For those who don’t know, Collagen is a protein that is produced by your body. It assists to strengthen connective tissue—tendons, ligaments and muscles—and it improves the structure of bones, hair, skin and nails. As your body ages, however, your collagen production lessens. This steady decline is why its recommended to eat foods that assist your body to create collagen naturally and for you to also take a daily supplement.
Let’s look at what foods are the best collagen producing, and what supplements are better than others.
Collagen Producing Foods
The best foods to consume for collagen production include: shellfish, beef, chicken, fish, roo, beans, eggs and dairy, as well as citrus fruit, nuts, beans, and capsicum, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach and other greens.
Just be sure to clean your vegetables and fresh produce well to ensure that they are pesticide-free. Also, eat a balanced diet to ensure that your not eating too much of one product, and not enough of another.
One of the best ways to draw collagen out in your body is to create a bone broth. You can buy this in the supermarket or make it yourself. If you want to make your own, then it’s as simple as simmering the bones of beef, lamb, venison, chicken, turkey or duck in a slow cooker for 12 to 24 hours.
Collagen Supplements
The best collagen supplements are those known as peptides as these contain additional vitamins, which increase absorption and overall benefits. While topical—those you place on your skin—collagen treatments are great, those you drink or eat are far more effective.
It will take at least 30-days of taking a supplement to notice any changes. You also need to take a supplement daily for the rest of your life for you to see ongoing benefits. If you stop taking your supplement, then the benefits disappear. It’s a little like making the commitment to get fit by working out daily. If you stop, you undo all that good work you’ve done.
Oh and if you think you don’t need to boost your collagen production—then think again. Research suggests that your skin is made up 75% collagen. From the age of 25-years your collagen production depletes by 1.5% per year, regardless of your gender. So, when you reach 51 years of age, your collagen could have fallen by 39%—ouch that equates to a whole heap of wrinkles, enlarged pores and skin discolouration.
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