Foods with Collagen: a natural intake

Melanie Ramos 6 min. of reading Joint Health Leave a comment

Did you know that your skin, bones, joints and tends are mainly made of collagen? That is why this protein is so important for your health and quality of life. A balanced diet will help you meet the recommended daily dose for an active lifestyle and to keep your skin firm and bright. Find out what are the best foods with collagen: the source of eternal youth. Keep reading!

What is Collagen and what can it do for your skin?

Collagen is a protein from the connective tissue that will provide support and firmness to the tissues, specially to the skin. As we age, the body produces less collagen and our skin will start to experience its consequences.

How can we fix this? Above all, we need to stop the collagen breakdown while increasing its intake to reduce the onset of wrinkles. What we can do, apart from using anti-aging creams, is following a diet rich in foods that stimulate the production of collagen.

In addition, taking collagen supplements (read more about their intake) will help you meet the requirements of this protein.

In recent years, collagen has become extremely popular due to its properties for the skin. Thanks to this product, you will have a smooth and elastic skin, while protecting it from the passing of time.

However, there are also other factors that can hinder the production of collagen apart from the passing of time. For instance, smoking also affects the production of this protein.

Therefore, we should not wait until we become 50 to start eating foods with collagen. In fact, the production of this protein starts to progressively drop at the age of 30.

Moreover, this protein is too dense for our skin to absorb it from creams, unless it has been chemically restructured. That is why we want to encourage you to start taking foods with collagen already.

What are the foods with collagen to stay forever young?

The ranking of the best foods with collagen is made up of:

Amino acids

There are two amino acids that make up the structure of collagen, hydroxylysine and hydroxyproline. These two amino acids are important when it comes to providing a good dose of different types of collagen, providing resistance and flexibility. Foods that are rich in lysine and proline are specially useful to synthesize all types of collagen.

For example, egg whites seem to be a great source of proline.

Lean meat, low-fat dairy products and fish are excellent sources of lysine. Legumes and peanuts are also a good source of this amino acid.

Vitamin C

When we talk about lysine, proline and collagen, we need to take into account the importance of vitamin C in our daily diet. What does this vitamin do exactly? Well, it transforms proline into hydroxyproline (the form of collagen).

These are some of the best sources of vitamin C: red berries, kiwis, red and green peppers, tomatos, oranges, broccoli, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, melon, spinach and chard.

Foods rich in vitamin C help to improve our ability to produce collagen and to use this protein effectively.

Gelatin

Gelatin is one of the best sources of collagen. It is basically cooked collagen and a way to obtain all the amino acids and nutrients that we need to produce it.

Genistein

Soy products, such as soy milk and cheese contain an element known as genistein. This substance supports the collagen production and inhibits the free radicals that oxidize the skin cells.

Almost any soy product has enough genistein to be useful, including those products that have been designed to replace meat products.

Phytonutrients (lycopene, catechins and anthocyanidins)

Phytonutrients are chemical substances present in fruit, vegetables and legumes. They are responsible for the color of each food, among other tasks. Lycopene also has antioxidant properties and it increases the production of collagen as well.

Try eating peppers, plums, beetroot and tomatoes to your diet, either fresh or cooked.

Catechins and anthocyanidins are important elements when it comes to producing collagen. In fact, the catechins from tea help to prevent the breakdown of collagen. Anthocyanidins are available in red and blue foods such as cherries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.

Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9 Fatty Acids

The popular Omega-3 fatty acids are also specially useful when it comes to producing collagen. Fish like salmon and tuna are excellent sources of fatty acids.

Nuts also support the production of collagen. Eat cashew, almonds, Brazil nuts and linseed to obtain extraordinary results.

Sulfur

If you can, try looking for those collagen sources that are also rich in sulfur. This is due to the fact that this mineral is crucial in the production of this protein. Some of the best sources are green and black olives, fresh cucumber and the stem of fresh celery. These vegetables, which are also rich in vitamin A, will help you keep your collagen levels high.

Do you want an extra supply? Then start eating more carrots, fresh melon and sweet potatoes.

Choose from the best products with collagen!

One of the best ways to make sure that we have proper collagen levels is taking products with collagen. The best ones are those that contain Hydrolyzed Collagen (read more).This variety has undergone a hydrolysis process that changes its molecular structure in order to obtain smaller and more bioavailable collagen molecules.

As you can see, following a balanced diet will help you produce more collagen. Try to eat the products we have mentioned in this post and you will start to experience all its benefits for your skin and joints very soon.

Keep reading and learn more about collagen: