When you are a child, skin is soft and supple. There aren’t any wrinkles. Skin is perfect. In your late twenties, wrinkles start to form. Tiny lines, depressed into otherwise supple skin appear. As you get older, the lines deepen and more lines form. Collagen supports your skin. As collagen breaks down and diminishes with age, the supporting structure beneath the skin decreases and skin sags and wrinkles form.
What can you do about collagen? Some foods help boost your body’s collagen production, so include these in your diet.
1. Pigs trotters
Pigs feet sound gross. They are reputed to help you look younger because they contain collagen. At very least, your body, after breaking down the food would be able to reuse the nutrients in collagen production. Stewed pigs trotters in black sauce is a Chinese delicacy.
2. Soya Bean Milk, tofu and anything that is based on soy.
Soy contains genistein, an isoflavone. This isoflavone blocks enzymes that would otherwise destroy collagen.
3. Garlic.
Garlic contains sulfur which helps your body produce collagen. If you are concerned about garlic breath, chew some parsley to freshen your breath. Garlic contains taurine
and lipoid acid which support damaged collagen fibers.
4. Tomatos
These are very rich in the antioxidant lycopene which inhibits collagenases. Collagenases are enzymes that destroy collagen.
Antioxidants neutralize free radicals which would otherwise destroy the collagen and supporting structure of your skin, so taking foods with antioxidants
5. Fish
This is rich in omega fatty acids that keeps skin soft and supple.
6. Oranges and lemons
Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C which will help your body produce collagen.
7. Dark green leafy vegetables
Dark green veggies like spinach contain vitamin C for collagen production. Spinach also contains iron and a whole host of vitamins to keep your body young and healthy.
8. Lean meat.
Food that has lysine and proline promote collagen and lean meat contain these, so the meat in pig’s feet should help. Maybe the collagen in pig’s feet would work too.