Vegan options are trendy worldwide and many people are converting to living a plant-based lifestyle. However, we’ve recently stumbled across some collagen hype. Experts suggest we snuggle up to lots of bone broth, fish, and meat. That’s a serious problem for those of us who are plant-based and are not so keen on living off a collagen supplement for the rest of our lives. Besides, there is some controversy around these and whether they’re effective.
Thankfully, with some in-depth research, we have been able to identify some useful food options for those of you who want to stay away from animal by-products. There’s plenty available, you just need to know what to look for. The health and fitness industries promote collagen for a variety of reasons. We all need an abundance of it to help our bodies rejuvenate and regenerate our skin. Vegan options can help. In fact, vegan options and collagen combined will ensure healthy, tight, and radiant-looking skin as well as healthy joints and guts.
Vegan Options And Collagen Have A Tight Bond
Interestingly, collagen is one of the most common proteins found in the human body. In fact, it makes up 90% of the connective tissue and 90% of the organic bone matrix. That’s why it is paramount that we focus on producing this protein in our bodies. Believe it or not, Vegan options can help you do this.
What happens to collagen as we age? Basically, when you start getting older, the body tends to stop making as much collagen. This is why we start to see dreaded wrinkles, joint discomfort and aches, intestinal problems, and sagging skin as we age. That’s why we have to turn to other vegan options or supplementation to help boost the production in our bodies naturally. We don’t have a shortage of collagen supplements on the market. It’s just about knowing which ones truly work and which ones are derived from animals. This is the issue, many of them are.
You might have considered using collagen-boosting creams on your skin. I bet you it didn’t work. You know why? Collagen molecules are too large for the skin to absorb. That’s why applying collagen-containing skincare products will have absolutely no effect. Ironically we don’t need to eat or apply collagen from other animals to have a healthy amount of the protein in our bodies. We feel that many people get this confused.
What you really want to do is eat vegan options that help promote the production of collagen in the body. Luckily you don’t have to eat animal products to do this either.
Tips and Vegan Options to Boost Collagen
Stick to these principles when you eat and you’ll have tons of collagen proteins flooding your body. And yes, you can do this by eating just vegan options.
Eat A Variety Of Nutrients
The main goal is to eat a diet that helps you reduce high levels of inflammation in your body. This means eating vegan options that contain vitamin A or beta-carotene precursors. As well as vitamin C and tons of antioxidants to help reduce inflammation. These nutrients all work together to make collagen within the body.
There are loads of vegetables and vegan options that contain tons of vitamins. However, certain ones have higher levels than others. If you want to maximize collagen production with vegan options then we suggest eating lots of papayas, kale, berries, almonds, spinach, citrus fruit, mushrooms, pumpkin seeds, and carrots. There are so many vegan options to choose from.
Try and get into your collagen boosting vegan options first thing in the morning. That will guarantee you a healthy, nutrient-packed start to the day. Smoothies, oatmeal and tofu scramble with veggies are all fantastic vegan options to experiment with.
Avoid Free Radical Damage
This one sounds weird, but it’s very important for your well-being. Experts explain that cellular decay is what causes aging when mitochondria (part of a cell responsible for a specialized task) are damaged. This means that those damaged cells start producing toxic molecules. These molecules are called ‘free radicals,’ which are very reactive with other non-toxic molecules.
Thinking about those fries again? Vegan options or not, stay away from deep-fried food. In addition, exposure to alcohol, pesticides, tobacco smoke, and polluted air can all lead to free radicals present within the body. We need to do our best to avoid these. Researchers state that ‘free radicals’ can cause damage to parts of cells like proteins, DNA, and cell membranes. They do this by stealing their electrons through a process called oxidation.
Therefore, free radicals are very damaging to your body and can cause unnecessary amounts of inflammation and stress within the body. Luckily vegan food and plant-based diets have been linked to containing a high number of anti-inflammatory properties.
Antioxidants In Vegan Options Are Rife
Stick to an antioxidant-loaded diet.
When free radicals oxidize important components of the cell. It loses its ability to function normally and the increase in inflammation may cause the cell to die. More importantly, multiple studies show that increased production of free radicals causes or accelerates nerve cell injury and leads to disease.
Eating lots of vegan options and antioxidants will help the body neutralize these cells. This is why an abundance of antioxidants in your diet will help you to promote healthy skin, with fewer effects of aging. Vegan options will also decrease the chance of developing diseases which is critical for healthy cells.
You must also be careful of exposing yourself to too much UV radiation because it might break down collagen at a faster rate than normal aging. You might want to consider using a non-toxic sunscreen to help prevent premature aging.
Don’t Underestimate The Power Of Sleep
Aside from vegan options, sleep plays a major role in boosting collagen.
I believe that sleep is the secret to optimal health in general. There’s no better feeling than feeling completely rested and relaxed. Doctors state that sleeping well is important for promoting healthy collagen production. Moreover, our bodies produce collagen during sleep, as a repair process.
Certain studies confirm that both the quality and duration of sleep play a role in cellular aging telomere length. The longer the telomeres, the less chance there is of developing diabetes.
Eat Anti-Inflammatory Vegan Options
This is so important. Being mindful of what you eat will make an enormous difference to your overall health and collagen levels. It’s not just about eating healthy. It’s about eating the best.
According to the Arthritis Foundation, a 2010 study discovered that those who followed a vegan diet for three-and-a-half months experienced a ‘significant improvement in tender and swollen joints, pain, duration of morning stiffness and grip strength. As opposed to those in a control group who consumed an ordinary, non-vegan diet. ‘
Why is this? Vegan options contain a lot more plants than omnivorous diets. Plants are rich sources of anti-inflammatory properties. This means focusing on eating low-starch foods, cruciferous vegetables, almonds, beans, olive oil, and avocados. These vegan options will all help reduce inflammation in the body, which will significantly boost collagen production.
So, do you have to eat a ton of bone broth and meat to improve the collagen in your body? Nope! You can enjoy lots of vegan options for the same collagen-boosting effects.
Want to know more?
British tennis star Sir Andy Murray is taking super-strength collagen in a liquid supplement form to strengthen his joints, bones, and immune system. Here’s why.
