Collagen acts as a kind of glue that holds our body together. It's the protein that keeps our skin smooth, our hair shiny, and our joints supple. However, our body produces less collagen as we age, meaning wrinkles, sagging skin, and achy joints take over. Good news: You can help up your collagen, you can do so by filling your plate with the right foods. Dive into some of the best collagen rich foods to grab right now, including a few for vegetarians.
Why Collagen Is So Important?
Now, before we just dive into the list of foods, let's understand why collagen is so important. The main functions of collagen are—the key constituent of your skin, hair, nails, bones, and joints. This protein makes your skin elastic and maintain its smooth, young outlook, besides strengthening and structuring of hair and nails. However, post 25 years of age, the production of collagen in our body starts to decline. This is where the necessity to include collagen rich food in our diet arises if we need healthy skin and joints.
Best Collagen Food for Skin
Certain types of foods can stimulate higher production of collagen to boost skin health. Here is the best pick:
- Bone Broth
Bone broth is made from simmering chicken, beef, and fish bones into broth. Replenish with collagen rich food for skin with the intake of bone broth regularly for a tightened elasticity of the skin, very few wrinkles, and a more radiant glow.
- Eggs
Amino acids, especially found in the whites, are present in eggs and help the body in producing collagen. Moreover, they contain another important ingredient in collagen production, sulfur. Thus, it becomes quite a simple and effective method to improve levels of collagen in the body for healthy skin—the addition of eggs to a diet.
- Fish and Seafood
Rich sources of collagen include fish and shellfish, especially those with skin and bones. The skin of fish, for example, is rich in collagen. Never hesitate to indulge in the skin of salmon or mackerel. This collagen from fish is also easily absorbed into the body, making it an equally good choice for promoting healthier skin.
Vegetarian Sources of Collagen
If you are a vegetarian, you may think that it will be next to impossible to have collagen rich food vegetarian. Well, it is true that most products from animals have collagen, but there are a lot of vegetarian foods that will help your body produce more collagen naturally.
- Citrus Fruits
The fruits contain collagen, an essential substance with vitamin C implicated in its production. Your body uses vitamin C to convert amino acids proline and lysine into collagen. In this regard, including these fruits in large proportions increases the building blocks of collagen in your body, leading to good skin maintenance.
- Berries
Berries, especially strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, are not only succulent in flavor but they also provide ample antioxidants and vitamin C to uplift and safeguard the skin from damage caused by free radicals.
- Garlic
Garlic may not be an immediately obvious one when it comes to collagen, but this is, in fact, a very worthy source of sulfur, which is required to make collagen. Additionally, it contains taurine, an amino acid that helps in the building of collagen fibers when there is damage. Garlic is, therefore, part of the food that tends to be generally conducive to the maintaining of collagen levels within the body when taken in meals.
Veg Collagen-Rich Food
If you are looking for vegetarian or plant-based options, here is a more extensive list of the veg collagen-rich foods that can keep your skin healthy:
- Leafy greens
Leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, and Swiss chard, are very high in both vitamin C and chlorophyll. Both are used in the manufacturing of collagen in the body. Chlorophyll specifically has been shown to raise the precursor to collagen rich food for skin. Consuming a serving of leafy green vegetables every day may help keep your skin tight and young.
- Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are also high in omega-3 fatty acids and zinc, which have a function in collagen formation. They also contain vitamin E to protect your skin from damage whilst promoting good health.
- Beans
Beans, such as chickpeas, black beans, and lentils, contain plenty of high-quality protein that serves as raw material for the production of collagen. In addition, they contain copper which is another key nutrient in the process of collagen synthesis. Making them a regular inclusion in your meals will help keep the collagen levels in check.
How to Increase Collagen Naturally
Besides collagen rich food, there are other natural ways to help your body produce collagen:
Stay Hydrated: A lot of water keeps your skin moisturized, maintaining collagen production.
Cut Down on Sugar: Intake of a lot of sugar can be damaging to collagen fibers and, in the worst cases, can be a potential cause of premature aging. Try to manage your sugary food and drink intake.
Get Enough Sleep: The body makes collagen during sleep, thus making it advisable to have enough sleep every night.
Protect Your Skin: The UV rays from the sun can cause the breakdown of collagen in the skin. Hence, applying sunscreen religiously to your skin every time you venture out in the sun and avoiding direct rays at peak hours will help protect your collagen levels.
Conclusion
Collagen rich food in your diet supports your skin, hair, nails, and joints easily and effectively. Bone broth, berries, and green leafy vegetables are other collagen-reducing foods that will do you well when proceeding with your increase in collagen endeavors. Aside from eating healthy foods, taking marine collagen powder can also contribute to maintaining and increasing collagen levels.
Other things that would help would be staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, and protecting your skin from the sun. So include these collagen-rich foods in your diet today, for healthier and more youthful skin.