Boosting your collagen is the key to keeping your skin youthful and glowing. As we age our body simply starts producing less and less collagen. The loss of collagen means the skin loses firmness and gradually starts to wrinkle and sag. So we have to find alternative ways to boost our collagen levels in order to maintain the skins youthful glow and firmness.

 There are many ways to increase your collagen with topical creams such as retinoids and aesthetic treatments like chemical peels or laser.  However, eating the right foods can also help boost your collagen from within and have added health benefits.  Here are five simple foods that can rev your body’s collagen production and help you get your glow back.

  • Bone Broth– Making a simple broth from left over bones may sound unappealing but it is a powerful way to restore collagen in the skin. Bone broth is essentially cooked collagen and provides the amino acids needed to build collagen in the body.
  • Vegetables– Dark leafy greens like spinach and kale offer antioxidant protection against free radicals that breakdown collagen in the body. Beetroot, tomatoes and red peppers contain lycopene which is known to boost collagen and protect against sun damage.  Carrots and sweet potatoes contain vitamin A which restores damaged collagen.
  • Fish and Lean Grass Fed Meat– Omega 3 rich fish like mackerel, salmon and tuna and grass fed meat protect the fatty membrane around the skin cells. The omega 3s also plump up the cells making them bouncy and youthful. They also contain essential amino acids to help collagen production.
  • Berries– Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries are all loaded with antioxidants which fight the damaging free radicals in the body and boost collagen levels.
  • Garlic– This contain lipoic acid and taurine which help rebuild damaged collagen. Garlic also contains sulphur which contributes to collagen production.

Bringing these every day foods into your daily diet is a simple and easily affordable way to boost your collagen levels and will also be beneficial to your general health.  However, for even better results it’s advisable to bring in a good skin care routine to complement your diet.