Collagen is very important for our body. It ensures the strength of our bones, elasticity and hydration of our skin and a better condition of our nails and hair. As you get older you make less and less collagen, but luckily you can stimulate the production of collagen. How? Among other things, by eating foods that contain collagen or eating foods that contribute to the production of collagen by your body!
In this article, we will first discuss why collagen is important for our body and explain how you can tell that you may be deficient in collagen. We tell you how you can stimulate collagen production by eating the right collagen food, but also what you should avoid to maintain the collagen level.
Do you want to know how to stimulate collagen production? Then read on quickly!
Why is collagen important for our body?
Collagen plays an important role in supporting and protecting our bones, joints, skin, hair and nails. The main benefits for our body are:
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Improve skin elasticity and reduce wrinkles
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Strengthening bones and joints and preventing osteoporosis
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Improving nail and hair quality
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Improving gut health
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Relief of inflammation and pain in the body
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Help with muscle recovery
How do you notice a collagen deficiency?
There are some signs that you may be deficient in collagen, such as:
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Wrinkles and fine lines: Collagen plays an important role in maintaining the firmness and elasticity of the skin. A lack of collagen can lead to wrinkles and fine lines on the skin, especially on the face. Collagen therefore helps for healthy skin.
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Thinning and brittle hair: collagen proteins contribute to the construction of keratin, a protein that is the main component of your hair.
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Weak nails: Collagen is also vital for healthy nails and hair. A lack of collagen can lead to brittle nails that break easily.
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Joint Pain: Collagen is present in the connective tissue that supports and protects the joints. A lack of collagen can lead to joint stiffness and pain.
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Decreased bone density and sensitive teeth: Decreased collagen can lead to osteoporosis and sensitive teeth. In addition to collagen supplements, it is important to eat enough calcium-rich foods, such as dairy products, green leafy vegetables, almonds and fish. In addition, other nutrients are important for strong bones: vitamin K, magnesium and phosphorus.
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Loss of muscle mass: Collagen is also important for building and maintaining muscle mass. A shortage of collagen can lead to a loss of muscle mass and a decrease in muscle strength.
Fortunately, there are several ways to replenish collagen in the body. You can read this below.
Which collagen food?
For the preservation of collagen and the production of new collagen in the body, it is important to get enough protein (fish or meat), healthy fats, vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc.
Food containing collagen:
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Meat
Meat contains a high content of collagen and protein (Proline). Beef, chicken and pork are the best sources of collagen.
Beef and pork, for example, are high in collagen in the form of tendons, cartilage, and bones. Cooking beef at low temperatures for long periods of time can help break down the collagen and make it more digestible. Chicken meat is another excellent source of collagen.
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Broth
Broth made from meat contains a lot of gelatin (glycine) and therefore a relatively large amount of collagen. This is also how people used to take collagen naturally. Chicken cartilage and bones are high in collagen and are often used to make pulled stock or soup.
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Fish
Fish contains a lot of omega 3 fatty acids and this protects the skin against UV radiation. Eating fish also has a positive effect on skin hydration and reduction of pigmentation. Tuna, salmon, herring, sardines and mackerel all contain a lot of omega-3 and are therefore good for collagen production. You can also make delicious dishes with these fish.
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Flax seed
Flaxseed contains a lot of omega 3 fatty acids and many fibers that our body benefits from. These fatty acids are not produced by the body itself, so it is wise to eat a lot of linseed. You can add linseed to your yogurt, salad, smoothie or you can make linseed cookies.
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Chia seeds
Chia seeds are very high in omega 3 fatty acids. This ensures that the skin is well hydrated and it also softens the skin. You can add chia seeds to your yogurt, smoothie or make delicious chia seed pancakes.
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Beans
Beans are packed with zinc and hyaluronic acid. This ensures hydration of the skin and that it stays in shape, so that's a bonus, because this prevents wrinkles and fine lines.
