What is Collagen?

Collagen is a protein; its main responsibility is to build the structural components of our bodies. Things like muscles, bones, skin, blood vessels, and tendons contain mass amounts of these collagen cells. Without collagen, these tissues fail to perform properly. When we are young, we have abundant amounts of collagen protein cells in our bodies. But, as we age, this changes. That is why it is important to eat the right foods to help us maintain our collagen protein cells and avoid the foods that cause the premature breakdown.

When the collagen cells in our bodies fail to produce healthy cells, pain can develop. This loss of collagen can cause muscle soreness and stiffness, joint pain and stiffness, and body aches due to weak tendons that no longer support our muscles and bones.

Collagen is a very vital part of our health and maintaining a pain free life! Here are some tips about the right types of nutrients and foods to focus on eating for optimal collagen health.

The Role of Antioxidants

Antioxidants are a vital defense against the breakdown of collagen cells. They are free radical scavengers that donate electrons to unstable cells, making them stable again. Otherwise free radicals will take electrons from other cells and cause them to breakdown. You can help slow down this process by eating antioxidant-rich foods like:

• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Cranberries
• Elderberries
• Goji berries
• Kidney beans
• Cilantro
• Artichoke

Most of these foods are readily available at your local grocery store either fresh or frozen. You can easily add berries to a smoothie, and cilantro tastes great in a salad. When berries are not in season, frozen options are just as great for you and easy to use; toss them in your yogurt or applesauce as a natural flavoring and sweetener.

Vitamin C for Collagen Health

When it comes to the healthy production of collagen cells, Vitamin C is a necessary piece of the puzzle. The body uses it to synthesize protein. Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant and will help to prevent the damage that free radicals cause to the body. Since Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, our bodies can easily become depleted of it. Our bodies also use higher amounts of Vitamin C during times of stress, which is common in our modern society. If maintaining and building healthy collagen is one of your goals, consume foods that are high in Vitamin C, or add a Vitamin C supplement to your diet. Some Vitamin C-rich foods include:

• Citrus fruits
• Broccoli
• Sweet peppers
• Kale
• Brussels sprouts

Vitamin C supplements can easily be found at your local health food store.

Foods Rich in Collagen

Including collagen-rich foods in your diet can help your body maintain and build healthy collagen cells.

Bone broth is an excellent way to get collagen. It is made from boiling the bones and connective tissue of animals, usually chickens or cows, for a very long time. This long and slow boil releases the collagen from the bones into the water. Drink a cup of bone broth every day to enhance your collagen protecting diet.

Other foods that help your body to produce collagen along with those listed above include:

• Cabbage
• Red fruits and vegetables
• Green beans
• Carrots
• Flax seeds
• Walnuts
• Olives
• Avocado

Supplementing

Sometimes it is necessary to use a collagen supplement, especially if you are dealing with a lot of pain or suffer from a condition that deteriorates your collagen cells quickly. Also, older individuals should consider supplementing with collagen since the breakdown of collagen cells occurs more quickly as we age.

You can find a good quality collagen supplement in most health food stores. Speak to your doctor if you are considering supplementation. It is wise to get expert medical advice before making any drastic changes to your diet, especially if you are taking prescription medications.

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**All information presented here is not meant as a substitute for, or alternative to, information from healthcare practitioners. Please consult your healthcare professional about potential interactions or other possible complications before making changes or using products.

At Real Time Pain Relief, we not only care about the quality ingredients that go into each and every one of our products – but also about the people who buy them. We hope this blog, and the articles posted on it, become a valued resource for your own personal journey to better health. We know natural products that reduce your pain at the source are important to you, and for more than 17 years, our Real Time Pain Relief rub-on has been providing fast acting, targeted pain relief with natural ingredients to thousands of satisfied customers. From the useful information on this blog to our high-quality natural products, we hope you become one of the thousands of customers telling us they feel better and pass it on.