Two is always better than one, like when Harry met Sally or when pepper was placed next to salt. Everything is generally better together! Combining two macro nutrients, such as fat and protein, is a great way to add a balanced and healthy ‘kick’ to your daily routine. That’s why putting both collagen and MCT together will add benefits to your day in more ways than just a tasty combo.Let’s talk healthy fats; specifically, MCT (Medium-Chain Triglyceride). With all of the new information emerging, we recognize that fat does NOT make you fat.
Fat is a superior source of energy.
It helps us with proper brain and nerve functioning, as well as with absorbing fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K. Fat helps us maintain healthy skin, and is required to help form our body’s steroid hormones, like estrogen and testosterone. It is important to note that there are good quality fats on the market, and not-so-good fats. Avocados and avocado oil, coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil, are fantastic sources of healthy fat. These fats will help you with all the energetic and metabolic demands required for your body to function optimally.
This includes vegetable oil, such as corn, soy, and canola oils. They may sound healthy, and they are even marketed as such. But that’s just not the case!These types of oils are highly processed, cause inflammation, and can be damaging to your health in many ways. Consuming these fats often puts you at a higher risk of heart disease and obesity.MCT is derived from a healthy fat, which, most of the time, comes from coconut oil. The original fat is prepared in such a way that the most absorbable and efficiently working part of the fat is extracted and put into a compact form. This compact form then makes it easier for your body to absorb and utilize immediately. For those of you who have not yet tried MCT: Pay attention to the abundance of energy this healthy fat gives you the first time you try it! Along with better energy levels, you might notice an easier time focusing on the task at hand, since improved mental clarity and focus are more of the benefits you can expect with using MCT.
Up next is collagen!
Collagen is a protein, and proteins are the building blocks of life. Protein is found in all foods and is abundant in collagen products. Collagen makes up a large portion of who we are physically - it is responsible for the elasticity in our skin and the stretch in our tendons. This abundant protein helps our joints move more freely and keeps our bones strong. Collagen is rich in amino acids such as glycine and glutamine, which are both great for brain health and overall mental well-being. These two amino acids also help support the immune system and strengthen the gut lining. The benefits of consuming collagen are endless!
So why put the two together?
MCT and collagen are a great combination because they will give you the energy you require as well as keep you satiated. Fat and protein both do a great job of making you feel more balanced by keeping your blood glucose levels in check. The combination of these two go well in a warm beverage, in any type of pudding or even in your baking. Mixing the two together will give you the necessary nutrition your body needs to perform every day!From effectively absorbing nutrients, to keeping our skin firm and resilient, it all starts in the gut. From there it makes its way all around the body, right to the hair on your head! It is best to take this combination first thing in the morning for a good boost to your day, or in mid-afternoon when you need a ‘pick me up’, instead of reaching for that afternoon sweet.Enjoy this combination daily and thrive from the benefits both collagen and MCT have to offer!
What's your favourite way to combine MCT and collagen?
The best way is to use it in your beverage of choice, either in the morning, or if you're fasting, after your fast is complete.
Combine your collagen and MCT powder in a coffee, tea, or smoothie. Just as you would use collagen, you can add MCT powder. Try MCT Oil Powder, a dairy-free MCT powder containing 0 g of sugar and made from GMO-free coconuts.
For ease, you can use Enhanced Collagen Boost: 7 g collagen powder combined with 3 g MCT powder in every serving.
TIP: To get the full benefits of collagen, it may be a good idea to supplement again with a full dose of collagen later in the day on top of the Enhanced Collagen boost... especially if you're over the age of 30.
Amy is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist with over 7 years of experience working in the health and fitness industry.
Article written by
Amy Wilson
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If you’re like us here at Organika, it’s likely you follow along with all the new health and wellness trends. And one of our favourites that has been a star recently, is MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) oil.
What are MCTs?
MCT stands for Medium-Chain Triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of lipid that is made up of something called a glycerol backbone, as well as three fatty-acid tails. Because it’s “medium” these tails are usually made up of about 6-12 carbon atoms. There are actually four types are MCTs that can be used: caproic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, and lauric acid. But enough with the scientific stuff. MCTs naturally occur, and are most abundant, in foods like coconut oil and palm oil. That’s why many people also love coconut oil so much! And while it does contain a significant amount of MCTs, that’s not all it has. It also contains LCTs (long-chain triglycerides), which is broken down differently. LCTs are actually digested and broken down to create fat cells. However MCTs head straight to your liver for digestion, and because of the shorter chain of fatty acids, it breaks down more efficiently and can be used more quickly for energy. It also gets broken down to create something called ketones. As part of the foundation of the not-so-new ketogenic diet, ketones are a secondary source of fuel for our bodies to use, usually tapped into when we’ve finished off our primary stores of glucose.
What are some of the benefits of using MCT oil?
Brain health.
