Spring fruits that boost collagen in your body

Shahnaz Husain *

Collagen isn’t just a buzzword, it’s the glue holding your body together. Collagen comprises amino acid chains which is essential for the structure of the skin, bones, muscles, and tendons. Collagen is the protein that gives skin its structure, suppleness, and stretch.

It's also involved in essential processes like helping your blood to clot, helping wounds to heal and protecting the nervous system. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body, making up 30% of its total protein. It’s the structural foundation of your connective tissues: ligaments, tendons, and cartilage, keeping them strong and flexible.

Unfortunately, starting from the mid 20s, our natural production of collagen decreases up to 1.5% per year, giving way to stiffer joints, slower muscle repair, signs of skin aging such as wrinkles, dryness, sagging skin or even pigmentation spots. So it is important to both preserve the collagen you have and stimulate your skin to produce it faster.

Our body is capable of producing all of the collagen one needs if one eats a balanced diet. Foods that contain gelatine are a good source of collagen, because gelatine is essentially cooked collagen. Because your body is capable of producing all of the collagen you need if you eat a balanced diet, supplements may not be necessary for everyone.

Eating collagen-rich foods or foods that boost collagen production may also help create the building blocks you need for your skin goals. Incorporate vitamin C-rich fruits like citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, grapefruits), berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries), and tropical fruits (kiwi, pineapple, mango) into your diet, as vitamin C is essential for collagen synthesis

1) Kiwifruit : They’re sweet, easy to eat, and highly nutritious. Kiwifruit contains large amounts of vitamin C, 1 which helps the body produce collagen, which can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, giving you a smoother and more youthful complexion. It gives the skin its fullness, flexibility and elasticity.

The fruit contains approximately 80% water content, providing natural hydration benefits for the skin. This high water content fruit helps keep skin soft and supple when consumed regularly. For optimal results, either consume kiwis or simply apply a kiwi slice to your skin.

You can exfoliate and moisturise your skin by applying kiwi slices on your face. Your epidermis becomes softer and plumper as a result of this gentle exfoliation. Eating kiwi can help you reach optimal blood levels of vitamin C.

2) Pineapple : Pineapple contains vitamin C and bromelain, which boost collagen production, reduce inflammation, and promote a clear, glowing complexion. These antioxidants can help reduce wrinkles, improve overall skin texture and minimize skin damage from sun and pollution exposure.

Pineapple’s vitamin C content encourages the production of collagen, a protein matrix that gives your skin its structure while maintaining its plasticity. Pineapple can help prevent damage to skin cells caused by free radicals. It may help promote wound healing by supporting the production of new skin cells.

Pineapple hydrates and brightens skin, while reducing the appearance of circles under eyes, protecting against sun damage. One cup of pineapple contains 78.9 milligrams of vitamin C. That’s more than the recommended dietary allowance for adult women (which is 75 mg per day) and close to the recommendation for men (90 mg per day).

Pineapple is lower in calories than other sweet treats, so if you enjoy a serving of pineapple versus an ice cream cone for your nightly dessert, you may consume fewer calories and, in turn, lose weight.

3) Guava : A lesser-known superfruit, guava is rich in Vitamin C, antioxidants and lycopene, which prevent aging and improve skin health. Guavas are a bulbous fruit with a green rind and pink or white flesh. Guava is a fantastic, natural way to boost collagen production and improve skin elasticity, making it a beauty secret hiding in plain sight.

The high vitamin C content of guava helps in boosting immunity, improves collagen production, and may naturally protect against free radical damage. The fiber content in guava helps in digestion, controls blood sugar levels, and promotes heart health.

The high concentration of vitamin C content in the fruit helps your body fight against viruses and pathogens and maintain skin health. Guava has antioxidants like lycopene and beta-carotene that help fight inflammation and support eye health.

Adding guava to the daily diet can enhance overall health, improve digestion, strengthen immunity, and improve skin health, which makes for a healthy option to add to the diet. Very rich in vitamin A and vitamin C both of which act as an antioxidant for the skin, it can help support healthy skin, reduce wrinkles and slow down ageing,

4) Berries : Berries like strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries are a great way to add vitamin C to your diet, a nutrient that helps your body build collagen. Berries are rich in antioxidants which play a crucial role in maintaining and producing collagen. The antioxidants protect your collagen from damage, while Vitamin C directly supports new collagen growth.

Incorporating these fruits alongside other natural sources of collagen supports overall skin health and reduces inflammation. A cup of strawberries has nearly 100% of your daily target for vitamin C, and a cup of raspberries or blackberries has about 35% of your daily C goal.

If you eat 1 cup of berry daily, you can keep the symptoms of ageing away for a long time. The writer is an internationally famed beauty expert and is called herbal queen of India