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You encourage your patients to adopt diet lifestyles that include organic, whole ingredients and non-processed foods because we know it will reduce ingestion of GMOs and synthetic chemicals. These changes can make a positive impact on health and wellness overall, as well as on outward appearance, which is also important to many patients.
Additionally, we are now learning more about how supplemental nourishment from hydrolyzed collagen and antioxidants such as Vitamin C can provide supportive nourishment for hair, skin, nails, and more.
The collagen conversation.
If we take a look at diets in the United States, we realize that reduction in collagen consumption has been directly affiliated with intense desire to lose weight. In Asia and Europe collagen-rich foods like bone broths, whole chicken and whole fish recipes, marrows, and gelatins still reign culturally. Consumers in the United States have in most recent years engaged in the routine removal of skin and bones from their diets. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are a staple in the American diet due to the dieting craze of the 1980s and 1990s. Unfortunately, what we now know is that this practice has impacted the health of our skin, hair, and nails.
Today, with new science-backed studies and advancements that support what we have observed and learned from other cultures around the world, we are returning to diets that provide outer beauty health from the inside out by providing nutritional support of these key proteins. We know that the continual ingestion of these nourishing proteins in our food and through nutritional supplementation can yield long-term positive results.
The importance of collagen
Collagen is one of the most important proteins in our bodies and the most abundant protein found in the skin. The most integral part of the skin’s fabric, collagen is a mesh-like structure. In fact, approximately 30% of all the proteins in the human body are composed of collagen. This naturally-occurring protein is regarded as the substance that holds the whole body together and can be found in the bones, muscles, skin, and tendons. Collagen gives the skin its strength and elasticity, and is also responsible for new skin cells. Collagen keeps skin resilient and joints working smoothly and provides the structure in the tissue that connects our organs.
As we age, collagen production typically begins to slow down. As our production of collagen declines throughout the years, the internal supportive mesh weakens resulting in sagging and thinning of the skin, and hallowing of the skin surface.
Boosting collagen production
Collagen has been in our everyday diets as long as we have been eating meat, fish, and bone broths. Collagen intake can be boosted through diet: return to cooking whole poultry, meat, and fish on the bone. Enjoy bone broths year-round, and consider adding shellfish to their diet. The minerals found in lobster, for instance, like zinc and selenium, have been shown to support collagen production naturally. But note, even as bone broths return to the United States on the wellness front, patients may not be able to include collagen containing foods on a daily basis; therefore, you may want to recommend they add collagen supplementation to their daily routine.
This concept of replenishing collagen through supplementation beyond food, by ingestion in liquid form, has been around for ages and originates back to ancient empires. At Reserveage™ Nutrition we have spent time learning these secret solutions including traveling to China and Japan. Collagen is as present in their grocery stores and bodegas as coffee is here in the United States.
Advancements in Collagen Supplementation
We now know that the key to what makes collagen peptides more effective than ordinary collagen protein is the hydrolysis of the proteins into smaller molecules which can allow for faster and more effective absorption. When the fragments are the right size, they are absorbed into the bloodstream and can be used more easily by the body in the production of collagen in the skin’s matrix. Additionally, an important ingredient to support collagen production is Vitamin C. You will want to look for a standardized ingredient in a collagen supplement you recommend to ensure the science has been applied to the ingredient (ensuring ingredient integrity and quality, strength, and hydrolyzed factors). We use Biocell Collagen® and Verisol® Bioactive Collagen Peptides®, which have been tested in clinical studies. Our collagen also provides Hyaluronic Acid which can provide additional support for skin hydration.*