What Is Kosher Collagen?
Collagen is the most abundant protein found in our bodies. The reason we produce so much collagen is because collagen acts as the primary building block for our skin, bones, muscles, and connective tissue. Today, collagen is widely used for cosmetic and dietary purposes.
But what is kosher collagen?
In this article, we’re going to discuss how collagen is manufactured and kosher certified, how taking kosher collagen can benefit you, and where to find the best kosher collagen on the market. Let’s dive in!
Kosher Collagen
Collagen is a protein that helps our bodies function properly. All proteins are made up of amino acids. The amino acids that make up collagen are glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline. Though collagen is mostly found in our bodies, it can also be found in beauty products, beverages, and supplements.
In recent years, collagen supplementation has grown in popularity due to our newfound understanding of its benefits.
Studies suggest that collagen can actually make you look younger! Collagen is known to repair our skin, nails, hair, and bones, which explains why it is a popular ingredient in beauty products.
But what’s the difference between kosher collagen and non-kosher collagen?
The simple answer is that kosher collagen is collagen extracted from animals that has been kosher certified by a recognized kosher organization. Find out what it means for a product to become kosher certified below.
What Does Kosher Mean?
If you’ve heard the term “kosher” before, you know that it relates to Judaism. Under Jewish law, there are certain dietary rules based on what is and isn’t fit to eat. These dietary laws are known as “Kashrut.”
Kashrut comes from the Hebrew root “Kaf-Shin-Reish,” which can mean fit, proper, or correct.
In other words, when a product is kosher certified, that means that it has undergone a rabbinic screening process and was deemed fit to eat according to Kashrut, Jewish dietary laws.
Here is a brief and general summary of Kashrut/Kashrus/Kosher:
- Animals with cloven hooves that chew their cud are permitted for eating
- Animals permitted for eating must be killed in accordance with Jewish law
- Certain parts of permitted animals may not be eaten
- Fruits and vegetables are permitted for eating
- Fruits and vegetables must be inspected for bugs
- Bugs are not permitted for eating
- Meat (the flesh of birds and mammals) must be separated from dairy
The bullet points above provide a minimal explanation of Kashrut. For a more detailed explanation of Jewish dietary laws, click here.
When a product is labeled as kosher, it means that the product has undergone a rabbinic screening process and has been deemed “fit” for eating by a recognized kosher organization. In other words, a Kosher product is produced and verified in accordance with Jewish dietary laws.
If you want to keep kosher, it's essential to ensure that your kosher products were reviewed by a legitimate, recognized kosher organization. Any company can claim that their product is kosher.
If you’re grocery shopping and see a product that you like, how will you know whether it is kosher certified or not? To find out how to know if a product is truly kosher, keep reading below.
How To Know If A Product Is Kosher
After a product has undergone rabbinic screening, the product is kosher certified if deemed “fit” for consumption. But how can we tell if a product is Kosher certified?
Kosher certified products contain a kosher symbol on their packaging, so that folks like you and I can determine if the product is truly “fit” for consumption!
But what are the Kosher symbols to look for? I’m glad you asked!
Kosher symbols include but are not limited to:
- OU
- Kof-K
- OK
- Star-K
There are also different kosher symbols depending on if the kosher product is a dairy product, a meat product, or pareve. To learn more about kosher symbols, or to see what the symbol will look like on a product’s packaging, click here!
Some companies may claim that their products are kosher when in reality they are not. This can be problematic for observant Jews who take their Kashrut laws seriously!
If companies can claim that their products are kosher when they really aren’t, how can you tell if a product is kosher? An easy way to tell if a product is kosher or not is by looking at the product’s kosher symbol. To tell if a product is kosher, check to see if the product's kosher symbol is from a recognized orthodox kosher organization.
Anyone can claim that their product is kosher, so it’s important to verify if a company’s products were really certified by a recognized organization.
For instance, the companies Vital Proteins and Great Lakes label their collagen products as kosher even though they weren’t kosher certified by a recognized kosher organization.
If you’re worried, don’t be! Luckily, aletacollagen is the only collagen company that claims to be kosher and truly is. If you’re wondering where to find the best kosher collagen on the market, you’re going to want to check out aletacollagen. Click here to see their kosher certification.
Now that you know where to find kosher collagen, the question becomes: how is kosher collagen made? To understand how kosher collagen is made, we must first take a look at how collagen is manufactured. Keep reading to find out.
