Stay Forever Young with Collagen

Personally, I wasn't blessed with the best genes, yet I still look like I'm in my 20's

(and don’t tell me differently).

Why you ask? Because the last decade I've been providing my body with nutritious foods that it needs to stay in pristine shape. And because of these healthy foods in my diet, my body stays producing collagen. Collagen is a protein the body produces naturally and mostly found in animals. It provides support and strength to your skin, muscles, bones, and connective tissues.

As we get older, our body produces less collagen so it’s important to be mindful of what we consume so we can continue to produce adequate amounts of collagen. For the most part, over-the-counter supplements are unregulated. While scientific research has been done on collagen supplements, there’s scarcity of actual evidence on the benefits and effects (so take at your own risk). A well-balanced diet is superior to any supplement and gives your body the components it needs to help it make collagen naturally.

You’re probably thinking “why should I even care about collagen??”

Well, I did all the research for you, and I’ll keep it short & sweet.

Read more to see how to add collagen to your diet and stay forever young!

Benefits of Collagen

• Provides anti-aging benefits by increasing skin elasticity, which aids in preventing wrinkles and sagging skin.

• Improves body composition, strength, and muscle recovery for athletes.

• Improves joint function & reduces joint pains.

• Improves immune and cardiovascular health.

• Keeps bones strong.

• Improves gut health.

How to Reduce Collagen Damage

As you age, collagen production naturally decreases. Other factors can also cause advance decreases to collagen within the body. These factors include:

-Smoking cigarettes/tobacco

Smoking causes skin to age, winkle, and lose elasticity.

-Excessive drinking

Alcohol causes damage to the skin's repairing process.

-Unhealthy diet

A diet with high added sugars and processed foods can cause premature aging by reducing collagen turnover which interferes with collagen's ability to interact with cells and other proteins.

-Excessive sun exposure

Excessive exposure to sun without SPF causes skin to age prematurely.

How to Boost Collagen

While there are foods containing collagen (bone broth, poultry, red meat, and fish), your body cannot absorb collagen in its whole form. Your body must break down collagen proteins in food into amino acids. SoOoO, directly eating collagen-rich foods doesn’t always produce higher collagen levels. It is important to incorporate both collagen-rich foods along with foods rich in amino acids to help boost collagen production. Important amino acids along with where to find them are listed below.

• Vitamin C -found in oranges, limes, lemons, grapefruit, strawberries, bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and potatoes.

• Vitamin A- sweet potatoes, kale, broccoli, spinach, pumpkin, carrots, fish oil, tomatoes, milk, eggs.

• Proline- found in mushrooms, cabbage, asparagus, peanuts, wheat, fish, egg whites, and meat.

• Glycine- found in red meats, turkey, chicken and pork skin, peanuts, and granola.

• Copper- found in liver, lobster, oysters, shiitake mushrooms, beans, nuts and seeds, leafy greens, tofu, and dark chocolate.

• Zinc- found in oysters, red meat, poultry, pork, beans, chickpeas, nuts, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, and milk products.

BOTTOM LINE

Genetic factors and nutrients are factors that contribute to one’s collagen production. Eating foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, proline, glycine, copper, and zinc helps the body produce collagen naturally. Long story short:

Make sure to eat a variety of fruits, veggies, nuts, and protein daily!!!