What’s the Difference Between Collagen and Bone Broth?
Unless you’ve successfully managed to avoid all social media outlets in the past year, you’re probably at least a little familiar with the popular dynamic duo of collagen and bone broth.
The interest in these two ingredients has blown up faster than Timothee Chalamet’s cult following. Heck, even Halle Berry swears by this stuff. But many of us are still wondering what it all means. Inquisitive minds need to know: What is bone broth? What is collagen? Are they one and the same, or… are they totally different?
In this post, we’re breaking down what each of these ingredients are, and we’re also explaining the differences between collagen and bone broth.
What is Bone Broth?
Bone broth is pretty much exactly what it sounds like.
It’s made by simmering animal bones (and connective tissue) in water for a long period of time to break down all of the cartilage until there is a hearty amount of collagen-rich gelatin in the broth.
Bone broth can be effectively used in soups and sauces or anything else that you’d add broth to.
Bone broth can be made at home but it’s often incredibly time-consuming, and the massive amount of effort usually only yields a little bit of bone broth. That’s why our founder was so interested in starting Power Provisions. With everything going on, who has time to sit by their crockpot for a whole day?
We even use the same ingredients that you’d probably use in your own home, but we prepare it for you, to help remove some of the hassle out of your busy day. Our bone broth soups are convenient for people who want to eat well on-the-go, they taste incredible, and they take very little effort to prepare.
So, what about collagen? Well, these bones (and other parts) also contain a special family of proteins called collagen, which is the most abundant protein found in mammals.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is undoubtedly a hot topic in the beauty industry, but it’s great for so much more than your appearance.
Collagen (derived from the Greek word for glue) is basically what holds our bodies all together. This structural protein actually makes up an amazing 30% of all proteins in the human body.
Collagen is the basis of everything in your body, and acts as a sort of internal binding property that forms connective tissues – including tendons, ligaments, hair, skin, eyes, nails, bones and organs. This protein is made up of 4 amino acids:
- Glycine
- Proline
- Hydroxyproline
- and Arginine
This very specific combination of amino acids is exactly what makes this protein so special – it’s not found in any other protein source.
You may have noticed that most people refer to bone broth and collagen as separate components, or maybe even use the words interchangeably.
Let’s dive into your burning question: “what’s the difference between collagen and bone broth?”
Collagen vs Bone Broth
There are several similarities between collagen and bone broth – and in many cases the two are intrinsically linked – but today we’re discussing the differences between the two.
Power Provisions’ bone broth contains collagen (and a wide variety of other ingredients), while collagen alone is a more focused substance, which contains only… well, collagen.
It’s similar to asking, “what is the difference between grapes and grape jelly?”
Another difference between bone broth and collagen is the way that each is made. Making collagen (the powder, anyway) requires multiple steps, while bone broth is made by a single process.
The demand for paleo and keto friendly soups, coupled with the fact that many Americans don’t want to spend long hours in the kitchen anymore, is what makes Power Provisions so valuable. The beauty is that you don’t have to choose one or the other – with our soup cups you get both bone broth and collagen, and even MCT!
Here’s What to do with Your Collagen Bone Broth Soup:
Make a Bowl of Broccoli Cheddar Soup
If you went and googled “how to make keto broccoli cheddar soup” you’d come up with a billion and a half recipes. But friends, this one takes the cake. Not only is it delicious and comforting, but it’s easy – coming together in about 15 minutes. Tops. Get your daily dose of bone broth and collagen in one go.
Here is the recipe and here is some additional information about our keto broccoli cheddar soup cups.
Think Outside the Box; Cauliflower Bites Edition
Major creativity points for this one – because whoever said you can only make soup with our bone broth soup cups?
These are extremely easy and deceptively delicious. If you share these with friends who are also on the paleo or keto train, you’re definitely going to have to keep reassuring them that they’re “approved,” because they actually taste like they’re… not.
Pack Them Up for Fun Camping Meals
@ketofocus packed up her tent, her family and her Power Provisions soup for a perfect weekend getaway. She used chicken thighs, assorted veggies and our Coconut Milk Thai bone broth soup to whip up this fun dinner for her family, over the campfire no less!
Next time you hit the road, don’t forget to pack a few soup cups to make paleo on-the-go meals a breeze.
While there are certainly differences between bone broth and collagen, both should have permanent residence in your kitchen, especially if you are a keto or paleo fan! We hope this was helpful, but if you have any additional questions about collagen or bone broth – or both – feel free to DM us on Instagram!