per cookie; recipe makes 14 medium cookies):

Calories: 171
Total Carbs: 9 grams
Net Carbs: 6 grams
Fat: 13 grams
Protein: 8 grams

The post Primal Breakfast Cookies appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Yes, it is true, apple cider vinegar is officially the queen of the prepper’s pantry. But, you don’t have to be a prepper to reap the benefits of this 100% natural powerhouse. Because it is so versatile, everyone, at all times, should have a bottle, or two at hand. I open my mouth, and apple […]

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There are benefits to raising chickens—like the quality of eggs you get in return. Check out this article for more benefits and to learn how to start your own backyard coop.

The post The Top 4 Benefits of Raising Chickens (And How to Do It) appeared first on Chris Kresser.

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Research of the Week

Sufficient training may make meal timing less important for weight management.

Increasing handwashing at airports could have a huge impact on the risk of pandemics.

Dogs were probably domesticated during the Ice Age.

Using forced swim tests to determine a lab mouse’s depression probably doesn’t work.

How does ketosis impact appetite? A review.

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 405: Sara Hall: Host Brad Kearns chats with Sara Hall, fresh off her amazing 2:22 marathon.

Episode 406: Paul Saladino, MD: Host Elle Russ chats with Dr. Paul Saladino about all things carnivore.

Primal Health Coach Radio, Episode 49: Laura and Erin do the year in review.

Media, Schmedia

UAE Tour ends after two Italian cyclists test positive for coronavirus.

Interesting Blog Posts

Dave Feldman’s thoughts on LDL-P and other lipid issues.

Social Notes

Has Trump gone keto?

The more things change…

Everything Else

The history of Sichuan peppercorns.

Listing your European study abroad experience in your resume might not be a great idea.

“We developed an experimental model to assay transfer of bacteria during greeting exchange, and show that transfer is dramatically reduced when engaging in alternative so-called dap greetings known as the high five and fist bump compared with a traditional handshake.”

Things I’m Up to and Interested in

I can’t imagine anything going wrong with kids relying on this for their veggies: Ice cream with broccoli in it.

I’m happy to see it: New Zealand Beef+Lamb has started a global study on regenerative agriculture.

I’m unhappy to see it: Obesity remains on the rise.

I’m intrigued: Quarks and electrons may experience consciousness.

I am SHOCKED that food labels can be misleading: Are Foods Labeled “Low Sugar” Misleading Consumers?

Question I’m Asking

Will obesity ever go back down?

Recipe Corner

• Craving sushi? NomNomPaleo has you covered.
• Moroccan salad platters. The Mediterranean cuisines do the best platters.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Feb 22–Feb 28)

• Can Keto and Cardio Mix? – Well, do they?
• Dear Mark: Fasting, Training, and Growth Hormone; Wear and Tear on the Arteries – A few questions answered.

Comment of the Week

“If you subtract the average 3.5 lbs. gained by the freshmen in the walking study from the standard “Freshman 15”, then they actually lost 11.5 lbs. Not too shabby! Walking does work.”

– That’s the math I like, jeff.

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Although the virus may not show its ugly head in your neighborhood, it still makes good sense to exercise caution, especially when it comes to having enough nutritious food on hand. Benjamin Franklin once said, “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” No matter what emergency you are preparing for, be it a […]

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Keto is hot right now, but it’s not the easiest diet to follow. It’s no surprise, then, that keto dieters have spun off different versions of the diet to suit their needs. One that gets a lot of hype on social media is lazy keto.

(As an aside, I bet there’s an interesting social psychology study here—people who hear “lazy keto” and go, “Oh cool, I can do keto and be lazy? Sign me up!” versus people who go, “Lazy?! That’s totally not the point of keto, arrgghh!” But I digress.)

Mark and I are both big proponents of self-experimentation and finding the eating plan that works for you. The question at hand is whether, and for whom, lazy keto might be a viable option. How does it stack up to “strict keto,” and does it work?

What Is (And Is Not) “Lazy Keto?”

There’s no agreed-upon definition of lazy keto, but the most common one is: a keto diet in which you only track carbohydrates. This is in contrast to strict keto, where you track carbs, fat, protein, and total calories.

