12 Best Collagen-Rich Foods for Skin and Hair

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the skin. This protein is a major building block for your skin, hair, nails, and joints. While topical products can help to some extent, nourishing your body with collagen-rich foods is one of the most effective ways to boost your collagen levels naturally.

But what exactly are the best foods to consume to give your body a collagen boost? This post will guide you into the top 8 collagen-rich foods that can enhance your skin and hair health and what foods to avoid.

12 Best Collagen-Rich Foods For Skin And Hair

1. Protein-Rich Foods

Think of protein as the raw material for collagen production. You need protein in your diet to make quality collagen. You can get protein from lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, bone broth, nuts, and legumes. Egg whites, in particular, are rich in lysine, an amino acid crucial for collagen production.

Bone broth is a traditional food made by simmering bones and connective tissue in water for hours, this rich liquid is packed with collagen, gelatin, and amino acids that support your skin’s elasticity and strength. Regular consumption of bone broth can help to reduce wrinkles, improve skin hydration, and strengthen your hair.

This process releases collagen into the broth, making it a rich source of protein. You can add bone broth to soups and stews, or simply drink it on its own.

Here is how to make bone broth at home:

• Start by collecting bones from your local butcher. You can use chicken, beef, or lamb bones.
• Place the bones in a large pot and cook them slowly.
• Add in any vegetables you like, such as carrots, onions, celery, garlic, and parsley.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Let the broth simmer for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours, to extract more protein, high-quality collagen, and rich flavour.
• Strain the broth through a fine mesh and transfer it to containers or jars.
• Store the broth in the fridge or freezer. It can last up to 3 months in the freezer.

You can use the broth with collagen powder or supplements, or enjoy it on its own.

Speaking of collagen powder and supplements, they’re everywhere these days. Collagen peptides are some of the building blocks of the protein collagen, and several studies suggest that collagen peptides may improve skin hydration.

You might be wondering, “Do collagen supplements really work?” While some evidence suggests they can benefit your skin, we still have limited data to fully back up these claims.

2. Omega-3 Fatty Acids

It’s crucial to ensure your diet includes omega-3 fatty acids. Seriously, the Western diet tends to skimp on these essential fats. Omega-3s are vital because they coat your skin cells with fatty membranes that strengthen the skin barrier, helping to ward off inflammation and protect collagen from damage. You can find omega-3s in foods like walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, and oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, and sardines.

A 2010 study found that women who consumed flaxseed oil daily for three months had softer, smoother, and better-hydrated skin compared to those who did not. Omega-3s are not only beneficial for skin health but also for overall body health.

3. Leafy Green Vegetables

Make sure to get plenty of dark green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach in your diet. These veggies are packed with folate and vitamin C, which are essential for collagen synthesis. Folic acid is essential for skin cell division, proliferation, and protecting your skin cell’s DNA.

Vitamin C plays a key role in regulating collagen production, a vital structural protein in our skin. Unfortunately, our skin’s vitamin C levels decline over time due to exposure to environmental stressors, with smoking being a major culprit. Plus, vitamin C doubles as a powerful antioxidant, helping to fend off those pesky free radicals.

4. Red Fruits & Vegetables

Red fruits and vegetables are loaded with lycopene, one of the most potent antioxidants. It’s twice as effective at inhibiting reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ten times more effective than vitamin E. Lycopene not only helps remove singlet oxygen but also aids your skin in handling environmental stressors like UV exposure. This makes it crucial for protecting the collagen in your skin.

You can find lycopene in foods like tomatoes, red bell peppers, red carrots, watermelons, papayas and beets (but not strawberries or cherries)

5. Orange Vegetables

Don’t forget about orange vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes! They’re loaded with vitamin A and carotenoids, which are essential for maintaining skin integrity and supporting collagen synthesis. These nutrients also play a key role in restoring and repairing damaged collagen.

It’s preferable to obtain vitamin A from your diet rather than through supplements. Unless advised by your healthcare practitioner, I strongly recommend against taking vitamin A supplements. This is because Vitamin A is fat-soluble and can accumulate in your body to toxic levels, potentially causing significant damage to organs such as the liver, bones, central nervous system, and skin.

It’s much safer and more beneficial to get vitamin A from whole foods.

6. Astaxanthins

Astaxanthins are found in microalgae, yeast, salmon, trout, krill, shrimp, crayfish and crustacea. A 2010 study showed that astaxanthin could interfere with the breakdown of collagen and boost collagen production by eating it or applying it topically.

