This Portable Snack Has 15 Grams of Protein AND Can Reduce Wrinkles

You can’t scroll through Instagram lately without seeing #collagen all over your favorite food bloggers’ feeds. But what is collagen (besides a trendy hashtag)? A naturally occurring protein found in muscles and bones, collagen aids in skin strength and elasticity (read: fewer wrinkles) and digestive health (less bloat and, ahem, irregularities).

While our bodies produce collagen all on their own, some folks are turning toward fortified bone broths to get an extra boost of the good stuff. I’m a fan of bone broth, but because it involves roasting large bones and simmering them for hours, it’s admittedly not the most efficient recipe to make. It’s also not portable—who wants to tote around a mason jar of hot broth all day long?

So I was curious about Dr. Kellyann Slim Collagen Broth To Go, after hearing that my high school beauty idol Bobbi Brown was a fan (loved “Teenage Beauty;” call me, Bobbi!) They come in slim .74-oz packages that you can easily stash in a purse or tote bag. At $59 for 21 packets, they’re not cheap, but when you do the math it works out to about $2.80 per serving. I don’t know about you, but that’s at least two dollars less than my beloved iced almond milk latte. If bone broth is a staple of your diet, I’d say that the price is fair.

It’s made with collagen from grass-fed cows, and the rest of the ingredient list is tight and clean: coconut oil (yum!), natural flavors, dehydrated onions and garlic, spices, and sea salt. And of course, because you’re curious about the nutrition facts: each package contains 80 calories, 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of sugar, 190 milligrams of sodium (8% daily value), and a whopping 15 grams of protein.

I mixed up a cup in the office during a moment of mid-afternoon snack meltdown. I was sleepy and hungry, but didn’t have any healthy options to eat at my desk. Luckily, all I had to do to prepare the broth was dump a packet of the powdered mix into a mug of hot water and mix—honestly couldn’t have been easier. It smelled savory, with a note that reminded me of the Lipton noodle soup mix of my childhood (gotta love those dried onions). The predominant flavor was of spices, with just a faint whiff of barnyard funkiness in the background; it is bone broth, after all.

If you have been avoiding bone broth or collagen because you’re afraid it will taste like a hamburger, this is a great “starter” broth. It really is mild and approachable for broth beginners. The best part was that I actually felt full after finishing the mug, thanks to the coconut oil and protein.

I still have a few packets stored in my desk drawer, right next to the chocolate-covered almonds. It may sound crazy, but I may have found my new favorite afternoon pick-me-up.