It's not just wrinkles anymore
The collagen trend has spread from cosmetic injections to the products you see every day on grocery and drugstore shelves. Food, skin cream, pills and powders all promote collagen as a way to a healthy, vibrant body. Are they worth your money?
Your body makes collagen all your life, and products that boost collagen levels may be helpful, but consider first if your body needs more of it.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body. It is found in muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, organs, blood vessels, skin, intestinal lining, and tissues.
While you cannot measure the level of collagen, you can tell when it decreases, as it decreases with age, which contributes to:
Wrinkles
Tendons and ligaments are stiffer and less flexible
Muscle contraction and weakening
Joint pain or osteoarthritis due to worn out cartilage
Digestive problems due to the thinning of the lining of the digestive system
Aside from aging, the main reason people do not get enough collagen is poor nutrition, where the body cannot produce collagen if it does not have the necessary elements.
When your body makes collagen, it combines amino acids - the nutrients you get from eating protein-rich foods, such as beef, chicken, fish, beans, eggs and dairy products.
The process also requires vitamin C, zinc and copper.
You can get vitamin C by eating citrus fruits, red and green peppers, tomatoes, and broccoli.
You can get minerals by eating meat, shellfish, nuts, whole grains, and beans.
With age, the body may not absorb nutrients as well or make them as efficiently.
To make sure your body has enough ingredients to make collagen, you may need to change what you eat or take supplements.
Best Collagen Boosting Food
In addition to healthy servings of foods rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, a collagen-boosting drink is recommended; Bone broth. You can buy it at grocery stores or make your own.
Bone broth extracts collagen from beef, chicken or fish bones, leaving a tasty liquid that you can drink straight or use in other dishes.
Most bone broth recipes require that the bones slowly boil in water on the stove in a small pot.
2nd Best Source: Collagen Supplements
If you are eating a healthy diet and feeding your body with all the nutrients it needs to produce collagen, you probably don't need a supplement but there is nothing wrong with taking it.
Collagen powder does not have any flavor and dissolves easily in drinks, smoothies, soups, and sauces.
Skin cream with synthetic collagen
It will add a film-like layer to the skin to reduce water loss and act as a barrier from environmental elements.
But using a skin cream may not be as effective as eating healthy and protecting your skin from excessive sun exposure and sunburn, especially early in life.
