How to Boost Collagen Production in Your Skin88
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By Staci-Barbo7
Collagen is a long, fibrous protein that together with elastin and soft keratin, forms the connective tissue (literally, the tissue that "connects" the skin together) which is responsible for your skin's elasticity and strength. Skin aging - thinning of the skin, appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and age spots, occur when the collagen begins to break down in your skin. This process is a natural part of aging, which usually begins by your late 20's.
When this begins to happen to us ("I think I see a new laugh line at the corner of my eyes"), many of us seek help in a bottle, or in a jar. And there are many good products out there. Some do a good job of giving temporary results and some don't. In a future article, I will cover which products you can trust. For now, I want to warn you away from the many topical skin care products on the market that contain collagen and make great claims - THEY DON'T WORK! I know this is counter-intuitive; if your skin needs to rebuild collagen and the product contains collagen, it MUST work, right? Well, no. The reason these collagen-containing products don't work is that the collagen molecules are just too large to get inside the skin and do their job of rebuilding. In short, they are simply imposters.
You must build collagen from the inside out!
Dr. Perricone is an expert in the area of the role of foods and nutrients in inflammation, cellular regeneration, and anti-aging. Watch his video below for insight into the inflammatory process in the body - and reversing it - through nutrition.
Look Younger with Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Lifestyle Strategies for Beautiful Skin
So, with all the options available, how in the world are you supposed to know what YOU can do to rejuvenate your skin's elasticity and plumpness? Great question. In this article, we are going to look at the lifestyle strategies that you can adopt to slow down, halt, and even reverse the aging process in your skin to an amazing degree.
First and foremost, DO NOT SMOKE. If you already smoke, the best thing you can do for your skin is to quit. Nothing ages your skin quite so fast as smoking.
If you consume alcohol, do so in extreme moderation, as alcohol has a very similar effect on the skin as cigarette smoking.
Exercise a minimum of three to four times a week. Exercise is good for every aspect of your health, and your skin is no exception.
Finally, the lifestyle choice that has the capacity to make the most improvement in your skin is eating the right foods. Notice that I did not give the garden variety advice to "eat right." There are very specific nutrients that work to protect the existing collagen in your skin, and there are nutrients that actually stimulate collagen regrowth in your skin.
Fresh Face Collagen with Collagen-Boosting Ingredients
Collagen-Boosting Nutrients
The inside-to-outside approach is always your best bet for health and beauty. To look younger, your body must produce new collagen cells in your skin. You must consume foods that help your body protect the collagen it has, while providing the building blocks it needs to build new collagen fibers.
Cold water fish, such as salmon, sardines, cod, mackerel, and tuna are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids that keep skin soft and supple. Eating three to four ounces at least twice a week gives you good amounts of these essential fatty acids. If you are vegan, you can take two Tbsp. of flax seed oil daily instead.
Garlic contains sulfur, which helps your body produce collagen. Garlic contains taurine and lipoid acid, which support damaged collagen fibers. Make garlic a regular component of your meat dishes, stews, beans, soups, ethnic meals, and pasta.
Tomatoes are rich in the antioxidant lycopene, which inhibits collagenases. Collagenases are enzymes that destroy collagen. While many foods have higher nutrient values when they are eaten raw, tomatoes actually contain greater amounts of lycopene when they are cooked. Enjoy liberal doses of stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, marinara sauce, and spaghetti sauce.
Hot Chili Peppers are an excellent source of Vitamin C!
Vitamin C: Collagen-Boosting Supernutrient
Vitamin C is critical for collagen production in the skin. Therefore, you'll want to make it a priority to eat foods high in Vitamin C.
Many fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of Vitamin C. And of course, we all know that citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, and grapefruit are good sources of Vitamin C. That is true. However, did you know that even though these foods ARE good sources of Vitamin C, they are NOT THE BEST sources?
That's right. A number of other fruits and vegetables contain superior amounts of Vitamin C to citrus fruit! Surprisingly, for you guys and gals that love spicy foods, hot chili peppers is THE TOP PICK for Vitamin C - both the red and green varieties! I always knew there was a reason to love salsa. Ola!!
Best Sources of Vitamin C
Food
Vitamin C per 3.5 ounce serving
Hot chili peppers, green (raw)
242 mg.
Guavas
228 mg.
Sweet peppers, yellow (raw)
183 mg.
Lychees (dried)
183 mg.
Black currants, European (raw)
181 mg.
Sweet peppers, green (sauteed)
177 mg.
Sweet peppers, red (sauteed)
163 mg.
Hot chili peppers, red (raw)
144 mg.
Orange juice
138 mg.
Kale (raw)
120 - 130 mg.
Mustard greens (raw)
130 mg.
Sweet peppers, red (raw)
128 mg.
Grapefruit juice
120 mg.
Tomatoes, sun-dried (in oil)
102 mg.
Vitamin C Superfoods
To the right are tables of the foods highest in Vitamin C. I have grouped the foods in the table to the right and below according to amounts of Vitamin C they contain:
Best sources of Vitamin C - 100 to 200 mg.
Very good sources of Vitamin C - 77 to 100 mg.
As you can see in more detail in the tables, the top Vitamin C-containing superfoods (besides hot peppers) are . . . . . .
sweet peppers
guavas
blackcurrants
lychees
oranges and grapefruits
dark leafy greens, peaches
kiwi
broccoli and cauliflower.
Very Good Sources of Vitamin C
Food
Number of mg. of Vitamin C per 100 gram serving (3.5 ounces)
Peaches (frozen)
94 mg.
Broccoli (raw)
89-93 mg.
Kiwi (raw)
7-93 mg.
Cauliflower (raw)
89 mg.
Brussel sprouts (raw)
85 mg.
Banana peppers (raw)
83 mg.
Sweet peppers, green (raw)
80 mg.
Lemons (raw)
77 mg.
New Laser Therapy Promotes Collagen in Skin
Garlic is great for quite a few things more too.
Hot peppers eh? so bell peppers do not fit in there?
I saw kiwi but it is over 100mg. That is a favorite of mine.
any foods or fruits or veggies that are counter-productive besides junk food?
I think the most overlooked counter-productive foods are those that create inflammation in the body, like oils or fats that contain the wrong ratio of omega fats, i.e., lard, hard vegetable shortening (Crisco), hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated oils, most margarines, and many prepared foods, which contain hydrogenated oils and/or trans fats. The key is to look for great ingredients - the same ones you would use if you were cooking at home (assuming a basic knowledge of nutrition and the will to use it).
Next most counter-productive foods - I would say that foods made from a COMBINATION of high fats (or bad fats) AND sugar qualify.
Finally, avoid foods made with refined ingredients, like white flour and high fructose corn syrup. The body just does not favor these foods that do not appear in nature; that is why they create inflammation and wreak havoc within the body's systems. This naturally includes the skin, as our bodies' largest organ (that serves a vital role in excreting these UN-natural substances, by the way).
Anti-Aging and Collagen in the News
Wrinkle reducing collagen creams 'are a waste of money', say scientists
Daily Mail21 hours ago
Experts say that the collagen molecules in the enticing-sounding lotions and potions are so large that very few make it through the skin.
Wrinkles reducing creams are 'waste of money'
New Kerala17 hours ago
London, Jan 17 : Using wrinkles creams to smooth and plump your skin does no good; rather it affects your pocket, scientists have said.
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