The logic here is that carb intake determines whether your diet is or is not ketogenic (true), so it’s all you really need to know. In The Keto Reset Diet and Keto for Life, Mark recommends a limit of 50 grams of carbohydrate per day, with wiggle room if most of your carbs come from non-starchy vegetables and avocados. Thus, to do a lazy Primal+keto diet, you’d simply make sure you’re keeping your carbs below about 50 grams per day. Of course, you’d also still stick to Primal recommendations regarding food quality, avoiding industrialized seed and vegetable oils and the like.

Lazy Keto Isn’t Dirty Keto Or IIFYM

Sometimes “lazy keto” is used interchangeably with “dirty keto” or “IIFYM” (if it fits your macros), but they are not the same. Dirty keto and IIFYM don’t care about the types or quality of the food you eat. Anything goes as long as you stick to your keto macros.

You can do a keto diet that is both lazy and dirty: only track carbs, eating whatever foods you want as long as you don’t exceed your carb limit. You can also do one but not the other: lazy keto where you care very much about the quality and nutrient-density of your food (not dirty), or dirty/IIFYM keto where you strictly track your macros and calories (not lazy).

What Else Is NOT Lazy Keto?

Doing keto some days but not others

To me, the name “lazy keto” implies that you sometimes do keto, unless you don’t feel like it, then maybe you eat some cake and get back to keto tomorrow. That’s not it. If you’re doing lazy keto, the assumption is that you’re consistently following a keto diet, just without all the strict tracking.

If you’re following Mark’s strategy of sometimes eating keto-level carbs and sometimes eating more according to hunger, season, activity, and so on, that’s not really lazy keto. That’s living in the “keto zone”, as Mark says.

Likewise, if you practice strategic carb cycling but still track your macros pretty closely, that’s also not lazy keto.

Doing the best you can given your circumstances

Some people define lazy keto as anything less than 100 percent commitment to buying the highest-quality ingredients, plus strict tracking and management of every bite that goes in your mouth. It’s fine if you aspire to that, but I object to that characterization. Lazy keto doesn’t mean you’ve given yourself permission not to care about your diet as much as someone who follows strict keto.

There are lots of people who can’t or don’t want to micromanage and who are also not “lazy.” Buying the food you can afford and occasionally doing the best you can with less-than-ideal options, such as when you’re on the road, is not lazy keto.

Pros of Lazy Keto

If you’re new to keto and feeling overwhelmed by all the logistics of strict keto, you might be better off starting with lazy keto. Some folks just do better baby-stepping their way into change. Lower your carbs to get into ketosis first, then start optimizing fat, protein, and total calorie intake once you’ve gotten the hang of low-carb eating.

Lazy keto is also an option for people who have been enjoying the benefits of keto for a while but who are starting to get burned out with the food tracking. By tracking carbs at least, you are more likely to stay in ketosis if that’s important to you.

Strict keto often doesn’t work for people who don’t do well physically or mentally with restrictive diets. Lazy keto might be a good compromise for them. If you’ve had issues with dieting in the past, I’d urge you to talk to your medical practitioners or, if applicable, an eating disorder specialist before trying even lazy keto.

Cons of Lazy Keto

These are the most common objections to lazy keto vis-à-vis strict keto:

You won’t know if you’re really in ketosis.

Unless you measure ketones, this is technically true even if you track your food religiously. Ketosis is a pretty safe bet if you’re keeping your carbs down, though. No matter what type of keto diet you’re doing, if you want to know for sure that you’re in ketosis, you need to get a blood or breath meter (not pee strips) and measure.

However, the real objection here is that you won’t know if you’re in ketosis because you aren’t tracking protein, so let’s get into that.

You aren’t tracking protein, and too much protein will kick you out of ketosis.

This is a flawed premise to begin with—the old “protein-turns-into-chocolate-cake” fallacy. Mark has covered this on MDA, and we’ve talked about it ad nauseam in the Keto Reset Facebook group. Suffice it to say: it’s not a big concern.

