Collagen in your coffee: A dietitian’s take on the benefits of this powder

November 1, 2026 — 5:00am

Emma Stallworthy is a CEO. The 39-year-old shares her day on a plate.

5.30am Coffee with protein and collagen powder, then I sneak off for Pilates or strength training before getting the kids ready. Early US meetings mean a night-time workout instead.

7.30am My latest breakfast go-to: oats with vanilla protein yoghurt, coconut flakes and frozen mango.

8.30am An oat latte from my favourite local café on the school run.

12.30pm A chicken salad, during a quick sit-down with my inbox for company between meetings.

2:30pm Rice crackers with peanut butter and banana slices, plus a black tea. Then back to work before my turn at pick-up.

5.30pm A chicken burger with vegetables. With two fussy boys, we keep things simple and on high rotation. They’d eat spaghetti bolognese every night if I let them! I’m focusing on protein at the moment, hello perimenopause!

Dr Joanna McMillan says:

Top marks for ... your breakfast, as it delivers a lovely mix of protein, fibre and a range of micronutrients. You’re getting vegies into two meals, giving you a nice range of phytonutrients. There’s also some promising evidence that collagen supplements may benefit skin hydration and joint comfort.

If you keep eating like this you’ll ... have your protein needs well covered, but calcium may be falling short. Your yoghurt is great but you need 2.5 serves a day of dairy or calcium-rich alternatives to meet your recommended intake of 1000mg. This becomes particularly important as you approach menopause, when bone loss accelerates.

Why don’t you try ... checking your oat milk is calcium-fortified and add cheese to your burger. Rather than having chicken twice, swap sardines or tinned salmon into your salad - the edible bones are wonderful for calcium - and add chopped almonds to your breakfast.

Emma Stallworthy is the co-founder and CEO of Your Reformer and a certified Pilates instructor.

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Nicole Economos is a Social Media Producer/Journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.

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