Latinos are known to live longer than others and they have great skin! And it might just be because of the foods they eat. No other culture loves home remedies as much as Latinos because they’ve been reusing, recycling, farming, and eating organic way before it was popular. In fact some of the foods they are used to eating are great sources of collagen, which is that fancy ingredient that is found in many expensive face creams.
What Is Collagen?
Collagen is the main structural protein found in animal connective tissue, which yields gelatin when boiled. We store collagen in our muscles, bones, skin and tendons, which is what gives our skin strength and elasticity, plus it helps replace dead skin cells. As we age, our collagen production begins to slow down, which is why we get wrinkles, sagging skin, and weaker cartilage in our joints. Plus if you have a diet high in sugar, you smoke or get too much sun, this also contributes to depleting your collagen levels. These are the top things collagen does for your body:
- Improves skin and hair
- Repairs joints
- Boosts metabolism
- Strengthens teeth and nails
- Helps a leaky gut
- Detox
- Reduces cellulite and stress marks
How Do We Get More Collagen?
You can buy the expensive creams which will help keep your face wrinkle-free, but what about the rest of your body. You need collagen all over your body, so the best way to increase the production of collagen all over is by eating certain foods.
Bone Broth: Latinos are no strangers to a great caldo de pollo or caldo de res. You know how your broth gets all jiggly when it gets cold, that’s collagen, which looks like gelatin. The longer you cook your bone broth, the better. In addition to giving you good skin and stronger bones, it helps prevent inflammation.
Leafy Greens & Vegetables: Vegetables like spinach and kale are packed with antioxidants that protect your skin from the free radicals that breakdown collagen. Always opt for dark green vegetables and colorful vegetables like beets and tomatoes, which are packed with lycopene, which boosts collagen production, and even protect you from sun damage.
Fish: Many people are scared about eating fish because of the mercury, but studies have shown that the benefits outweigh the amount of mercury in fish. Some fish, like salmon and mackerel are packed with Omega-3 fatty acids, which help protect the fatty membrane around skin cells, which in turn gives you youthful looking skin.
There’s your secret to healthy looking skin, it’s all in what you eat and the more fruits and vegetables you add to your diet, the better you will be at producing collagen the natural way. Other things that contribute to good skin is eating berries, garlic, ginger, and lemon which also helps purify your skin and reduce inflammation, which in turn helps your skin look great!