Yes, some amino acids can be converted to glucose in the liver via a process called gluconeogenesis. Yes, eating a higher protein keto diet can blunt the production of ketones, but most people will never notice this effect. If you find that you feel better within a certain range of protein intake, then sure, lazy keto isn’t for you unless you have been tracking for long enough that you can eyeball your optimal protein intake. Otherwise, this concern shouldn’t stop you.

You aren’t tracking calories, so you might eat too much (or too little).

If you are trying to lose weight, calories matter. Still, it’s possible to meet your weight-loss goal using a lazy keto approach if you naturally eat in a deficit. Obviously, if you’re not making progress, the first thing to do is start tracking all your macros and see how much you’re actually eating.

I’m actually more concerned about people eating too few calories on lazy keto, especially if they’re combining it with daily intermittent fasting or OMAD (one meal a day). It’s already tricky enough to make sure you’re eating enough total calories, and especially protein, in a compressed eating window. If you’re not keeping track, you might unintentionally be underfueling.

This isn’t to say you can’t do lazy keto if you practice IF (intermittent fasting) or OMAD. I do think it’s a good idea to  check in periodically, though, and see your total macro and calorie breakdown. Of course, also tune in to your body’s signals and be willing to respond to signs your body isn’t happy.

You might have keto flu over and over if you go in and out of ketosis.

Keto flu is the headaches, low energy, and generally blah phase that some people experience during the initial keto-adaptation process. However, once you are keto-adapted and metabolically flexible, keto flu shouldn’t be an issue even if you do go in and out of ketosis, especially if you manage your electrolytes.

If you’re tracking carbs, you probably aren’t going in and out of ketosis anyway. If you’re worried about keto flu, though, start with a period of strict keto—at least six weeks as recommended in The Keto Reset Diet—to get a decent foundation of keto adaptation before moving into lazy keto.

Deciding if Lazy Keto Is For You

Ask yourself two questions:

1. Why am I interested in doing a ketogenic diet?
2. Do the benefits I’m looking for probably depend on having a high level of ketones and/or being in ketosis all the time?

If you’re doing keto for weight loss, general health benefits, or longevity, the answer to question #2 is no, at least not according to the available science. Experimenting with lazy keto is probably fine if it appeals to you.

If you’re doing keto for therapeutic reasons, the answer to #2 might be yes. If so, you’re better off being strict. Keep in mind that not all of the therapeutic benefits of keto require high levels of ketones, though. Some benefits are simply due to removing pro-inflammatory or insulinogenic foods. In any case, I wouldn’t start with lazy keto if I was using keto therapeutically. I’d be strict at first, and then I’d work with my medical practitioners to decide if lazy keto is OK for me to try.

Finally, if you’re doing keto specifically for cognitive benefits or mental clarity, it’s possible that higher ketones are better. People who enjoy profound cognitive benefits often notice that they have to hit a certain ketone threshold to really feel them, at least anecdotally. This threshold differs from person to person. If you care strongly about achieving higher ketone levels, you should strictly track your macros and experiment with different levels of fat and protein intake to find your sweet spot. You can also try adding MCT oil or even exogenous ketone supplements to boost ketone levels.

How to Implement Lazy Keto

Lazy keto might look like:

1. Eating a wide variety of foods, tracking carbs and keeping them low enough to be keto.
2. Working from a short list of ingredients—eggs, meat, lowest-carb veggies only. You might or might not track carbs, but you’ve made it difficult to exceed your limit because the foods you eat are all so low.
3. Figuring out the macros for a small number of low-carb meals that you eat over and over so you never have to bother tracking. Technically this might qualify as lazy keto if you know how much fat and protein you eat, too. It’s still lazy keto if you allow yourself to add as much fat as you want via condiments, butter, oil, and cheese.

But Does it Work?

The answer is: it depends.

Lazy keto hasn’t been studied systematically. When deciding whether it offers the same potential benefits as strict keto, all we have to go on is anecdotal evidence and common sense.

For general health, I think it’s safe to say yes, you can get similar benefits by doing lazy keto. Moreover, lazy keto offers a level of chillness that is better for some people’s mental wellbeing. For them, lazy keto beats strict keto.

For weight loss, anecdotes suggest it’s likely to work at the beginning, especially for people transitioning from a high-carb SAD (Standard American Diet). There may come a time when you need to measure your food more precisely. Bear in mind that even strict keto doesn’t guarantee weight loss.

Lazy keto is probably not for you if you need or want consistently high levels of ketones for medical reasons or because you notice a big difference in how you feel.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. I so often see people get paralyzed by the fear that if they try something new, they’ll “mess everything up.” That’s incredibly unlikely unless you’re dealing with an exceptionally sensitive medical issue. Sure, for some people, going on a month-long pie and soda bender could wreak havoc, but that’s not what we’re discussing here.

And remember, it’s OK to mix up your diet. Switch between strict and lazy keto, then do a period of higher-carb Primal eating. Heck, try a couple weeks of carnivore if you want. In fact, it’s arguably un-Primal to rigidly adhere to one style of eating 24/7/365 (unless you need to for medical reasons).

Finally, don’t let the keto police persuade you that lazy keto isn’t “real keto.” There’s no such thing as “real keto.” Find the way of eating that works best in your life, and don’t worry about these labels.

Tell me in the comments: Has lazy keto worked for you? Has it definitely not worked for you?  How have you modified your diet to suit your preferences and lifestyle?

References 

Franz, MJ. Protein: metabolism and effect on blood glucose levels. Diabetes Educ. 1997 Nov-Dec;23(6):643-6, 648, 650-1.

Fromentin C, Tomé D, Nau F, et al. Dietary proteins contribute little to glucose production, even under optimal gluconeogenic conditions in healthy humans. Diabetes. 2013;62(5):1435–1442. doi:10.2337/db12-1208.

The post Lazy Keto: Worth the Hype or Just a Dirty (Keto) Trick? appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Before I get into the meat of this post, let’s make one thing clear: You should stay active while fasting. You shouldn’t just sit around. You shouldn’t give up. It’s actually imperative that you exercise while fasting.

Everything we do, or don’t do, sends a message. If you stay sedentary during a fast, you’re telling your body several bad messages.

What Not Exercising While Fasting Does to Your Fitness

1. It tells your body you’re too weak to handle a fast. In previous incarnations of the human, fasting preceded food procurement. You didn’t stroll over to the fridge for a meal. You worked for it. You hunted (and gathered) for it. You exerted yourself to fill that empty belly. Simply lying around during a fast meant you’d die. Don’t tell yourself you’re too weak to handle the fast.
2. It tells your body you don’t need all that muscle tissue. If you don’t use your muscles during a fast, your body will consider them fair game. Those muscles can provide a big dose of amino acids that convert into glucose, and if you’re not using them, you’ll lose them to make glucose. “This bozo obviously doesn’t need those biceps, let’s dig in!”

Indeed, one of the reasons most people lose muscle when reducing calories and losing weight is that they fail to lift weights. Another big reason is they fail to eat enough protein, of course, but simply by lifting weights during calorie deficits, we can retain muscle mass. Since a fast is by definition an extreme reduction in calories, exercise becomes all the more important.

Okay, so exercising during a fast is a Good Move. How should you exercise?

The short story is that for short fasts (from the shortened eating window variety up to 24–36 hours), you should exercise the way you normally do.

For extended fasts, from 48 hours to a week or more, you should still exercise, but a little differently than “normal.”

Let’s get into it:

How to Exercise During a Longer Fast

1. Walk as much as possible.

The simplest form of exercise that everyone should do while fasting is walking. There’s no trick or science to walking while fasting. You just walk while not eating. You can do as much as you can squeeze in, because fasted walking isn’t just easy and not stressful—it’s anti-stress. It keeps you busy when you can’t think of anything but eating, when fasting is becoming a chore. Research indicates that walking while fasting is no more stressful than walking on eating days; in fact, fasting subjects spontaneously maintain their daily step count without affecting the benefits.

What are the benefits?

If you have trouble sticking to the fast—if you’re the type who wants to eat because you’re bored and can’t think of anything else to do, you need to walk as much as possible during a fast.

