The Best Foods For Collagen Production

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Dr. Andrea Suarez gives us the low-down on collagen synthesis and maintenance. Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body, and it can be fairly described as “the stuff that holds us together”. It’s particularly important for joints and bones too, though many people’s focus on it is for the skin. Whatever your priorities, collagen levels are something it pays to be mindful of, as they usually drop quite sharply after a certain age. What certain age? Well, that depends a lot on you, and your diet and lifestyle. But it can start to decline from the age of 30 with often noticeable drop-offs in one’s mid-40s and again in one’s mid-60s.

Showing us what we’re made of

There’s a lot more to having good collagen levels than just how much collagen we consume (which for vegetarians/vegans, will be “none”, unless using the “except if for medical reasons” exemption, which is probably a little tenuous in the case of collagen but nevertheless it’s a possibility; this exemption is usually one that people use for, say, a nasal spray vaccine that contains gelatine, or a medicinal tablet that contains lactose, etc).

Rather, having good collagen levels is also a matter of what we eat that allows us to synthesize our own collagen (which includes: its ingredients, and various “helper” nutrients), as well as what dietary adjustments we make to avoid our extant collagen getting broken down, degraded, and generally lost.

Here’s what Dr. Suarez recommends:

Protein-rich foods (but watch out)

  • Protein is essential for collagen production.
  • Sources: fish, soy, lean meats (but not red meats, which—counterintuitively—degrade collagen), eggs, lentils.
  • Egg whites are high in lysine, vital for collagen synthesis.
  • Bone broth is a natural source of collagen.

Omega-3 fatty acids

  • Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory and protect skin collagen.
  • Sources: walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, fatty fish (e.g. mackerel, sardines).

Leafy greens

  • Leafy dark green vegetables (e.g. kale, spinach) are rich in vitamins C and B9.
  • Vitamin C is crucial for collagen synthesis and acts as an antioxidant.
  • Vitamin B9 supports skin cell division and DNA repair.

Red fruits & vegetables

  • Red fruits/vegetables (e.g. tomatoes, red bell peppers) contain lycopene, an antioxidant that protects collagen from UV damage (so, that aspect is mostly relevant for skin, but antioxidants are good things to have in all of the body in any case).

Orange-colored vegetables

  • Carrots and sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, which helps in collagen repair and synthesis.
  • Vitamin A is best from food, not supplements, to avoid potential toxicity.

Fruits rich in vitamin C

  • Citrus fruits, kiwi, and berries are loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants, essential for collagen synthesis and skin health.

Soy

  • Soy products (e.g. tofu, soybeans) contain isoflavones, which reduce inflammation and inhibit enzymes that degrade collagen.
  • Soy is associated with lower risks of chronic diseases.

Garlic

  • Garlic contains sulfur, taurine, and lipoic acid, important for collagen production and repair.

What to avoid:

  • Reduce foods high in advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which damage collagen and promote inflammation.
  • AGEs are found in fried, roasted, or grilled fatty proteinous foods (e.g. meat, including synthetic meat, and yes, including grass-fed nicely marketed meat—although processed meat such as bacon and sausages are even worse than steaks etc).
  • Switch to cooking methods like boiling or steaming to reduce AGE levels.
  • Processed foods, sugary pastries, and red meats contribute to collagen degradation.

General diet tips:

  • Incorporate more plant-based, antioxidant-rich foods.
  • Opt for slow cooking to reduce AGEs.
  • Since sustainability is key, choose foods you enjoy for a collagen-boosting diet that you won’t seem like a chore a month later.

For more on all of this, enjoy:

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Want to learn more?

You might also like to read:

We Are Such Stuff As Fish Are Made Of ← our main feature research review about collagen

Take care!

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    The author, a professional gymnast and coach with a background in the sciences, knows his stuff here. This is what it says on the tin: it’s rigorously systematic. It’s also the most science-based calisthenics book this reviewer has read to date.

    If you just wanted to know how to do some exercises, then this book would be very much overkill, but if you want to be able to go from no knowledge to expert knowledge, then the nearly 600 pages of this weighty tome will do that for you.

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  • The Good Skin Solution – by Shann Jones

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    Not everyone knows that eczema is not just a skin condition; it’s an autoimmune condition. And thus to heal one’s skin, the gut is a good place to start.

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  • Hemp Seeds vs Flax Seeds – Which is Healthier?

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    Our Verdict

    When comparing hemp seeds to flax seeds, we picked the flax.

    Why?

    Both are great, but quite differently so! In other words, they both have their advantages, but on balance, we prefer the flax’s advantages.

    Part of this come from the way in which they are sold/consumedhemp seeds must be hulled first, which means two things as a result:

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    Since people’s diets are more commonly deficient in fiber than protein, and also since 8x is better than 2x, we consider this a win for flax.

    Of course, many people enjoy hemp or flax specifically for the healthy fatty acids, so how do they stack up in that regard?

    • Flax seeds have more omega-3s
    • Hemp seeds have more omega-6s

    This, for us, is a win for flax too, as the omega-3s are generally what we need more likely to be deficient in. Hemp enthusiasts, however, may argue that the internal balance of omega-3s to omega-6s is closer to an ideal ratio in hemp—but nutrition doesn’t exist in a vacuum, so we have to consider things “as part of a balanced diet” (because if one were trying to just live on hemp seeds, one would die), and most people’s diets are skewed far too far in favor or omega-6 compared to omega-3. So for most people, the higher levels of omega-3s are the more useful.

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    McKay Lang walks us through it:

    Step by Step

    Breathing exercise:

    • Place your hands on your lower abdomen.
    • Take three deep breaths, focusing on body tension in the shoulders and neck… And release.

    Shoulder squeeze:

    • With your hands on your hips, inhale and squeeze your shoulders upwards.
    • Hold your breath for 3–4 seconds, then exhale.
    • Repeat two more times, holding the squeeze a little longer each time.

    Upper shoulder massage:

    • Massage your upper shoulder muscles to release tension stored there.

    Overhead arm stretch:

    • Raise your arms above your head, clasping each elbow with the opposite hand.
    • Inhale deeply, stretch upwards, then exhale and release.
    • Repeat, alternating elbows.

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    • Place your palms on the back of the head, and push your head into your hands (and vice versa, because of Newton’s Third Law of Motion).
    • Do the same sideways (one side and then the other), to engage the other neck muscles.

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    • Gently unclasp your hands, bring your head upright, and massage your muscles. And breathe.

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  • The Alzheimer’s Gene That Varies By Race & Sex

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    The Alzheimer’s Gene That Varies By Race & Sex

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    A Tale of Two Alleles

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    If you’d like to read more and examine the data for yourself:

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  • High-Protein Plant-Based Diet for Beginners – by Maya Howard with Ariel Warren

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    Seasoned vegans (well-seasoned vegans?) will know that getting enough protein from a plant-based diet is really not the challenge that many think it is, but for those just embarking on cutting out the meat, it’s not useful to say “it’s easy!”; it’s useful to show how.

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    As for the well-roundedness of the diet, we’ll mention that the “with Ariel Warren” in the by-line means that while the book was principally authored by Maya Howard (who is, at time of writing, a nutritionist-in-training), she had input throughout from Ariel Warren (a Registered Dietician Nutritionist) to ensure she didn’t go off-piste anyway and it gets the professional stamp of approval.

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    Click here to check out High-Protein Plant-Based Diet for Beginners, and dig in!

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