6 foods to boost your collagen for healthy (glowy) skin

We learned from last weeks blog here how important collagen is for not only skin health but also overall health. It's a protein that declines naturally as we age, yet we can maintain levels of collagen by consuming foods that assist to make more collagen in the body.

 Here are my top 6 favourite foods to help and support your body to produce more collagen; 

1. Berries

Berries, but especially blueberries are super rich in vitamin C and antioxidants.   Vitamin C plays a major role in the production of collagen, the body’s precursor to collagen. Therefore, getting enough vitamin C is so important for the health of our skin. Blueberries are in season and make a great snack. 

2. Citrus Fruit

As you probably know, citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and limes are full Vitamin C. Try a  grapefruit for breakfast, or add orange segments to a salad.

3. Eggs

We all know that eggs are a rich source of protein.  Eggs  do have large amounts of proline, one of the amino acids necessary for collagen product.

4. Green Leafy Vegetables

Green vegetables like spinach, broccoli and kale and such are loaded with nutrients that are essential for our skin health and more importantly they’re rich in vitamin C which aids in collagen production.  They're also a great source of chlorophyll, which some studies have shown that increases the precursor to make more collagen in the skin.

5. Bone Broth

Bone broth is by far the most popular way to ingest collagen.   Made by simmering animal bones in water, this process is believed to extract collagen. We've got a great bone broth recipe for you here.  Since bone broth is made of bones and connective tissue, it contains calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, collagen, glucosamine, chondroitin, amino acids, and many other nutrients, which are incredibly beneficial to skin health and also gut health. 

6. Cashews

Next time you reach for a handful of nuts to snack on, make it cashews. These filling nuts contain zinc and copper, both of which boost the body’s ability to create collagen.

PS: You might like to check out my recipe for Gut Loving Mango Gelatin Gummies - such a fun and easy way to add collagen to your diet. Your kids will love them too (so will you skin and gut!!).  You can find the recipe here. And if you've got any questions relating to gut health and skin health; feel free to comment below or flick me an email.