7. Polyphenols

Polyphenols are known for their antioxidant and anti-aging activity. They are mostly found in:

• Fruit juices: Blueberries, strawberries, cherries, plums, apples, blackberries, black currants and elderberries
• Vegetables: Red onions, olives, spinach, globe artichoke heads, red chicory
• Nuts: Chestnuts, almonds and hazelnuts
• Tea: Green tea and Black tea
• Herbs: Cloves, peppermint, oregano, celery, sage, rosemary, thyme
• Coffee
• Beans: Black and white beans
• Resveratrol

Studies have shown that the method of preparation usually affects polyphenolic content in food. For example, onions and tomatoes lose about 75% and 80% of their polyphenolic content when boiled over 15 min. 65% when cooked in a microwave oven and 30% when fried.

8. Vitamin C Rich Foods

Vitamin C, also known as L-ascorbic acid, is water-soluble and a very important antioxidant. We can’t synthesize vitamin C naturally, that is why we need to supplement that with diet.

The richest sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits, blackcurrants, rosehip, guava, chilli pepper or parsley. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant crucial for skin’s biological functions and is often used as a benchmark in anti-aging tests. It stimulates collagen synthesis and helps eliminate reactive oxygen species, effectively combating skin aging.

Make sure to incorporate vitamin C into your daily routine. It’s beneficial not only for your skin but also for your overall health.

9. Vitamin E (Tocopherols)

Vitamin E is a group of 8 compounds called Tocopherols. Tocopherols are fat-soluble and a free-radical scavenger. Vitamin E and Vitamin C act synergistically.

Thanks to vitamin C – ascorbic acid, tocopherols are able to exhibit their antioxidant activities. You would typically find vitamin E in vegetables, vegetable oils like wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil and seeds, corn, soy and some meats.

Intake of vitamin E-rich foods boosts collagen and reduces collagen breakdown.

10. Soy

Soy is a fantastic source of amino acids. Consumption of soy products like tofu and soybeans is associated with reduced risks of prostate cancer, breast cancer, and offers cardiovascular protective effects.

Soy is packed with isoflavones like daidzein and genistein, which are known to reduce inflammation. A study found that using isoflavone-rich soy extract for 6 months in postmenopausal women significantly increased skin thickness, elasticity, and collagen levels.

The soy isoflavone genistein is recognized as an effective anti-aging compound because it inhibits the enzyme that breaks down collagen. There has been speculation about whether diets rich in soy and its isoflavones, as seen in countries like China and Japan, contribute to firmer skin and fewer wrinkles compared to Europeans on average.

Unless you have a soy allergy, consider including soy products like tofu or soy milk in your diet.

11. Garlic

I love adding garlic to my meals; it adds that extra flavor that really enhances the taste. Garlic is wonderful because it’s a natural source of sulfur, which is essential for collagen production. Garlic is also rich in taurine and lipoic acid, both of which play crucial roles in rebuilding collagen.

Garlic does have a strong smell that not everyone enjoys, but personally, I love it. It’s actually the sulfur in garlic that gives it that distinctive aroma.

Incorporating all these foods into your diet contributes to overall body collagen health. It’s important not to rely solely on foods like garlic, kale, or carrots. Aim for a diverse range of collagen-boosting foods and make sure you enjoy what you eat! If you don’t enjoy certain fruits or proteins mentioned in this post, you don’t have to force yourself to eat them. You might be a vegetarian, and there are plenty of substitutes available for these foods. Everyone has their own preferences, so focus on enjoying what you eat rather than feeling obligated to consume things you don’t like.

12. Coemzyme Q10

Coemzyme Q10 are fat soluble and can be synthesized in the body. They are mostly stored in the fat tissues of our body. It is a powerful antioxidant that boosts collagen.

Primary dietary sources of CoemzymeQ10 include oily fish (such as salmon and tuna), organ meats (such as liver), and whole grains.

Most of the time, you will find CoQ10 as supplements in several forms as a supplement, including soft gel capsules, oral spray, hard shell capsules, and tablets.

Foods To Minimize In Your Diet

I won’t tell you to completely avoid these foods because I enjoy them too. However, I try to limit them in my diet as much as possible. Foods cooked at high heat, such as frying, grilling, deep-frying, or roasting, should also be minimized. These cooking methods create Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs) that can break down collagen and elastin in the skin. To learn more about the effects of sugar on the skin and AGEs, consider reading “The Effect of sugar on the skin“.

Final Thoughts

Incorporating these collagen-rich foods into your diet is a natural and effective way to support your skin and hair health. While supplements are available, getting your collagen from whole foods ensures that you’re also receiving a variety of other nutrients that work together to promote overall wellness.

Remember, a balanced diet rich in these foods, along with proper hydration and skincare, can significantly enhance your skin’s appearance and strengthen your hair, giving you that radiant, youthful glow from within.