While your brain, like the rest of your body, uses glucose as its primary source of energy, it can also use ketones. As we already discussed, MCTs can be broken down directly by the liver, into ketones that can be used quickly by our brains. This is especially important for people who are on a ketogenic diet. Because you consume so few carbohydrates on a ketogenic diet, it is essential for your body to utilize this other source of energy efficiently. There has also been a lot of research being developed around the effects of MCT oil and ketones on those living with Alzheimer’s Disease (1). Along with this, ketones have actually be shown to help with neuron repair… and we need these healthy to ensure we pass messages properly through our body, like those from our hormones.
Increased energy.
Many people have noted that they have increased energy when they are in ketosis (well, after they potentially experience the keto-flu), especially as they balance their blood sugar levels and reduce the number of energy peaks and lows throughout their day. However, you do not need to be in ketosis to feel these effects. Studies have shown that many people can exercise for longer periods when consuming MCTs. Lactic acid found in the blood was also lower, meaning people took longer to feel tired, even if they were doing the same exercises (2). Being able to do a better workout and walk down the stairs the next day without complaining? Yes please!
Weight management.
MCTs are a thermogenic food (3). So, let’s talk about what thermogenic means. Foods that are thermogenic actually produce more heat as we metabolize them, so they tend to burn more calories. Other thermogenic foods include protein, caffeine, and Garcinia Cambogia. Along with thermogenesis, MCTs can also help to regulate our hormones. And when our hormones are balanced, we are less likely to hold onto excess weight. This is done in two ways. One is through balancing blood sugar (which we’ll talk about soon - like, actually soon. It’s right below!), the other is by protecting the neurons that are responsible for proper hormone uptake and release. This can include stress hormones like cortisol, reproductive hormones like estrogen, and satiety hormones like leptin.
Blood sugar balance.
How the heck can MCTs balance blood sugar? As with most fats, when you pair foods that are higher in carbohydrates (most fruit, grains, etc.), with a healthy fat or protein, like a scoop of coconut oil in your oatmeal, or a smoothie with collagen powder, it slows the digestion of the carbohydrates. Think about it like 2 types of roller coasters. The first is when you eat carbohydrates on their own (that’s the really big, scary one with higher drops). The second is when you pair your carbohydrates with fats and protein (that’s the child’s roller coaster).
Reduced cravings.
Cravings can be impacted by hormones such as “leptin” and “ghrelin” (4). Think of leptin as the good angel sitting on your shoulder (that helps to cue satiety), and ghrelin as the gremlin on your other (cueing cravings, especially for carbohydrates). Alongside using MCT to help increase leptin and your feelings of fullness (4), good quality sleep in another great way to keep your leptin and ghrelin levels balanced.
How do I use MCT Oil?
Our favourite way is by using it in a Ketogenic coffee, alongside collagen powder, or combined with Maca to also get adaptogenic benefits!
Have you tried MCT Oil? Tell us your favourite way to use it, below!
You’ve probably heard about the benefits of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) already. You might even be adding it to your morning coffee or throwing it in your dressings. Most likely, it’s because you’ve heard that they can boost energy, improve brain function and maybe even help you lose weight… and they can! But the benefits of MCTs don’t stop there. I recommend getting MCTs in your diet if you have impaired digestion, inflammation or leaky gut. MCTs can improve all of these conditions through various mechanisms that help to heal your gut, calm your immune system and reduce inflammation. In my practice, these are our primary goals when we’re looking to combat autoimmune disease and many other chronic illnesses.
Reduce Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines
MCTs can dramatically reduce the production of a variety of proinflammatory cytokines (1). Cytokines are small secreted proteins released by cells that have a specific effect on the interactions and communications between cells (2). Proinflammatory cytokines are secreted by immune cells like helper T cells (Th-1 and Th2), which are out of balance in those with autoimmune disease (3). These types of cytokines promote inflammation and, when excreted in excess, contribute to systemic damage, autoimmune attacks and inflammatory diseases. The proliferation of these types of cytokines has also been linked to depression and other neurological diseases (4). Medium chain triglycerides seem to have the ability to reduce the production of these pro-inflammatory molecules. In the gut and throughout the rest of the body (5), they an be used as a powerful tool for reducing inflammation in those afflicted with these inflammatory symptoms. They can also work as a preventative measure for regulating the immune system (6).
Reduce Histamine
MCTs can increase the activity of the histamine-clearing enzyme diamine oxidase (7). This prevents the ability for histamine to build up in your system, which can cause histamine intolerance or allergy. Histamine is an inflammatory compound released by mast cells and basophils, which are most prevalent at sites of potential injury – the nose, mouth, feet, gut and blood vessels (8). Histamine is released when these mast cells or basophils are exposed to allergens. This is when you get your itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing and other common allergic responses. It may also result in headaches or migraines, fatigue, hives, digestive issues, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, heart palpitations, tissue swelling and high blood pressure. These are the symptoms of histamine intolerance. A histamine intolerance is usually developed due to an overproduction of histamine or an inability to clear histamine. This is due to a deficiency in the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO), which clears it (9). You show symptoms when the amount of histamine hits a tipping point, like a glass of water overflowing. To get that histamine intolerance under control, we must reduce histamine production, increase DAO and often reduce histamine consumption (it’s in our food too!). Reducing histamine can be an important part of calming autoimmune disease because the inflammatory molecules have the ability to localize in place where your autoimmune disease is already causing damage, intensifying the inflammatory response in those areas (10). MCTs are just one valuable tool we can implement to help support the activity of DAO to reduce the proliferation of histamine and calm the autoimmune response.
