8 Foods To Supplement The Need For Collagen

If you are over 35 and find that your skin has lost its elasticity and firmness and the first wrinkles have started to appear, you should know what is the reason: collagen.

Collagen is a protein made up of connective tissue cells known as fibroblasts. It makes up about 30% of your body’s total protein and 80% of connective tissue.

In easier-to-understand terms, this protein is an adhesive that binds your entire body together. Without it, your body could not connect all its parts. 

Collagen and skin

The health of your skin is directly related to collagen, which is responsible for protecting its structure and preventing toxins and other harmful external factors.

It is the main building block of hair and nails as well as ligaments and connective tissues.  More specifically, it is responsible for the elasticity of the skin and forms part of the dermis.

For this reason, when you lose collagen, you also lose firmness and elasticity. 

Because you start losing collagen and why?

People start losing collagen at about the age of 25, and it’s clearer after 35 years.

As collagen decreases, epithelial structures weaken, skin becomes thinner, hair strength decreases, and wrinkles and sagging begin to appear. Your tendons and ligaments also become less flexible and resilient.

Factors that reduce collagen formation

• Exposure to the sun, smoking, pollution, toxins, stress, and excessive exercise increase the production of free radicals that can destroy your existing collagen stores.
• Low hormone production during menopause and aging also reduce collagen production.
• Health problems associated with treatments that prevent the body from absorbing vitamins and minerals exacerbate the effects.

What can you eat to get more collagen?

While collagen production has begun to decline, all is not lost! Certain foods are very high in collagen, and other foods help produce it.

Ingesting them can help you restore the firmness, freshness and elasticity of your skin. These dishes include:

1. Meat

Meat is an important part of the diet. The best meats in terms of collagen content are:

• Bovine
• Chicken
• Goat
• Taurus
• Moose
• Pig (especially feet)

Skin, bones, and offal such as pigskin, bone broth, etc. are good sources of protein and collagen.

2. Fish

Although fish have less collagen than other protein sources, fish scales in particular are particularly rich in collagen.

Omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon and tuna can also help protect the membranes of skin cells. As a result, inflammation is reduced and elasticity and firmness are increased.

3. Sand

Gelatin, or gelatin, is 90% a derivative of collagen protein. It also has a very low calorie content.

4. Red fruits and vegetables

Red fruits and vegetables, such as apples, strawberries, cherries, beets, red peppers and others, contain lycopene – a substance that is not only an excellent antioxidant, but also helps promote collagen production.

5. Fruit containing vitamin C.

Vitamin C is necessary for collagen production. It is found in oranges, lemons, kiwis, grapefruit, mangoes, pineapples and others. 

They also contain antioxidants that reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

6. Vegetables

Vegetables like cabbage, eggplant, endive and spinach are great for collagen production.

7. Sulfur-containing foods

Foods such as celery, green and black olives, garlic, cucumbers, bananas, onions and tofu are high in sulfur, which stimulates collagen production.

8. Other foods

Other foods you should include in your diet include soy milk, cheese, tea, and nuts, as well as lysine-containing foods such as potatoes, seaweed, and brewer’s yeast.

All of these products are easy to find. Combine them with your diet as you wish. Make sure your diet is healthy and balanced so you start to notice results on your skin as your body increases collagen production.