How Kosher Collagen Is Made
Collagen was produced industrially for the first time in the middle of the twentieth century. It was used as a water binding element in the meat industry. In the 1970’s, the artificial production of collagen was largely driven by dietary movements. Collagen was used as substitute for sugar and fats in dietary products.
So is collagen manufactured? The answer is simple. Collagen is extracted from animals such as cows and fish. That’s where kosher collagen comes in.
Kosher Collagen is collagen that is extracted from animals in accordance with Jewish dietary laws! There are two main types of kosher collagen: bovine collagen and marine collagen. Bovine collagen comes from cows, and marine collagen comes from fish.
Here are the specific guidelines that make collagen kosher when it comes to extracting collagen from cows or fish:
- The animals must be slaughtered in a kosher way (in accordance with Kashrut)
- The lungs of the animals must be checked by a rabbi
- Their lungs cannot have any holes
- All materials used to extract the collagen must be kosher
- The machine used must be cleaned
The list above provides the specific guidelines followed by aletacollagen to ensure that the collagen you purchase is kosher and fit for use. If you’re wondering whether the kosher collagen produced by aletacollagen falls under the category of dairy or meat, the answer is neither.
Both alletacollagen's bovine and marine collagen is considered pareve. This means it can be used alongside dairy or meat!
Click here for an explanation as to why the kosher collagen produced by aletacollagen is considered pareve.
Click here to learn more about bovine collagen.
Click here to learn more about marine collagen.
Now that we know how kosher collagen is manufactured, let’s take a look at how we can benefit from it.
Kosher Collagen Benefits
There are many benefits to taking kosher collagen and many different ways to take it. For example, kosher collagen can be ingested as a supplement or consumed in a beverage. Some of the benefits of taking kosher collagen include:
- Improves Skin Health
- Joint Pain Relief
- Improves Bone Strength
- Boosts Muscle Mass
- Promotes Heart Health
- Improves Nail Growth
- Improves Hair Growth
- Improves Brain Health
- Weight Loss
Today, collagen is mostly used as a beauty product. There are many different face creams with collagen in it because collagen can help repair our skin. In other words, collagen can make us look younger!
Collagen is largely consumed for weight loss purposes because it can substitute sugar and fat in dietary products. There are also many collagen serums meant for improving nail and hair growth.
As you can see, kosher collagen offers plenty of benefits.
Are there any side effects to taking kosher collagen that we should be aware of? Keep reading to find out.
Kosher Collagen Side Effects
Did you know that there are virtually no reported negative side effects of taking collagen? It’s almost too good to be true! Studies have shown that the majority of people who take kosher collagen report no negative side effects.
Very few people reported experiencing negative side effects. Of the few people that did report experiencing negative side effects, the side effects included:
- Heartburn
- Nausea
- Bloating
The above side effects have not been consistently reported in studies.
That being said, remember that kosher collagen is extracted from fish or cows. People with allergies to these foods should avoid them if they can!
With a variety of benefits and minimal side effects, it’s no wonder collagen has become so popular!
Things To Consider
Collagen is extracted for many different purposes. As mentioned above, collagen is popularly used in beauty products.
Be careful! According to the Dalton500 rule, collagen cannot actually be absorbed through your skin because it is larger than 500 daltons. In other words, our skin can only absorb molecules that are smaller than 500 daltons. In the same way that some companies claim to be kosher when they really aren’t, some companies claim that their beauty products can improve your skin when they really can’t!
It’s essential to know what you’re buying. If you’re investing in a beauty product for your skin, and your skin can’t even absorb the product, then you won’t actually benefit from it.
That's why aletacollagen is the best kosher collagen manufacturer on the market. Not only is their collagen the only kosher certified collagen available, but it's sold in peptide form. This means you can actually benefit from it.
AletaCollagen
Aletacollagen is the only kosher bovine collagen company that is truly kosher certified by a recognized kosher organization. In addition, since their collagen is sold in peptide form and not applied to your skin, you can actually benefit from taking it.
Recap
In this article, we learned the benefits and side effects to taking collagen. We learned about Jewish dietary laws and what it means for a product to be kosher certified.
In addition, we learned about how kosher collagen is made, what it’s used for, and where to find the best kosher collagen on the market.
Don’t forget to check out aletacollagen, the ultimate source for kosher certified collagen.