5 Top Foods For Collagen

Collagen has been a beauty buzzword for a long time, and with good reason. It plays an essential role in maintaining the youthfulness and vitality of one’s appearance, and so much more. As the body's most plentiful protein, it supports the health of our joints, muscles, organs, and arteries, as well as bones and teeth. Collagen is especially important to our skin, where it can be found in each layer contributing to cell repair, wound healing, structural support, nutrient uptake, and filtering out toxins. Its reputation as a fountain of youth has made it a sought-after ingredient in beauty products, aesthetic treatments, and supplements.

Our bodies produce collagen throughout our lifetimes, but as we age, our natural production of collagen slows down. This can be especially visible in the skin, which relies on collagen to stay firm and resilient. Decreased collagen manifests as wrinkles and fine lines, sagging skin, and other signs of aging. Boosting your collagen levels through various means, including diet and aesthetic treatments, maintains that youthful glow from the inside out. Here are the top five foods to add to your diet for collagen support.

Top 5 Foods For Collagen 

1. Egg Whites

Besides being rich in collagen itself, egg whites have significant amounts of lysine and proline, two of the amino acids we need to produce our own collagen.  

2. Bone Broth

Also known simply as soup stock, broth made from animal bones is rich in collagen as well as  calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc, all of which our bodies use in the production of collagen.

3. Oysters 

If you’re not a fan of oysters, sub in any shellfish. For your body to produce collagen, it needs an ample supply of copper, manganese, and zinc. These can all be found in shellfish.

4. Vitamin C

Vitamin C from citrus fruits, red and green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and greens help the amino acids lysine and proline convert to collagen. Another skin-friendly fact is that it neutralizes the free radicals responsible for breaking down elastin and collagen in the skin. 

5. Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes and other orange vegetables such as carrots contain restorative beta-carotene and provitamin A carotenoids, which help destroy the free radicals that break down collagen. Next time you’re at the grocery store, pick up some Japanese sweet potatoes as well—they’re packed with hyaluronic acid, another skin superhero.

Other excellent foods for collagen include fermented products like sauerkraut, garlic, which is both a powerful antioxidant and helps rebuilds damaged collagen fibers, soy, and white tea.

What About Collagen Supplements? 

Our body’s natural production of collagen requires a healthy, balanced diet. As we age, however, your body may no longer absorb nutrients as well or synthesize them as efficiently. That’s when it makes sense to turn to other sources of collagen. Collagen supplements are on the market in various forms, primarily in pills and in powder form, which can be mixed into food or drink and ingested. Some studies show that taking collagen supplements can improve skin elasticity, wrinkles and fine lines, and other signs of aging. However, since the supplements only recently came to market, there are relatively few studies that promise their effectiveness.  

An important thing to note is that supplements aren’t held to the same rigorous process of testing and quality control as prescription pharmaceuticals, so it’s best to be cautious. In a recent test of 14 popular collagen supplements by a consumer supplement testing company, while all products contained the levels of collagen indicated on the bottles, one also contained high levels of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal. The idea that a pill will keep us looking forever young is a nice one, but it’s not that simple. Luckily, there are aesthetic treatments that are clinically proven to boost collagen safely and effectively.

Aesthetic Treatments That Boost Collagen 

Unlike supplements, the science behind medical aesthetics is sound, proven, and effective. Our aesthetic treatment devices address the most common concerns that are directly linked to collagen depletion; wrinkles, sagging skin, and other signs of aging. Anti-aging treatments use Multi-Polar Radio Frequency and Pulsed Electro Magnetic Fields to produce uniform heat under the skin’s surface. This process helps to naturally increase collagen by triggering skin’s natural production of the fibers, resulting in smoother, firmer skin that looks noticeably more youthful. The treatments are non-surgical, which means they can be done in 15-30 minute sessions, and require no downtime.  

Depending on what your concerns are, there are three Venus Concept devices that stimulate collagen production for optimal results: Venus Legacy™,Venus Viva™, and Venus Versa™. To start a customized aesthetic treatment plan today, contact a provider near you by using the search field below: