What Should I Take with Collagen?

There are a number of things you can take to maximize your collagen supplements.

Collagen, the most abundant protein in the human body, is responsible for the health of your skin, hair, nails, joints, and even muscles. Ultimately, there are a number of benefits to taking collagen.

Our ability to produce collagen decreases as we age, and most of us don’t get enough of it through our diet. As a result, we turn to supplements to provide our body with this high quality, much needed collagen. Doing so, helps replenish and restore the collagen in our body to fuel all the processes it is responsible for.

Maximize your collagen supplementation

You can take certainly collagen alone, adding it to your coffee or smoothies, but combining it with a few key nutrients may help further support the body.

Personally, I love taking my collagen every morning, adding it to nutritious smoothies, or mixing it into my coffee.

A few of my favourite supplements to take alongside collagen to help support its production are:

Vitamin C

Vitamin C supports collagen synthesis and production in the body. You can add in a vitamin C supplement or increase vitamin C rich foods like citrus, peppers and strawberries.

Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid and collagen work together to keep your skin glowing, hydrated, and youthful. It is found throughout the body, helping bind collagen with elastin, another protein in the body giving skin its stretch.

Magnesium

Magnesium has been shown to boost hyaluronic acid production in the body, and helps support joints, bones and muscles. You can add a magnesium supplement to your routine, or incorporate magnesium rich foods into your diet like avocado, almonds, spinach and dark chocolate.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is another vital nutrient for aging skin by stimulating and boosting collagen production. Your body can produce vitamin A from Beta carotene found in kale, sweet potatoes, and carrots.

Zinc

Zinc aids in collagen synthesis. Try incorporating oysters and pumpkin seeds into your diet, or supplementing with a multivitamin that has zinc in it.

Couple collagen with daily routines

Collagen can be incorporated into a daily whole foods diet and healthy supplement routine, but a few lifestyle factors make a difference in helping ensure you get maximum benefit from your collagen.

Wear sunscreen to protect your skin against sun damage. Direct UV exposure can harm collagen and elastin production and increase its breakdown at a more rapid rate.

Limit sugar consumption. Sugar impacts your skin and collagen decline at an increased rate.

Limit alcohol and cigarette smoking. Both age the skin at a faster rate, affecting collagen breakdown and dehydrating the skin further.

Prioritize sleep. Sleep is when growth, repair and rejuvenation of the skin take place, including stimulation collagen cells.

Many people care for their skin with topical agents, when in fact your diet, nutrients and key supplements are some of the most crucial factors for maintaining healthy glowing skin, strong bones, and ample muscle mass.