In those who are already pretty lean but want to get very lean, fasted walking can be effective. The classic bodybuilding trick for cutting body fat is the fasted morning walk. Wake up, consume no calories, and go for a brisk 20- to 30-minute walk as the fat swims around your body. This is the hardest body composition transition—from lean to very lean. Lean is what the body “wants,” and going lower requires getting over the natural tendency to hold on to diminished body fat stores. A fasted walk, jog, or cycling session performed in the aerobic zone almost forces the body fat to release into circulation. Insulin is low. Sensitivity is high. The stage is perfect, in theory.

2. Lift weights to preserve muscle.

On an extended fast, lifting weights is imperative. On a short-term fast, lifting weights is a great way to break the fast and augment the anabolic response from feeding. Your strategies for both will be different.

If you’re in the middle of a long-term fast and you want to stave off muscle loss:

• Lift at a higher intensity for lower reps.
• Don’t lift to failure.
• Don’t max out.
• On a scale of 1–10, with 1 being effortless and 10 taking all you have to complete, stay around a 6–8.
• Keep several reps in the tank.
• Stick to full-body compound movements rather than isolation. You want to hit the entire body with a powerful stimulus. You want to send your whole body a message, not just your biceps or your glutes.

This will provide a strong-enough stimulus to maintain muscle mass without being so stressful that you start breaking down more muscle mass than you can maintain.

3. Do “easy” cardio.

If you’re going to do “cardio” or endurance training during an extended fast, keep the intensity low to stay in the “aerobic zone”—the heart rate zone where you’re burning primarily body fat. A fasting human should be able to remain active in that zone almost indefinitely without needing much, or any, food. To determine your aerobic heart rate, subtract your chronological age from 180:

• If you’re 20, your aerobic heart rate zone would be 160 beats per minute. Don’t exceed 160 BPM when endurance training in a fasted state.
• If you’re 50, your aerobic heart rate zone would be 130 BPM. Don’t exceed 150 BPM when endurance training in a fasted state.

This will feel “easy,” and that’s the entire point. You’re not dipping into glycogen stores or increasing sugar cravings because you aren’t burning much sugar at all. You’re just (mostly) burning your own body fat.

I’d stay away from more intense endurance training, HIIT, and sprinting during a long fast unless it’s at the end and you plan on breaking the fast shortly afterwards. That kind of activity will make it much harder to fast. While you can definitely lift weights midway through a five-day fast and come out the other end okay, you probably won’t do so well doing a dozen hill sprints midway through that same fast.

How to Exercise During a Short-Term Fast

If you’re doing short-term fasting, train as you normally would. Evidence suggests that not only will your performance not suffer, but the training effect may also be augmented if you time your eating right. Here’s what research tells us:

• In one recent study, males on a time-restricted eating schedule who lifted to failure for 8–12 reps for four sets ate 650 fewer calories than the non-fasting group, but retained all their muscle mass and even made gains on strength and muscle endurance. That said, the non-fasting group made more size gains.
• Another study in women found that resistance training on a time-restricted eating schedule was fine and led to muscle gains as long as calorie intake and protein intake were maintained.
• A 2009 study found that, compared to athletes who lifted weights after breakfast, athletes who lifted weights in the morning in a fasted state had an augmented anabolic response to a post-workout protein-and-carb shake.

There’s also merit in maintaining the fast for a few more hours after your workout. This will really augment the growth hormone release—which is great for fat burning and tissue maintenance. I do this about half the time I work out in a fasted state.

There are no hard-and-fast rules to exercising while fasting. After all, you’re still you. You know what works for you. You know what makes you tick.

But if you want me to generalize? Most people on a longer fast will do best going for a walk every day and lifting at least once or twice.

What about you, folks? How do you exercise on a longer fast?

Take care and be well.

References

Klempel MC, Bhutani S, Fitzgibbon M, Freels S, Varady KA. Dietary and physical activity adaptations to alternate day modified fasting: implications for optimal weight loss. Nutr J. 2010;9:35.

Tinsley GM, Forsse JS, Butler NK, et al. Time-restricted feeding in young men performing resistance training: A randomized controlled trial. Eur J Sport Sci. 2017;17(2):200-207.

The post How to Exercise While Fasting appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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As we move into spring, many of us run the risk of making fatal errors to our training for the remainder of the year, and of those errors program overhaul is one of them.

