The skin of a chicken is also rich in collagen, accounting for around 35% of the total weight of chicken skin. Supplements, bone broths and soups containing chicken collagen are made by boiling the bones and sometimes the skin of chickens.
Chicken (bone-in with the skin)
If you're looking for a collagen boost, choose cuts with the bones and skin—that's where the collagen is. Chicken feet are especially high in collagen as they're primarily cartilage (León-López, 2019).
Heat does not damage collagen supplements - provided you're cooking at a reasonable temperature. Collagen proteins keep their integrity up to 572°F (300°C) by folding and unfolding in response to the changing heat. Above 572°F, collagen undergoes a type of degradation that's irreversible.
If you've ever prepared a whole chicken, you know there's quite a bit of connective tissue in the meat. This makes chicken a good option for adding more collagen to your diet. Chicken feet in particular — while not a common food in some parts of the world — are a good source of collagen.
Chicken is rich in collagen. In fact, some collagen supplements are produced using connective tissue from chicken cartilage. While all chicken meat contains some collagen, areas with lots of connective tissue tend to be the highest in collagen content.
Foods like white rice, white pasta, rice cakes, white bread, popcorn, and other simple carbohydrates are quickly converted to glucose, just like sugar. This causes your blood sugar to shoot up while the glucose attacks the collagen in your skin.
Foods to boost collagen production
[6] These include fish, poultry, meat, eggs, dairy, legumes, and soy. Collagen production also requires nutrients like zinc that is found in shellfish, legumes, meats, nuts, seeds, and whole grains; and vitamin C from citrus fruits, berries, leafy greens, bell peppers, and tomatoes.
By far, one of the richest sources of collagen protein is bone broth. Typically, bone broth is made by taking—well, bones—and cooking them in water for several hours. In doing so, nutrients including glycine and collagen are extracted from the bones.
Many healthy foods promote collagen production, but there are few actual collagen sources in food. Thankfully I have good news — eggs have collagen! Research shows collagen is found in both the shell membranes and yolk of chicken eggs.
Ultraviolet rays, aka sunlight, cause collagen to break down faster. With sun exposure, those UV rays damage the skin by entering the dermis (the second and thickest layer of our skin) which causes collagen to break down faster.
UV damage is the main cause of skin collagen loss accounting for up to 80-90% of the appearance of skin aging. UV exposure causes both, less collagen to be produced, and. it also increases collagen degradation via matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and other proteases in the skin.
"It's worth remembering that coffee doesn't destroy collagen, it inhibits its production," says nutritional therapist at the Pulse Light Clinic, Lisa Borg.
Eating foods rich in vitamin C and amino acids can increase the levels of hyaluronic acid and collagen in the body as both are important for skin. Foods such as oranges, red peppers, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and strawberries are all rich in vitamin C.
Egg whites
Although eggs don't contain connective tissues like many other animal products, egg whites do have large amounts of proline , one of the amino acids necessary for collagen production.
Eggs don't contain fully synthesized collagen; however, egg whites are a rich source of proline, one of the two amino acids needed to synthesize collagen in the human body. They also contain some glycine. Pair eggs with foods high in vitamin C, copper, and zinc.
What Hurts Your Collagen Levels? Besides time, three main things will lower your collagen levels: sunlight, smoking, and sugar. Too much exposure to ultraviolet light makes its fibers unravel. This can lead to sun damage, such as wrinkles.
In comparison to other fish skin collagen sources, such as codfish, pangasius and tilapia are the preferred and sustainable choice.
Which Fruits Have The Most Collagen? Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit are known for being foods high in collagen-producing properties.
Proponents claim that the silica in bananas can help increase collagen production, the natural proteins that help keep skin hydrated and smooth. Bananas contain nutrients, some of which may help with skin health.
Making collagen naturally
When your body makes collagen, it combines amino acids — nutrients you get from eating protein-rich foods, like beef, chicken, fish, beans, eggs and dairy products. The process also requires vitamin C, zinc and copper.
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.
Type I or type 1 collagen is the strongest type of collagen. If you're looking for a collagen for supporting skin health, type 1 is a top choice since it's literally a building block of the skin.