In This ArticleView AllIn This Article1. Beef Bone Broth2. Skin-On Chicken3. Pork Bone Broth4. Sardines5. Organ Meats6. Collagen-Infused Drinks7. Gummy Candy8. Berries9. Broccoli10. Aloe Vera
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
Beef Bone Broth
Skin-On Chicken
Pork Bone Broth
Sardines
Organ Meats
Collagen-Infused Drinks
Gummy Candy
Berries
Broccoli
Aloe Vera
Is it just us, or are you seeingcollagen-rich foodseverywhere, too? It’s all over our Instagram feeds, at the grocery store and even in the checkout aisle of natural foods stores—most of which is insupplement form.
Legit benefits aside, the reality is that regular collagen supplements aren’t for everyone. They can also be pricey. And truthfully, some of us prefer a food-first approach before resorting to supplements. Even if younger-looking skin or joint pain relief isn’t of interest to you, collagen should still be on your radar: We start to lose collagen in our mid-20s, and after the age of 40, our bodies lose about 1% of collagen each year, according to a 2019 review published inMolecules.
12 Anti-Aging Foods to Make Your Skin Look Years Younger
10 Best Foods to Eat for a Collagen Boost
With that said, here are the 10 best collagen-rich foods to add to your eating pattern to boost your intake.
Bovine—aka cattle—is one of the top sources of collagen on the market. And if you’re looking for more collagen type I (the type of collagen that plays a big role in skin, hair and nail health), thenbeef bone brothis a worthy go-to because it’s a great source of collagen type I.
When middle-aged women (aged 39 to 59) took oral collagen supplements made from chicken cartilage, it improved their fine lines, wrinkles, crow’s feet and skin elasticity, according to a 2019 study inAlternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. So if you want a food-first approach, go for skin-on chicken. Or, if it’s ground chicken that you like, ask your butcher if the ground chicken includes the skin and, if not, ask them to grind it for you from skin-on thighs or breasts.
Is Bone Broth Good for You?
Not unlike other animal sources of collagen, fish collagen is concentrated in the bones, skin and scales. So, if you’re going the whole food route for collagen, choose a fish where you’ll actually eat most or all of the fish, such as sardines. Also, if you cook your other fish—like salmon fillets—with the skin on and then eat the skin, you should get a little collagen boost from that, too.
Healthy Sardine Recipes
Collagen type I is naturally concentrated in organs. If animal organs, like the liver, heart, brain and kidneys, aren’t a part of your diet, don’t worry: There are other ways to get collagen type I into your diet, as it’s also found in skin, bone and ligaments.
Yes, bone broth, but we covered that already. Think: collagen water, collagen lattes and collagen smoothies. Beverages with hydrolyzed collagen are easily digested and well-absorbed in the body, per research published in 2019 in the journalMolecules. But what is hydrolyzed collagen? It’s a supplement form of collagen—aka smaller collagen molecules, called peptides, that have been extracted from their original source (chicken, beef, fish, etc.) You can add your own collagen powder at home, but many coffee and smoothie shops are carrying collagen-rich beverages.
OK, so it’s not the healthiest way to get collagen—because it comes with a decent dose of added sugars, so don’t make this your go-to collagen food. But a lot of gummy candy is made with gelatin, and gelatin is made from partially hydrolyzed collagen, according to a 2021 review published inPolymers. Not all gelling agents come from animal sources, and what’s used to make vegetarian- and vegan-friendly gummies won’t contain collagen. Vegan gelatin is made from agar-agar or other plant-based sources.
Pick your favorite—blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or blackberries. They’re all a great way to add vitamin C to your diet, a nutrient that helps your body build collagen. Vitamin C is also a vitamin we must eat because our body doesn’t make it naturally.A cup of strawberrieshas nearly 100% of your daily target for vitamin C, and acup of raspberriesorblackberrieshas about 35% of your daily C goal. Vitamin C has been found to have skin health benefits. A 2021Clinics in Dermatologyreview concluded that consuming vitamin C may reduce skin damage from sunlight.
6 Foods with More Vitamin C than an Orange
Another tasty, easy way to add vitamin C to your diet is broccoli. A cup of cooked orraw broccolidelivers about a full day’s dose of vitamin C, which plays an essential role in building collagen. And while vitamin C is needed to synthesize collagen, you don’t have to consume it at the same time as your collagen-rich food or collagen supplement. Including both in your diet over the course of the day is sufficient.
Slathering on aloe vera gel is helpful when dealing with a sunburn, but consuming aloe is another way to receive benefits for our skin. A 2020 study published inThe Journal of Dermatologyfound that low doses of aloe increased collagen content in the dermis layer of the skin (the middle layer). The study states that a daily oral intake of 40 micrograms of aloe helped to increase skin barrier function, moisture and elasticity.
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