So how does one go about solving the decreasing supply of collagen without having to spend a huge amount of money? Well, we have to go back to the basics. An inexpensive and effective way to solve the problem is by eating food that can help boost collagen production, make your skin healthy and young looking.
Now, this doesn’t mean that we eat just about anything! Note that the standard American diet (it’s so SAD) is packed with pastries, chocolates, and processed or sugary foods that only speeds up the skin’s aging process. Not exactly what you want to happen, right? Good thing there are healthier foods that you can eat regularly to stimulate the production of collagen in your body and to help your skin get back that youthful glow:
- Garlic
Oh, garlic. Yes, it will make your breath stink and you’ll have to deal with that for a while but garlics are actually an excellent source of taurine and lipoic acid. These are essential in boosting the production of collagen in your body. Garlic is also a great source of sulfur, which is another vital ingredient in collagen production .
- Grass-fed meat and fish
Grass-fed meat and fish such as tuna, salmon, and mackerel contain high levels of omega-3 which forms a fatty membrane around the skin cells to protect them. Omega-3 keeps the skin cells full, plump, and bouncy, which results in skin that’s radiant and young looking.
Fish and lean, grass-fed meat lessen skin inflammation and supply amino acids that prevent skin sagging by retaining your skin’s elasticity.
- Berries
Who doesn’t love berries? Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries are packed with antioxidants that boost your body’s collagen production while producing antioxidants that fight the free radicals that damage the skin.
- Vegetables
There’s a reason why we’ve been told several times to eat vegetables- they contain nutrients that strengthen our bodies, and keep our skin healthy. Kale, spinach, and other dark leafy vegetables supply our bodies with antioxidants that combat the free radicals which harm the skin and mess up the body’s collagen supply. Tomatoes, red peppers, beets and other red vegetables are packed with collagen-boosting lycopene which serves as a natural sunblock that protects our skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Sweet potatoes, carrots, and other orange vegetables are packed with vitamin A that helps rebuild damaged collagen.
- Bone broth
Eating bone broth is similar to devouring a bowl of cooked collagen. This is one of the most effective ways to replenish lost collagen in your skin and lessen the appearance of wrinkles and crow’s feet. While there are creams and bottles of cosmetic products that claim that they contain collagen, dietary collagen has higher levels of potency because it directly supplies collagen to your cells. Moreover, bone broth contains properties that heal digestive tract infections. The gelatin sourced from the bone broth’s collagen also fights skin inflammation and slows down the skin’s aging process.
These days, you see ads in magazines, billboards, and television screens about cosmetic products that promise to give you healthy, glowing, and young looking skin. The promise is tempting, of course, especially when you’re about to turn forty and you can feel the clock ticking. Inviting as these ads are, the fact remains that the above-mentioned foods are cheaper and safer options that give you similar results.
There’s actually a longer list of foods that can help improve your body’s collagen production. However, consuming the above-mentioned foods regularly will gradually boost your collagen supply and bring back your skin’s youthful glow.