You can up your protein intake by adding these collagen-rich foods to your diet. Not only will they assist in improving the condition of your skin, but may help to improve your gut health too, and have been touted as being an effective treatment for arthritis.
PROTEINS
✣ Bone broth
✣ Fish, including the skin Some research has shown that marine collagen is absorbed up to 1.5 times faster than porcine and bovine.
✣ Dairy
✣ Egg whites
✣ Animal meats, especially chicken and beef where bones and cartilage are prominent
✣ Spirulina
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AMINO ACIDS
✣ Proline: Non-essential, but necessary for wound healing and healthy skin tissue
✣ Glycine: Also non-essential, but necessary for tendon repair, restful sleep and balanced blood sugar
✣ Lysine: An essential amino acid, meaning it can’t be produced by the body. It is necessary for the synthesis of connective tissues and promotes bone growth
✣ Leucine: Another essential amino acid necessary for the biosynthesis of proteins
✣ Complete protein sources such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and dairy contain all nine essential amino acids. Plant-based sources include soy, buckwheat and quinoa.
MICRONUTRIENTS
These help to increase your body’s ability to create collagen naturally:
✣ Vitamin C: Think citrus fruit, strawberries, blueberries, green and red peppers, leafy greens and other vegetables like broccoli, sweet potatoes and cauliflower.
✣ Manganese: Mussels, tofu, sweet potatoes, brown rice, pine nuts, chickpeas and spinach are all foods rich in manganese.
✣ Zinc and copper, which are prominent in nuts like cashews and almonds, and in seeds such as pumpkin and sesame. Apart from being high in vitamin C, kale and spinach are two foods that are rich in zinc and copper as well.
WHAT TO AVOID
Sugar! Foods containing excess sugar can break down collagen fibres and produce compounds called AGEs (advanced glycation end products), which essentially damage the proteins or lipids.
Feature image by Ivan Samkov from Pexels
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