Increase Mucous Production
The mucous layer is a protective coating that covers the entire GI tract. Without it, our gut is vulnerable to ulcers, infection, inflammation and, of course, leaky gut (11). Our mucosal layer is often damaged due to stress, bacterial overgrowth, excess sugar consumption, overuse of NSAIDs, and consumption of food allergens (12, 13). MCTs can increase mucous production in the gut to restore your gut barrier health (7). This is essential for the prevention and reduction of autoimmune attacks, as it may help to prevent infections and reduce inflammation in the gut as well as improve overall digestion, absorption and assimilation of nutrients (14, 15).
Heal Leaky Gut
A “leaky gut” is the colloquial way of saying increased intestinal permeability. This is, essentially,a condition in which your gut barrier is faulty. It allows undigested food, bacteria and other substances from the GI tract, through to the bloodstream. When this happens, we expose our immune system to stimuli that can mount intense immune responses and create antibodies. As this persists, those antibodies may become confused and attack your bodies own tissues and organ systems – this is the mechanism of autoimmune disease (16). For this reason, healing a leaky gut is the first step in healing autoimmune disease.
MCTs may help to do this in two ways.
MCTs can help to restore tight junction proteins (17). Your tight junction proteins are the little guys that hold the cells of your gut lining together. If they are damaged or malfunctioning, a leaky gut occurs. If we can restore tight junction proteins, we are on our way to healing leaky gut.
MCTs can help to increase cell-turnover rate in the gut (18). Sometimes, when we see increased intestinal permeability, the tight junctions are not the problem. Rather, there has been damage to the cells of the gut lining that has created holes or pathways through them. If we can increase the cell-turnover rate, we can replace those damaged cells more rapidly.
Through both of these mechanisms, MCTs can be a valuable addition to your diet for healing and preventing leaky gut.
Increase Secretory IgA
Secretory IgA (sIgA) is an antibody secreted by mucosal tissue and acts as the first line of defense of the GI mucosa and epithelial cells of the gut lining. It may also play an important role in the regulation of microbiota composition and in decreasing proinflammatory responses from pathogenic bacteria and allergenic antigens. Low sIgA is highly associated with increased autoimmune disease risk. MCTs can can naturally increase the secretion of IgA antibodies in the gut, especially in Peyer’s Patches an important part of your GI immune system (19).
So how should I include MCTs in my diet?
If you have never used MCTs in your diet before, I recommend that you start with MCT oil powder. MCT oil is known to cause digestive upset in beginners. This is likely due to the way we metabolize it very quickly. This can cause a physiological response that promotes movement and sometimes cramping. It may also be due to the ability of lauric acid to eliminate bacteria and yeast. When we kill them off we often experience irritation in the gut and sometimes peripheral symptoms such as redness or headaches. Both of these reactions tend to pass over time. By slowly increasing the amount you take, your body can adjust. To bypass these nasty side effects altogether, I recommend the MCT oil powder, which is proven to be easier on the digestive system. This allows you to consume more at once. A preliminary study also suggests that MCTs in the form of powder could improve nutrient digestibility. As well, MCT oil powder tends to be more convenient. You can pack it into smaller containers and take it wherever you need to go without worrying about spilling or leaking. It is also much lighter for travel, and is a more versatile product. Where the oil can be added to a hot drink or dressing, the powder can be added to virtually any dish.
It works especially great in baking! I recommend starting with my MCT Collagen Macaroons!
Find an AIP coach near you on this database or contact me, Megan O’Kelly (CNP), The Realistic Holistic, at info@therealisticholistic.com to see if I am the right nutritionist to help you through your autoimmune journey! Follow along my journey in Instagram!
SOURCES
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4) Young, Juan Joseph, et al. “A Review of the Relationship between Proinflammatory Cytokines and Major Depressive Disorder.” NeuroImage, Academic Press, 30 July 2014, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25128861/.
5) Akira Andoh, Hiroki Takaya, Yoshio Araki, Tomoyuki Tsujikawa, Yoshihide Fujiyama, Tadao Bamba; Medium- and Long-Chain Fatty Acids Differentially Modulate Interleukin-8 Secretion in Human Fetal Intestinal Epithelial Cells, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 130, Issue 11, 1 November 2000, Pages 2636–2640, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/130.11.2636
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