What Is Collagen?
Collagen is a protein responsible for healthy joints and skin elasticity or stretchiness. It's in your bones, muscles, and blood, making up three-quarters of your skin and one-third of the protein in your body so clearly a very important part of your body
Your body makes it naturally by combining amino acids, the building blocks of proteins found in food. To produce collagen, your body needs:
- Proline: Found in egg whites, dairy, cabbage, mushrooms, and asparagus
- Glycine: Found in pork skin, chicken skin, and gelatin and a variety of other protein-rich foods
- Vitamin C: Found in citrus fruits and bell peppers
- Zinc: Found in beef, lamb, pork, shellfish, chickpeas, lentils, beans, milk, cheese and various nuts and seeds
- Copper: Found in organ meats, cocoa powder, cashews, sesame seeds, and lentils
As you age, your existing collagen breaks down, and it gets harder for your body to make more. So, many people turn to collagen supplements
What Does Collagen Do?
Collagen provides your body with strength, structure, and support.
As you age, it's harder to keep up your natural collagen levels. This is particularly true after you've gone through menopause. It's because over time, your body increasingly struggles to absorb enough of the nutrients it needs to make collagen.
However, eating collagen-rich foods can help your body overcome some of this absorption problem. That helps keep your body stronger and healthier as you get older.
Do You Need To Take A Collagen Supplement
Big question
I think that you do and I certainly do and admit it wasn't until recently after having some blood work done that I seriously considered it
Collagen is a protein responsible for healthy joints and skin elasticity or stretchiness.
As I've shared above, it’s in your bones and muscles as well as your blood
As you age, particularly true after you’ve gone through menopause your body increasingly struggles to absorb enough of the nutrients it needs to make collagen your existing collagen breaks down, and it gets harder for your body to make more. So, many people turn to collagen supplements
Eating 🥣 collagen-rich foods 🍣🥩🥜🌰 can help your body overcome some of this absorption problem. That helps keep your body stronger and healthier as you get older.
Here are some commonly cited benefits of collagen supplements:
Stronger bones. As you age, your bones become less dense and more brittle, breaking more easily and taking longer to heal. Some research has found that taking daily collagen powder could help make your bones denser, slowing the aging process that makes them brittle and helping your body produce new bone.
Skin elasticity and hydration. Collagen supplements have been shown to improve skin hydration and elasticity in older people. They might also help lessen wrinkles.
A combination of the right foods, exercise to strengthen the muscles 💪 and a quality supplement I’ve personally found very helpful
Takeaways
Collagen helps with healthy joints, skin elasticity, and more. Your body makes it naturally, and you can consume it. It’s in certain foods, but you can also get it from drinks or supplements.
Just make sure you get your supplements from a trustworthy and high-quality brand
Generally speaking you get what you pay for
I take a high quality collagen supplement called HL5 (peach flavour)
Thanks for reading and do let me know if you already take a collagen supplement
PS You can now find me on Instagram and would love to meet you over there and share my tips and strategies on life after 50 and staying fit and healthy 🙂
