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What is collagen, really?
Do you have to start gnawing on chicken cartilage to be healthy these days?
Everyone's talking about collagen, but what is it really?
– It's a fibrous protein that acts as a building block for our muscles, skeleton, and skin, says Rebecca Hedström, a product expert at Great Earth.
Collagen is a very important component in our body.
Remember that infamous reality TV moment where a celebrity was seen gnawing on a piece of cartilage, and everyone thought she was completely mad?
Well, maybe she wasn't so crazy after all. For a long time, it's been common in the fitness world to add collagen powder to smoothies, drink bone broth, or take some form of collagen supplement. The beauty industry also talks a lot about collagen and hyaluronic acid.
As always, there's a natural explanation.
A full 70 percent of our skin is made up of collagen, and as much as a third of all protein in the body is collagen. It's one of the main components of our connective tissue.
Collagen acts a bit like a glue or filler in our skin, providing elasticity and structure to our skin, hair, nails, muscles, and skeleton, among other things.
– Our bodies can produce collagen on their own, but production starts to decline as early as our 30s, says Rebecca.
This becomes particularly noticeable in our skin, where wrinkles and sagging can appear, but we might also experience stiffer joints.
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But of course, there are different ways to help the body help itself. One way is by supplementing with pure collagen in tablet or powder form. Another is by eating good food that helps the body produce its own collagen. Examples include tomatoes, beans, citrus fruits, garlic, fish, and chicken skin.
– Our collagen from Great Earth, Biocell Collagen II Hyaluronic Acid, contains a patented ingredient based on chicken cartilage extract. It comes from hormone- and antibiotic-free chickens, says Rebecca. Collagen is suitable for almost everyone, especially if you're over 30. It's also very beneficial for those who are physically active and for older adults.
Foods that boost our own collagen production:
Citrus fruits
Garlic
Fish
Beans
Beef
Chicken
Organ meats
Spinach
Broccoli
Cabbage
Grains
Egg whites
Spirulina
Cashew nuts
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