By: Lisa Thoonen

Should we jump on the collagen wagon? The term collagen has been gaining status with both consumers and medical experts.

Basically, all humans have the protein collagen, about one-third of our body is collagen. You can think of it as the “glue” that holds all these things together.

While there are 16 variations of this protein, the one that seems to be of the highest interest is regarding skin. As we become older, we noticed the firmness and the suppleness of our skin decreases as we produce lower collagen.

Food is a great source to help build the collagen protein, here are a few ideas for you to include in your meal planning.

bell peppers, strawberries, egg whites, wheat germ, dairy products, cabbage, asparagus, mushrooms, pork skin, chicken skin, organ meats, sesame seeds, cocoa powder, cashews, lentils

It is also recommended that we try avoiding smoking, reduce exposure to the sun and limit the amount of your daily sugar intake. All of these reduce our chances to protect and preserve our skin from wrinkles.

At this point, there are minimal studies on using supplement’s instead of food sources. Stay tuned.