Summer is not always just about beaches and all things tropical. When it comes to your skin, it can be a real nightmare, especially if you don’t have a skincare routine in place or fail to pay attention to consuming foods and supplements that nourish your skin. As the summer temperatures soar, it becomes vital for one to gear up and keep their skin hydrated always. Being the outermost organ, the skin is directly impacted by climate changes and many people experience skin problems such as dryness, eczema, or rashes due to the temperature variations. Prolonged exposure to the sun can lead to dullness, redness, itchiness, and a burning sensation on the skin. Owing to the excessive sweating and dust, one is more likely to suffer from problems like summer rashes, tanning, skin infections, sunburn, or Rosacea and acne on the face as well as back. So what can we do to protect our skin from damage this summer? Well, the long-standing solution is collagen.
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What is Collagen?
Collagen is one of the most important structural proteins and acts as a glue that holds the body together. It comprises almost 30% of the body’s protein and plays an instrumental role in giving the body shape and structure. While the body produces collagen naturally when it’s young, its ability to do so declines with every passing year as one ages. That is why one must make collagen foods and supplements a part of their daily routine in their early 20s itself to slow down signs of aging, especially on the skin. Collagen, in particular, is proven to improve skin elasticity and hydration when ingested consistently. It also helps to protect the skin from damage caused due to continuous sun exposure.
Collagen Foods and Supplements
The quality of the skin depends on our dietary choices as well. People can get their daily dose of collagen from foods like eggs, fish, seafood, bone broth, dairy, dairy products, citrus fruits, berries, bell peppers, cashews, and green leafy vegetables, to name a few. And there are also a few nutrients like vitamin C (fruits like papaya, strawberries, broccoli, etc.), hyaluronic acid, and antioxidant-rich foods like berries, basil, thyme, cinnamon, etc. Including these collagen-boosting and antioxidant-rich foods in your diet during summer would be ideal.
However, it is advisable to consume collagen supplements as well since the collagen in food cannot be used directly by our tissues. Collagen peptides come in different forms- bovine (which is a naturally occurring protein obtained from the connective tissue, bones, cartilage, and hides of cows), marine, and plant-based collagen enhancers (which are not collagen really but nutrients that aid in collagen production). Collagen supplements usually come in powder form. People usually love to mix their preferred collagen supplement with flavored juices/smoothies or water and have it. So let’s look at some interesting ways to make collage powder a part of our daily diet.
Fun Ways Of Including Collagen Powder In Your Diet This Summer
Here are some exciting ways on how collagen can be your go-to for hydration and nourishment this summer:
- Smoothie – If the collagen powder that you’re using is an unflavoured one, you can blend it with any tropical or seasonal fruit, add water or low fat/nut-based milk or yogurt and make a delicious and nutritious juice/smoothie out of it.
- Breakfast Bowls – You can add it to your flavored smoothie bowls or cereals to add to the nutrition quotient of it.
- Latte – You can also add a spoonful of the collagen powder to your regular coffee frother to make delicious coffee lattes. You can add it to your hot chocolate, protein shake, or any other preferred beverage.
- Baking – You can add around 8-10 mg of it to your regular dough to add it to your bread and other bakery treats.
- Broths – Adding a spoonful of it to your soup, bone broth or hot water will also ensure you get your daily dose of collagen.
- Healthy Bowls – Additionally, you can sprinkle it over your salad and oatmeal.
- Flavoured Coolers – Collagen powder also comes in different tropical flavors, which when combined with water, ice, mint leaves or fruit slices, make for great summer drinks. They are a healthier alternative to all the high sugary drinks available in the market that tend to cause inflammation in the gut (if had excessively) which eventually affects skin health. That is why drinking collagen is the best thing you can do for your skin as temperatures soar!
So What Are The Features We Should Look For While Selecting A Collagen Supplement To Consume?
There is a wide range of collagen supplements available in the market. So how do we know which is the right collagen supplement for us? Here are some of the pointers to keep in mind while selecting the best collagen powder for your daily consumption.
- It’s always advisable to go in for marine collagen over bovine or collagen enhancers for better absorption, efficacy, bioavailability, and digestibility. If the marine collagen in question is procured from wild-caught fishes, it is the cleanest form of collagen out there.
- Marine collagen as a source is safe, particularly when compared to bovine collagen. It is devoid of harmful chemicals and antibiotics, GMO feed, unlike bovine collagen, which is usually obtained from the discarded parts of the cows.
- Vegan collagen, on the other hand, is not really collagen. It’s merely a blend of vitamins and herbs that help stimulate collagen production in the body.
- These days people prefer Korean and Japanese collagen marine peptides a lot that come without synthetic colors and are sourced from deep-sea premium fishes such as cod, pollock, salmon and haddock. So go in for supplements that are sourced from them.
- Also, your collagen must feature the finest quality of hydrolyzed marine Type I and III collagen (the two most prevalent types of collagen fibers in skin tissue) that keeps skin hydrated, radiant, youthful and glowing, whilst also improving the quality of hair, and strengthening joints.
- Go in for unflavoured marine collagen that’s hydrolyzed to a low molecular weight that can blend easily into whatever food or drink it’s added to as mentioned above. Get one that is unflavoured, odorless and leaves no fishy aftertaste. It’s even easier to make flavored collagen a part of your daily routine as it comes in delicious flavors that make for a great replacement for all the high sugary drinks. So drinking collagen is the best skincare routine you can try this summer!