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Have you ever had someone walk on your back or ask you to walk on their back? Back pain can lead us to do things that are not always in our best interest. Feeling the need to have your back “cracked” is uncomfortable, and besides the back walking home remedy, there are other things that […]

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Mark’s said it before: He advocates for collagen to become the fourth macronutrient. Collagen supports collagen-based structures in the body, such as fascia, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, skin, nails, and hair, and most of us just don’t get enough of it from meat, dairy, eggs, or plant proteins. Learn more about the important role glycine, the primary amino acid found in collagen protein, and check out our creative culinary ways to include more collagen in your diet.

Reasons to Include Collagen in Your Diet

Most people regard amino acids in one of two ways: essential, meaning our bodies can’t synthesize them, or inessential, meaning our bodies can. There’s also a third category of amino acids: conditionally essential, which become essential in times of illness and heightened stress. One such conditionally essential amino acid is glycine.

A research review published in the journal Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity found that glycine plays a crucial role in controlling epigenetics as well as anti-inflammatory, cryoprotective, and immunomodulatory functions. Researchers found that oral supplementation of glycine in the proper dose can successfully decrease metabolic disorders in those with cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, diabetes, cancers, and obesity.

Glycine, the primary amino acid in collagen, is synthesized from the amino acid serine. Foods that contain glycine include meat, fish, eggs, and dairy—abundant in the Primal diet, depending on whether you can tolerate eggs and dairy. A typical daily diet synthesizes about 2–3 grams of glycine. But that’s not nearly enough; the human body requires at least 10 grams per day for basic metabolic processes.

An easy way to get more glycine each day is to supplement with collagen. Get a good collagen supplement (Primal Kitchen happens to make a few) and mix it into water, coffee, or tea, and down the hatch it goes. Or, you could get more creative and add collagen to smoothies, stir it into chia pudding or plain yogurt, use it in savory applications such as sauce or soup, or add it to the occasional Primal treat.

Collagen Coffee Recipes

Mark’s Collagen Coffee Routine

Keto Coffee Popsicles

Cold brew lovers: This one’s for you. It’s collagen coffee on a stick, and it’s a delight whether the weather is sweltering or frigid.

Mark’s Vanilla Collagen Hemp Latte

Ever the experimental guinea pig, Mark devised a way to include more magnesium in his coffee after reading that ancestral drinking water may have been enriched with the mineral. Test it out for yourself in this toast-worthy version of magnesium-enriched water (boosted with collagen and coffee).

Keto Caramel Macchiato

This one is borderline treat but if you’re celebrating a special occasion (Mother’s Day, Sunday brunch with the grown-ups, your birthday… or even just the fact that you’ve quit your daily habit of buying the “regular” versions of this recipe at your local coffee shop), this keto caramel macchiato will knock your socks off.

Chocolate Collagen Recipes

Chocolate Collagen Pudding

With two scoops of collagen plus cocoa powder and coconut milk (sub regular milk if you prefer), this chocolate collagen pudding satisfies even the most discerning chocolate lover without all the sugar and additives many puddings (especially boxed powders or pre-made varieties have).

Keto Fridge Fudge

This tempting keto fudge is just as creamy as you remember it, but with only five grams of carbs and a boost of collagen as well as healthy fats. And it only takes 15 minutes to prepare (not including cooling time in the fridge).

Keto Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles

Sweet, adorable, and moist with toothsome toppings that contrast the gooey interior, truffles appear on holiday cookie plates, fancy tea time trays, and often as petite fours for all of these reasons. This keto-friendly version combines dark chocolate, chocolate collagen, and hazelnut butter.

Mexican Collagen Hot Chocolate

Mexican hot chocolate is a rich mug of velvety chocolate, wintry spices, and a hint of heat from cayenne pepper or chili powder. It’s the perfect way to thaw after coming inside from a blustery snow storm, a day on the slopes, or to relish an evening cozied close to a sputtering fireplace.

Collagen Smoothie Recipes

Fab Four Collagen Smoothies

Designed by Certified Celebrity Health Coach Kelly LeVeque, these Fab Four collagen smoothies limit fruit and include healthy fats and plenty of protein for satiating fuel in a glass.

