Hi friends! I have another kick ass giveaway, and as usual, it’s for products that I am insanely jazzed about. If you follow me on Facebook (Radical Roots), Snapchat (laura.bruner) or Instagram (@radical.roots), you’ve probably seen a number of posts on the newest products to come from the geniuses over at Vital Proteins. Let’s talk about what they’ve got up their sleeves, and then let’s chat all things supplementation because there is a myriad of opinions out there, so why not share mine too?? Keep reading for giveaway details at the end of this post!

Ok first, collagen genius… here’s the latest from the folks at Vital Proteins:

Cocoa coconut collagen whey

This advanced protein utilization formula combines collagen with grass fed whey protein, fermented cocoa bean flavanols, probiotics, and natural hyaluronic acid to achieve a premium protein blend for improved athletic performance. The grass-fed, pasture-raised collagen peptides are combined with coconut water in a proprietary natural process to preserve the flavor and nutrition while adding no additional sugars, artificial sweeteners, or maltodextrin. In short, this real food supplement offers quickly utilized, bioavailable protein to fuel recovery with no added sugars. I love it because there is absolutely no fake sugary taste, and very little sweetness in general, which makes it awesome for mixing into your favorite shakes.

Some things to love:

• Increased athletic performance
• Improved hydration (coconut water)
• Increased amino acid absorption
• Improved recovery
• Increased protein synthesis
• Increased joint flexibility
• Supported blood flow to muscles
• Quickened protein delivery to the body

Here’s what you get:

• 15,000 mg of grass-fed, pasture-raised collagen – increase athletic performance & reduce injuries
• 80 mg of natural hyaluronic acid – helps keep cartilage flexible and strong
• 2B CFU spore probiotic bacillus coagulans – supports protein absorption and recovery
• 375 mg cocoa flavanols – helps deliver protein to the body

Here’s how I use it in my post workout shake:

Let me know what you end up doing with this goodness!

marine collagen

As I’ve mentioned before (see this post), collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and is a key constituent of all connective tissues. Collagen provides the infrastructure of the musculoskeletal system, essential for mobility. Peptides are short chain amino acids naturally derived from collagen protein. These natural peptides are highly bio-available, digestible and soluble in cold water, which is so awesome because there’s no flavor, no texture, and you can add it to pretty much anything. Vital Proteins’ Marine Collagen is made from the scales of fresh Non-GMO Project verified snapper wild-caught in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii using sustainable harvesting. I love these marine peptides because intake of collagen from the wild-caught snapper, ensures the cohesion, elasticity and regeneration of my skin, hair, tendon, cartilage, bones, and joints. I add it to coffee, tea, yogurt, and shakes. It’s pretty rad to have an option aside from beef collagen peptides so that I can change things up (also great for those of you pescatarians out there too).

Some things to love:

• More youthful skin, healthier hair, and stronger nails
• Healthy strong bones
• Happy healthy joints
• Weight maintenance and protein on the go
• Healthy immune, digestive, and central nervous systems from natural glycine

Here’s what you get:

• Marine Collagen, Wild-Caught, Non-GMO Project Verified
• From fresh wild-caught snapper
• Non-GMO Project Verified
• Promotes youthful skin, healthier hair, and stronger nails
• Supports joint health
• Natural glycine promotes healthy immune, digestive, and central nervous systems

Here’s my favorite way to use it:

Thoughts on supplementation 

I discussed Vital Protein’s Liver Pills most recently at length in this post, where I shared the impact this supplement has had on my health (I love them so much, actually, that I am giving some away AGAIN at the end of this post). Now, I want to take a quick minute to talk supplementation… There are at least a million supplements on the market touting this or that “amazing” health benefit, weight loss promise, or performance enhancement. So where do I stand on all that? If it’s not a real food with real nutrients from a responsible company, it’s not worth your time, money, or trust. Most of these companies are feeding on peoples’ insecurities. With today’s marketing and constant influx of images of the “perfect” body, folks start to think they need to look a certain way to be worthy. The reality? You are worthy right now, no matter what you look like, what the scale says, or how much you can back squat. So instead of trying to find the quick fix supplement to try to fix a problem that does not exist, nourish yourself, love yourself, and treat yourself right. I don’t think you necessarily need any supplementation, but what I know that you do need is a nutrient dense diet to fend of sickness, to promote wellness, and to treat yourself as the worthy human you are. So why do I reach for and promote Vital Proteins? Because I find these products to be a convenient way to get in nourishment when life gets crazy and perhaps I need it most. I find collagen and liver pills to be immensely beneficial to my health, and I simply can’t get them in without supplementation. And I find Vital Proteins to be a responsible company who puts the needs of its customer and the planet above their own gains. So there’s my spiel. Take it or leave it, but know that I’ll never promote any product that I don’t whole heartedly believe in. Now read on for a GIVEAWAY!

♡ Laura 

Here’s what you’ll win:

• (1) Botlle of Vital Proteins Liver Pills
• (1) canister of Vital Proteins Marine Collagen

And here’s how you can get your hands on this uber cool prize between 4/17/16 – 4/23/16:

1. Sign up for my newsletter (if you haven’t already) HERE
2. follow me on Instagram and/or Facebook – HERE and/or HERE
3. Repost THIS post on Instagram and tag @radical.roots + @vitalproteins
4. Like + tag someone in THIS post on IG or THIS post on Facebook

Each of the above that you do is one more entry to win! Winner will be chosen entirely at random on Saturday, April 23rd.