How to boost your collagen for youthful skin.
Collagen, it's that bouncy scaffolding that supports the skin. Giving skin elasticity, plumpness and youthfulness. It's produced in abundance from when we are babies till we hit our twenties. But collagen production starts to decline around the age of 25, on average the making of collagen reduces at a rate of 1% a year. Contributing to fine lines, wrinkles and saggy skin.
So, while its decline is unavoidable. Lifestyle choices can make things worse and accelerate collagen breakdown such as smoking, sun exposure, excessive drinking, and poor dietary choices.
We may not be able to gain back the collagen that has been lost. But we can help boost collagen production and protect what we have.
So where do we start?
To sustain the collagen in our skin, incorporating anti-oxidants in our diet by eating blueberries, pomegranates and strawberries. Flavouring food with herbs such as cinnamon, basil, oregano and thyme. Whilst not forgetting vegetables like spinach and tomatoes. Foods high in anti-oxidants helps fight collagen deterioration and combat damage to the skin from free radicals.
The most advised way to boost your body's collagen production is through your dietary intake.
Eating foods that are necessary for collagen production is a good place to start. Collagen is a large protein, so your body needs amino acids, vitamin C and minerals including copper and zinc to manufacture it.
For your source of amino acids, protein - rich meals including bone broths (cooking animal bones from chicken, beef, ) which turns out to be one of the richest supplies of protein. As well as eggs, in particular the whites of eggs are protein-dense. If you are vegan or vegetarian get your amino acids from mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage ,tofu and soya foods.
Add vitamin C to the mix by consuming citrus fruits, kiwi, bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, and nutritious leafy greens.
For your input of minerals, dine on nuts, seeds, lentils ,beans, cacao powder plus various meats.
It is common to look to supplements, where we have deficiencies in our bodies. Collagen supplements are widely available, many are made of collagen peptides. Marine collagen is made from bones, skin and scales of sea creatures, whilst Bovine collagen comes from cows, these are prevalent supplements. These supplements take on many forms such as tablets, powders , liquids and shots. Collagen peptides are used because they are split easily into amino acids so that they can be absorbed and digested by the body.
But it is still undecided as to the effectiveness of collagen supplements. Some experts claim that once the peptides reach the gut, they are broken down , absorbed and never reach the skin. Resulting in the skin misses out on the benefits. On the other hand, some studies have indicated that collagen peptide supplements improve skin hydration, the appearance of wrinkles and elasticity. Clearly more research and information is needed in this area.
If you are vegan getting hold of alternative vegan collagen supplements is becoming more established. Usually formulated from plant-based ingredients, with many of the nutrients and vital components needed for collagen production. So, plant - based combinations that have vitamin C, amino acids and anti-oxidants. Through these alternatives your skin finds the building blocks to create collagen and utilise anti-oxidants to combat the signs of ageing.
Collagen forms a vital part of our skin's structure, so investing in maintaining and supporting it will do us great favours for our skin for years to come.
References
https://www.webmd.com/diet/collagen-health-benefits#1
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6073484/
https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/blog/collagen-building-nature%E2%80%99s-infrastructure
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/10/2494/htm
The post is only for informative and educational purposes
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