Pitaya Berry Smoothie Bowl

This pretty-in-pink smoothie bowl gets its striking magenta hue from pitaya (a.k.a. dragon fruit) and strawberries, and gets bursting sweetness from pomegranate seeds. Collagen and a tablespoon of sunflower butter adds protein and fat; add grain-free granola for crackly contrast.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie

Similar to the consistency of frozen custard or a diner milkshake, this smoothie is made thick with chia seeds and deeply chocolate with cacao powder and chocolate collagen. Crumble peanut butter protein bars on top for a cookie-like topping.

Collagen Fat Bombs, Bites, and Balls Recipes

Vanilla Coconut Collagen Bites

The author of Rachel’s Good Eats created an addicting collagen balls recipe flavored with vanilla, coconut, and cinnamon. Made with two types of nuts plus flax and chia seeds, these make easy post-workout snacks.

Keto Earl Grey Collagen Fat Bombs

These elegant fat bombs combine the distinctive flavor of bergamot with vanilla, coconut, and hemp hearts to create an entirely edible tea cup.

Mango Pineapple Paleo Balls

A touch of pineapple and mango flavors give a tropical twist to dairy-free Primal and paleo balls. Made with macadamia nuts, hemp seeds, cashew butter, plus collagen, there’s a lot of healthy fats and protein packed into these two-bite balls.

Collagen Treat Recipes

Strawberry Hibiscus Collagen Pops

Strawberries offer antioxidant power in their own right, helping reduce inflammation and fight free radicals. The addition of collagen peptides “seals and heals” your gut lining, repairs damaged cell walls and offers essential with amino acids. All this in handheld, frozen form!

Dairy-Free Cashew Collagen Creamer

This Primal-friendly creamer combines five simple ingredients to make your coffee or tea sweeter and more creamy without dairy. All it takes is some overnight soak time, a high-speed blender, and a mason jar.

Keto Strawberry Cream Pie

This glorious pie celebrates sun-ripened strawberries picked at the height of their season, and mashed with cream cheese, heavy cream, and vanilla. This vanilla collagen-spiked half-cheesecake, half berry pie will have you swooning for summer no matter what time of year you make it.

Tahini Fudge

Chewy, unctuous, a touch savory and sweet, this tahini fudge can be boosted with collagen peptides to make a more substantial treat. These bite-sized pieces of fudge taste a little like chocolate chip cookie dough dusted with flaky sea salt.

Savory Collagen Recipes

Collagen Peptides Pan Sauce

This shortcut, ready-in-minutes pan sauce creates a rich and meaty sauce. Fortify store-bought stock with a few scoops of collagen peptides, some sautéed shallots and a couple pats of butter and you have a restaurant-worthy sauce to spoon over meat and veggies.

Keto Chaffles (Savory & Sweet)

Chaffles are a Primal, paleo, and keto way to eat waffles. The basic recipe is simple: one egg, shredded cheese, one tablespoon almond flour, and one scoop of collagen peptides. This savory version works great as “bread” for a sandwich or burger. Our video includes some sweeter chaffle recipe suggestions as well.

Sweet Potato Soup with Collagen Peptides

This protein-rich, thick sweet potato soup is just the thing to soothe if you’re feeling under the weather. This soup comes together easily when you use frozen butternut squash cubes. Blend the soup with collagen peptides, and garnish with cooked ground turkey or beef (not your average herb garnish!).

Read More About Collagen

• 10 Reasons to Eat More Collagen
• What Collagen Does for Performance
• Does Vegetarian Collagen Exist?
• Collagen vs. Whey: Which Protein Is Best for Your Needs?
• Collagen for Skin: The Truth Behind the Benefits
• Dear Mark: Glycine as Collagen Replacement?

References

Meerza AR, Pathan SB, Buddolla V, Senthilkumar R. Multifarious Beneficial Effect of Nonessential Amino Acid, Glycine: A Review. Ox. Med. Cell Longev. 2017; 17160701.

Melendez-Hevia E, DePaz-Lugo P, Cornish-Bowden A, Cardenas M. A weak link in metabolism: the metabolic capacity for glycine biosynthesis does not satisfy the need for collagen synthesis. J Biosci. 2009 Dec;34(6):853-72.

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