“It's important for consumers to know that there is currently not a plant-based source of collagen. Collagen can only come from animal-based products.” The good news: Your body naturally makes collagen, so you can absolutely give yourself a boost if you're feeling dull and deficient.
Crackers, cookies, cereal, pasta, bread and baked goods contain sugar and chemicals that are damaging to collagen molecules, thereby diminishing the quality of the tissue, and can erode the quantity of your collagen as well.
In food, collagen is naturally found only in animal flesh like meat and fish that contain connective tissue. However, a variety of both animal and plant foods contain materials for collagen production in our own bodies.
The collagen tissues support the formation of bones, tendons, and cartilage that form depending on the level of mineralization. However, an individual can lose collagen components in the body due to exposure to ultraviolet light, tobacco, excessive intake of sugar, and aging.
Signs of collagen loss include wrinkled skin due to elasticity loss and stiff joints. Additionally, collagen is directly related to gut health, with less of the protein causing ulcers and digestive problems. Aside from aging, however, the top reason people don't have enough collagen is poor diet.
Initial results from collagen restoration treatments are usually visible immediately. However, new collagen growth can take anywhere from four to 12 weeks to complete. Keep in mind that while certain procedures can be very effective at restoring and replacing collagen, these results aren't permanent.
Bone Broth
This tops the list of food sources that contain high amounts of collagen. You can buy bone broth at the grocery store or make it yourself. To make bone broth at home, simply cook beef, pork, poultry, or fish bones in water.
Eating foods that contain vitamin C and antioxidants, avoiding smoking, limiting caffeine intake, and protecting the skin from sunlight may all help preserve collagen or boost its production.
"It's worth remembering that coffee doesn't destroy collagen, it inhibits its production," says nutritional therapist at the Pulse Light Clinic, Lisa Borg.
Exposure to ultraviolet light.
Too much sunlight reduces collagen production and caused collagen to break down more rapidly. Ultraviolet sunlight causes wrinkles. Avoid excessive sun exposure and always wear sunscreen (SPF 30 and higher) when you're outside.
Zinc. Zinc, a cofactor in the production of collagen, plays a vital role in collagen synthesis. This mineral is essential to cell repair and helps protect collagen in the body from damage. Zinc deficiency can reduce the amount of collagen produced, therefore getting adequate amounts is important!
Bones are mostly made of collagen. It gives the bones a soft framework. Foods that are high in Collagen protein are- Chicken, fish, egg whites, citrus foods, etc.
Is collagen vegetarian? Unfortunately for those of us who follow vegetarian diets, there are no vegetarian sources of collagen protein. Collagen supplements come in two forms; either marine collagen, sourced from fish scales and skin, or bovine collagen, made from cow hide.
Can you get collagen from plants? If you follow a plant-based diet, unfortunately the answer is no. Collagen is distinctly produced by animals and not plants, as it's found in animal parts including bones, hooves, tendons and skin/hides (the same parts that are used to make real bone broth).
As naturally occurring collagen comes from animals, people following a strict vegan lifestyle cannot use it.
Just five minutes a day of regular tapping:
encourages lymph drainage which helps eliminate the damage from free radicals; enhances our skin's ability to breathe by improving the flow of oxygen; plumps the face and smoothes wrinkles by stimulating collagen production; normalizes the activity of oil and sweat glands.
How vitamin D deficiency leads to accelerated skin aging isn't fully understood. However, some experts suspect it has something to do with vitamin D's protective and antioxidant properties on the skin.
Collagen is a protein that serves as one of the main building blocks for your bones, skin, hair, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. "Collagen is what keeps our skin from sagging, giving us that plump, youthful look," says dermatologist Dr. Ohara Aivaz.