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Garlic
It may have a strong smell, but it is very good for the collagen fibers. Garlic contains taurine, sulfur and lipoic acid. These three elements ensure that the collagen fibers in your skin recover after damage, so when you are going to cook a dish always put a little garlic in the pan, this will restore your skin!
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Citrus fruits
Fruits such as lemon, oranges, lime and grapefruit contain a lot of Vitamin C and are a must for glowing skin. These fruits are healthy, nice and fresh and help to combat acne and therefore also the production of collagen.
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Avocado
It is wise to eat avocado if you want to take care of your skin from the inside out. Avocado contains antioxidants, vitamin E and omega 3 fatty acids.
Which foods break down collagen?
There are certain foods that can break down collagen production in the body, including:
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Sugar and refined carbohydrates
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White bread, white pasta and sweetened cereals
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Alcoholic beverages
It is wise to take as little of these foods as possible and replace them with foods that are mentioned in the list above, so that contain a lot of proteins and omega 3.
Factors that cause collagen to decrease
There are factors that cause collagen to decrease in your body, namely alcohol, smoking, UV radiation, stress and sugar.
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Alcohol
Regular drinking of alcohol is detrimental to the production of collagen and to the skin. Alcohol dries out the skin, which means that the skin can produce less collagen. Alcohol also causes the blood vessels to dilate, causing the elasticity of the skin to slacken.
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Smoking
The chemicals in tobacco that you ingest when you smoke damage collagen and elastin. Nicotine is also bad for the blood vessels. The nicotine narrows the blood vessels and this means that less oxygen and nutrients reach the skin.
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UV radiation
UV rays damage the dermis. The dermis is the middle layer of skin and this skin layer provides firmness to the skin. The rays cause the dermis to break and elastin fibers to build up under the skin, which causes wrinkles to develop faster.
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stress
Stress is very bad for collagen production. Due to stress, our cortisol goes up, which causes your growth hormone to go down. Your adrenaline is too high and your serotonin is too low. An important point is that Cortisol breaks down proteins and that collagen consists of protein, among other things. Stress also blocks the production of vitamin D. This is much needed for our connective tissue. This is also the reason that when people are under a lot of stress, they look a bit worse or have a slightly worse skin.
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Sugar
Food that contains a lot of sugar affects the collagen fibers. The sugars fix themselves on the collagen in the skin and this damages it. This process is called glycation. If the collagen becomes increasingly damaged and is broken down, the connective tissue in the skin also becomes less firm and flexible
Collagen powders: stimulate collagen production
Benefits of collagen supplements
The advantage of taking a collagen supplement is that it contains a large amount of collagen that can also be better absorbed by your body. This is because it does not have to be broken down by the body first. Collagen powder is safe and can be taken in various forms, for example by mixing it into smoothies or dissolving it in coffee or tea after exercise.
Vegan collagen or collagen from animal products?
Vegetable collagen does not exist. Just like humans, animals produce collagen, plants do not. Collagen is actually a protein that is obtained from animals. This is boiled out and forms gelatin. This can then be ground into collagen powder. Some collagen supplements claim to be plant-based, but are actually a protein/amino acid blend. The real collagen is missing, so it does not stimulate your body to produce (more) collagen.
Hydrolyzed Collagen Powder
A collagen hydrolyzate is collagen that has been processed even further than gelatin. During the hydrolysis process, the proteins in gelatin are broken down into smaller pieces using enzymes. This makes it easier for the body to absorb and also spreads better in the body.
Hūmen - high quality hydrolyzed collagen powder
The easiest way to supplement collagen in the body is to use Hūmen collagen powder , which are isolated collagen peptides that are easily absorbed by the body. Hūmen collagen is one of the best collagen powder on the market, is 100% bioactive, comes from Europe and is well absorbed by the body.
Conclusion
After reading this article you now know everything about which foods you should take to stimulate collagen and which foods and factors are bad for your skin and cause collagen breakdown. So choose the best nutrition in combination with hydrolyzed collagen powder from Hūmen. Our 100% bioactive collagen peptides are well absorbed by the body and are an excellent addition to your healthy diet.
