Collagen to the Rescue

6.14

I've mentioned bone broth in previous posts, and have benefited from including stewed and slow-roasted meat dishes in my diet. A valuable sideline to the bone broth conversation is collagen. Collagen is an abundant, complex protein in our bodies, responsible for numerous restorative traits of our skin, joints and muscles, and as we age, we produce less and less collagen, and suffer the effects of that deficit.

We get collagen from roasted or stewed meat, mainly making the animal proteins in our food available for our metabolism. We can also boost our bodies collagen production by eating fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts, garlic and onions. Gelatin is also a form of refined collagen, and yields many of the same benefits we gain from collagen in our diets. 

Obviously, we can supplement with a collagen protein powder to make this valuable dietary asset available beyond mealtime. There are all kinds of collagen powders on the market, and innumerable collagen-enhanced foods (like snack foods and protein bars.) The point is to get an ample supply of naturally-occurring collagen in our daily diet.

Check out this article from Dr. Josh Axe to learn great details on collagen: What is Collagen

And here's a great article from Mark Sisson (author of Primal Blueprint) on 10 Reasons to Eat More Collagen

So work some collagen into your pantry and your diet. Our bodies are meant to benefit from this amino-acid-rich source of protein, especially as we age. Our bones, skin and joints will be glad we did.

By the Way

It's okay to eat the chicken skin from your chicken wings and legs - these are tremendous sources of collagen. Egg whites are as well. Consider stewing any and all kinds of bony meat cuts - things like ox tail, and shanks, and cuts of beef and chicken with the bones in. After a lengthy cooking time (think crock pot, not microwave) you'll have a great bone broth base for a few flavorful meals.