When it comes to maintaining good skin health, collagen plays a very important role. It is one of those proteins that is abundant in the body. It is present in the bone, muscle, skin, and connective tissues and is instrumental in maintaining proper bone health and most importantly, keeping the skin youthful, supple, and elastic.
With age, the amount of collagen production in your body starts to deplete, which tends to speed up the aging process. We can make use of all sorts of creams, washes, oils, and serums, or use cosmetics to cover up wrinkles and pigmentation but you can’t deny that it is an expensive affair. Contrary to this, it is far easier to correct your diet by consuming foods that help the body produce its natural anti-aging protein. In this article, we bring you a list of 7 collagen-rich foods that give you healthy, youthful skin.
Collagen-rich foods for skin
Include the following foods in your diet to obtain collagen naturally.
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Bone Broth: Bone broth, derived out of the bones and joints of the chicken during the cooking process, is a rich source of collagen and gelatin, which can make the skin soft, supple, youthful, and healthy. Consuming bone broth, will enhance the body’s ability to produce collagen, thereby improving the appearance and function of your skin.
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Eggs: When it comes to skin health, the protein content in eggs provides a healthy source of amino acids. These amino acids are used by the body to generate new proteins within skin cells. Some of these proteins include elastin and collagen that strengthen the skin tissue, while others like melanin, add to your skin colour. A serving of two large eggs contributes to nearly 12.6 grams of protein to maintain healthy skin.
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Green Leafy Vegetables: Leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, collard greens, chards, and lettuce carry a lot of nutrients, which also include ascorbic acid, ie., vitamin C. Besides it is the best option for collagen-rich vegetarian food. However, the one nutrient that makes these veggies green and contributes to healthy skin is chlorophyll, which is an important source of the pigment that is likely to raise the amount of procollagen, which is a precursor to collagen.
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Legumes: Beans and legumes are rich in proteins that contain essential amino acids, which play an instrumental role in collagen synthesis. Moreover, they are rich in copper, which is a very important mineral responsible for collagen production.
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Citrus Fruits: Include fruits like grapefruit, orange, lemons and lime, which are rich in ascorbic acid/vitamin C. This important water soluble nutrient helps to link the amino acids during collagen production. That is why, getting sufficient amounts of collagen is critical for the body. It promotes radiant skin and slows down aging.
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Meat: Meats like beef and chicken have all the necessary amino acids like proline, glycine, and hydroxyproline, which play an instrumental role in collagen production. Moreover, red meat also has zinc, which is a vital mineral for skin health. In short, if your meal comprises equal portions of veggies and meat, your skin will get its desired amount of nutrients to remain smooth and young.
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Fish: Fish and shellfish, are known to have bones and ligaments, which are made of collagen. Research shows how many people have used fish skin as a great source for collagen peptides that aid in good skin health. The skin of the fish is said to contain a high concentration of Type I collagen, which makes up for the majority of collagen in skin.
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Berries: Apart from being rich sources of Vitamin C, berries like strawberries, blueberries, mulberries, and the like contain ellagic acid, which is also effective in treating wrinkles and inflammation in the skin. Furthermore, it helps to reduce the damage caused by UV rays on the skin.
If you don’t get it naturally from food, there are supplements available in the market, which you can consume to improve your skin health. Pregnant or breastfeeding women and people with chronic conditions should consult a medical practitioner before adding any additional food or supplement to their diet.
Final Takeaway
In summary, if you are seeking healthy skin which is soft, has perfect elasticity, and hydration, collagen can help you greatly. Apart from getting the skin that you desire, collagen is an important protein which provides structure to various parts of your body.
The above mentioned foods can help your body make collagen. Although, owing to our busy lifestyle, collagen supplements would prove to be beneficial, helping in improving skin quality, functioning of muscles and even reducing osteoarthritis related pain.
To help you with your quest of “Glowing & Healthy Skin”, Wellbeing Nutrition has launched “Skin-Fuel”, which rebuilds and strengthens the collagen matrix in your body, helping you get firm, youthful and glowing skin, while keeping you safe, without any side effects.
Check how this “Drinkable-Skincare” is a must in your Beauty & Wellness checklist.
References:
- Hsu DJ, Lee CW, Tsai WC, Chien YC. Essential and toxic metals in animal bone broths. Food Nutr Res. 2017;61(1):1347478. Published 2017 Jul 18. doi:10.1080/16546628.2017.1347478. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5533136/)
- Miranda JM, Anton X, Redondo-Valbuena C, et al. Egg and egg-derived foods: effects on human health and use as functional foods. Nutrients. 2015;7(1):706-729. Published 2015 Jan 20. doi:10.3390/nu7010706. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4303863/)
- Schagen SK, Zampeli VA, Makrantonaki E, Zouboulis CC. Discovering the link between nutrition and skin aging. Dermatoendocrinol. 2012;4(3):298-307. doi:10.4161/derm.22876. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583891/)
- Mark J Messina, Legumes and soybeans: overview of their nutritional profiles and health effects, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 70, Issue 3, September 1999, Pages 439s–450s, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/70.3.439s. (https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/70/3/439s/4714906#)
- Vitamin C, National Institute of Health, (https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-Consumer/)
- Cao C, Xiao Z, Wu Y, Ge C. Diet and Skin Aging-From the Perspective of Food Nutrition. Nutrients. 2020;12(3):870. Published 2020 Mar 24. doi:10.3390/nu12030870. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7146365/)
- Chai HJ, Li JH, Huang HN, Li TL, Chan YL, Shiau CY, Wu CJ. Effects of sizes and conformations of fish-scale collagen peptides on facial skin qualities and transdermal penetration efficiency. J Biomed Biotechnol. 2010;2010:757301. doi: 10.1155/2010/757301. Epub 2010 Jun 8. PMID: 20625414; PMCID: PMC2896882. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20625414/)
- Bae JY, Choi JS, Kang SW, Lee YJ, Park J, Kang YH. Dietary compound ellagic acid alleviates skin wrinkle and inflammation induced by UV-B irradiation. Exp Dermatol. 2010 Aug;19(8):e182-90. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0625.2009.01044.x. PMID: 20113347. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20113347/)
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