How can I boost my collagen in my skin, hair and nails?
Collagen is an essential scaffolding protein in your body. A body without collagen is a bit like building a house without putting up the frame first. It makes up over 70% of your body's protein, with type 1 being the most abundant.
Your body can't produce collagen as quickly as you age, especially with too much sun exposure, or a poor diet. Nonetheless, there are a few things you can do to boost your body's collagen levels to keep your skin looking and feeling healthy.
Take a daily collagen supplement
Back when Paleo was all the rage, the one thing the nutritionist in me wasn't horribly offended by was bone broth. For centuries we have been boiling up animal skins and bones into tasty broths. Doing so brings the gelatine out of these substances in a form our bodies can consume.
Unfortunately, bone broth on its own, isn't going to do the trick for a few reasons:
- A number of scientific studies have shown tat there is huge variability in the amount of gelatine in any given broth.
- Gelatine is the step BEFORE hydrolysed collagen. The molecules are still quite large and therefore you don't absorb as much as you do from hydrolysed collagen peptides.
There has been some criticism of hair, skin and nail supplements online. However, this is NOT in regards to the collagen contained in them. The studies have all shown that the toxicity issues are actually with all the other vitamin and mineral additives. We deliberately produce a 100% pure product, without any of the gimmicky ingredients.
The other common criticism, and one that annoys me quite a bit, is the idea we cannot absorb collagen supplements because the way our digestion works. Except that is also NOT the case. Our 100% pure marine collagen is broken down by our digestive enzymes into unique di- and tr- peptides which enter our bloodstream very quickly. Once they do, they have a stimulatory effect on our body to produce more collagen.
A healthy lifestyle
Collagen formation isn't just as simple as adding a collagen supplement though. Its a complex process, needing lots of nutrients which is why a healthy diet prioritising:
- fruit and vegetables
- wholegrains
- good quality sleep
- regular exercise
- hydration
are indeed also essential.
Wear sunscreen
We live in the great land down under where our ozone is not at it's finest. Afterall that's partly why we have one of the highest incidences of melanoma in the world. Protect your skin, not just in Summer, but all year round with a good quality sunscreen. The less work your body has to expend repairing itself, the more collagen there is available to keep your skin, hair and nails at their finest;.