In our lifestyles, we’re always aiming for the best: the trendiest makeup, the latest fitness fad, the most nutritious meal. “But in real life — do we eat that much fruits and vegetables?” Dr. Maika Slatensek asked at the recent MyColla C launch event in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

“Actually, if you’re really like into your really healthy choices, your food choices, your fruits and vegetables, we know we should be eating like five times a day of multicolored foods, but can we really keep up with this?”

According to her, because of our “very fast-paced” lifestyle, supplementation is now a must.

“It doesn’t mean that just because you’re eating right, you can’t supplement with other sources as well, like your fish collagen, your marine collagen, or any other sources that can give you these building blocks of amino acid that can help raise the collagen levels in your body,” she explained.

In supplementation, she said, the following should be taken into consideration:

What supplements to take

According to Dr. Slatensek, it is important to not only take the right supplements but also the right form and the right amount. Collagen, for instance, may be derived from marine or bovine sources like bone broth. Although both are ideal, when it comes to supplements, she said that marine collagen is better because it has smaller particles that are easier to be absorbed by the body. It is also a Type 1 collagen, which means it gives skin more firmness and stability than the Type 3 collagen that is bovine.

She stressed that supplements that work best together should also be taken. Calcium, for example, is better absorbed by the body if there is vitamin D. In the same way, more collagen from the supplement is taken by the body if there is vitamin C.

“You know what, it’s funny because before, I thought vitamin C was just for your immune system and they would say it’s an antioxidant, but it’s actually very important in collagen synthesis,” she said. “So even if your body keeps producing this collagen, if the body doesn’t stabilize the collagen, if it doesn’t make it compact, then it’s just going to fail. It’s going to be denatured. It’s not going to be tiny. So we actually need a lot of vitamin C in our bodies in order to stabilize our collagen.”

What works best

Like in exercise, the key to supplementation is consistency, said Dr. Slatensek.

“Sometimes when we have like our vices, say smoking, drinking, pollution, these also cancel out the vitamin C. So it’s not enough that we just eat, right? And drink fruits… You have to change your lifestyle as well. Try to be an advocate for healthier meals, for exercise, sleep. You have to try to sleep, not be stressful,” she reminded.

“Try to be more proactive. Choose wiser choices. Whatever you invest will eventually manifest. It’s consistency. It’s the little things that you do every day. You put makeup and then you see the instant effect, but with collagen, it’s something that you have to do every day and then you’re building it to get it after a certain amount of time because it’s like a building block. And then maintain it and you reap the rewards afterwards.”

Building a healthier lifestyle, she noted, is “not just for the outside but for the inside” — not only for “appearance” but for a better quality of life “as we age.”