C ollagen-it’s one of the most abundant proteins in the body. Between 25 and 30 per cent of all the protein in our body is made up of collagen and is found in connective tissues such as cartilage and tendons. Did you know that collagen plays a hugely important role in the skin? It’s absolutely essential for keeping your skin toned and supple.
Now instead of clamouring for supplements and skin care, you can boost your skin’s collagen levels through what you eat! Expert dermatologists and nutritionists have identified the foods most likely to help your skin retain or manufacture more collagen – put them together, and the result is The Facelift Diet…
FOODS TO FIGHT WRINKLES
Tofu and soy
The menopause, and specifically declining levels of the hormone oestrogen, are associated with a sharp fall in levels of collagen. Research has shown that as much as 30 per cent of one particular type of skin collagen is lost in the first five years after the menopause. But in studies, post-menopausal women taking HRT increased their levels of collagen by as much as six-and-a-half per cent in six months. Soy contains compounds known as phytoestrogens which have a similar effect on the body as oestrogen, so if you’re an older woman, including soy products in your diet may help to encourage your skin to keep producing collagen.
Salmon
Salmon and other oily fish, such as mackerel, herring and sardines, are often heralded as skin superfoods because of their high levels of omega-3 fatty acids which help to maintain supple skin. However, U.S. dermatologist, Dr Nicholas Perricone, also credits these oily fish with reducing inflammation in the skin. He believes that this inflammation – which may not be visible on the surface – speeds up the rate at which collagen is broken down, so by eating salmon and preventing inflammation, you’re protecting your collagen.
Super food: Oily fish like salmon can keep your skin supple
Turkey
Turkey is a great source of protein, one of the building blocks of collagen, but it also contains a type of protein called carnosine. Carnosine helps to slow down the process that causes the strands of collagen to fuse together, so by eating turkey, you can help keep the collagen in your skin supple and, as a result, your skin more elastic.
Spinach
Dark leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, cabbage, watercress and kale are rich in an antioxidant called lutein. Antioxidants are essential if you want to maintain your levels of collagen because they are thought to help neutralise free radicals. Free radicals are volatile chemical compounds which are generated both by the body’s normal functions, and by external sources, such as UV light and pollution. By protecting yourself against them, you can preserve your collagen for longer.
Blueberries
Vitamin C is essential for making collagen and so berries, such as blueberries and strawberries, which are rich in the vitamin, are vital ingredients for your collagen-boosting diet. In extreme cases, people who are deprived of vitamin C develop scurvy, a condition where a lack of connective tissue causes teeth to fall out and cartilage and tendons to weaken. That’s unlikely to happen these days, but a diet rich in vitamin C will ensure your body has one of the crucial building blocks it needs to produce collagen, and will help bolster your body’s levels of antioxidants.
AND WHAT TO AVOID…
Sugar
When it comes to ageing, sugary foods or starchy foods that break down to form sugars, are the enemy. (Yes, vegetables and berries contain natural sugars but the benefits outweigh the negatives.) According to Dr Perricone, and another leading U.S. dermatologist, Dr Fredric Brandt, sugar produces an inflammatory response in collagen which results in the fusing and stiffening of the strands.
Via Daily Mail UK
great tips! i’d better start eating more of those kinds of food then!
awesome, two for the price of one…eating pleasure and keeping youth..