Collagen-boosting drinks: 10 recipes for youthful skin

Collagen is a protein that provides structure and strength to your skin, bones, and muscles. It is in your blood, bones, and muscles, but as you grow older, it can get harder to maintain your natural collagen levels. If you have citrus fruits, berries, and chicken broth, you are getting a good amount of collagen. If not, it is time to add foods rich in collagen to your diet for the sake of your skin health. You can eat these foods or have collagen supplements to delay the signs of ageing. There are also collagen-boosting drinks that you can make at home! Keep scrolling for some age-defying recipes!

What is collagen?

Our body is made up of protein, of which the most abundant structural protein is collagen, making up 30 percent of the human body. “The structural matrix of collagen is composed of a triple helix structure made up of amino acids namely glycine, proline and hydroxyproline,” explains nutritionist Kiran Bhatt.

Collagen is an integral part of various bodily structures such as tendons, ligaments, bones, blood vessels, and skin, providing elasticity and strength. Our body synthesizes it with the help of fibroblasts, but with advancing age, there is a reduction in the collagen synthesis by the body, which leads to signs of early ageing such as fine lines, wrinkles, and saggy skin. Oral and topical collagen can help in delaying skin ageing, according to research published in the Dermatology Practical And Conceptual journal in 2022.

Foods rich in collagen

“Even though our body is capable of synthesizing collagen on its own, you can go for food options,” says the expert. Here are some of the foods rich in collagen:

• Boiling animal bones such as that of chicken gives a collagen-rich bone broth.
• The skin, scales and bones of marine fish are packed with collagen.
• Eggs consists of an amino acid proline, which is the structural component of collagen.
• Vitamin C can help with collagen synthesis, as per research published in the Orthopaedic Journal Of Sports Medicine in 2018. So, go for citrus foods such as oranges, and lime.
• Eat berries such as strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries to help in collagen production.
• The presence of chlorophyll in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, and kale aids in collagen production.
• Tomatoes and bell peppers are also loaded with vitamin C.

How to make collagen-boosting drinks for skin?

Here are recipes of some of the collagen-boosting drinks for skin:

1. Pomegranate-collagen juice

Ingredients

• Pomegranate seeds – 1 cup
• Collagen powder – 1 tablespoon
• Cold water – 1 cup
• Salt – a pinch

Method

• Take a cup of cold water and pomegranate seeds, and grind them.
• After grinding, strain the solution and add a tablespoon of collagen powder to it.
• Top it up with salt as per taste and serve it chilled.

2. Carrot-orange collagen smoothie

Ingredients

• Carrot (chopped) – 1
• Juice from 1 orange
• Collagen powder – 1 tablespoon
• Water – 1 cup

Method

• Use a grinder to blend orange juice, water and carrots.
• Then add collagen powder to it and blend till you get a smooth drink.
• Serve it cold.

3. Berry citrus collagen smoothie

Ingredients

• Mixed berries like raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries – 1 cup
• Orange – 1
• Collagen powder – 1 tablespoon
• Chia seeds – 1 tablespoon
• Water or coconut water – ½ cup

Method

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• Blend orange, mixed berries, chia seeds and water.
• Add a tablespoon of collagen powder to it and mix again for a few seconds, until smooth.

4. Bone broth collagen drink

Ingredients

• Homemade bone broth of chicken – 1 cup
• Collagen powder – 1 tablespoon
• Sea salt – a pinch
• Fresh lemon juice – 1

Method

• Put the chicken bones with meat into a pot and cover it.
• Let it simmer for about 8 hours.
• Once the chicken bone broth is ready, add collagen powder to it and stir continuously.
• Squeeze fresh lemon on the top with a pinch of sea salt.
• After stirring it continuously, serve it warm in soup bowls.

5. Mango-pineapple collagen smoothie

Ingredients

• Mango (chopped) – 1 cup
• Pineapple (chopped) – ½ cup
• Collagen powder – 1 tablespoon
• Coconut milk – ½ cup

Method

• Use a grinder to blend pineapple, mango and coconut milk.
• Add collagen powder to it and blend it till smooth.

6. Spicy berry and beet collagen juice

Ingredients

• Beetroot – ½
• Mixed berries – 1 cup
• Apple – ½
• Radish – 1
• Lemon juice – 1 lemon
• Ginger – ½ inch piece
• Collagen powder – 1 tablespoon

Method

• Put all the ingredients in a blender and wait till they become smooth.
• Strain it and add one tablespoon of collagen powder to it.

7. Creamy delight

Ingredients

• Frozen bananas – 1 or 2
• Mixed berries – 1 cup
• Spinach – 1 cup
• Avocado – ¼
• Collagen powder – 1 tablespoon
• Chia seeds – 1 tablespoon
• Water – 1 cup

Method

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• Blend bananas, mixed berries, spinach, avocado, chia seeds, and water.
• Add collagen powder then blend until a smooth consistency is obtained.

8. Watermelon-lime collagen drink

Ingredients

• Watermelon (chopped) – 1 cup
• Collagen powder – 1 tablespoon
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Water – ½ cup

Method

• Grind together deseeded watermelon and water in a blender until smooth.
• Add collagen powder to this.
• Serve it chilled after squeezing a lemon on the top.

9. Blueberry-coconut collagen shake

Ingredients

• Blueberries – 1 cup
• Collagen powder – 1 tablespoon
• Coconut water – 1 cup
• Flaxseeds – 1 tablespoon

Method

• Blend blueberries, coconut water and flaxseeds.
• Blend again until smooth after adding one tablespoon of collagen powder.
• Serve cold.

10. Cucumber-pineapple drink

Ingredients

• Cucumber – 1
• Pineapple (chopped) – 1 cup
• Water – 1 cup
• Mint leaves – 4 to 5

Method

• Blend cucumber and pineapple cubes in water.
• Add mint leaves to this healthy drink then serve chilled.

One glass of collagen-boosting drink in a day is good enough. Since collagen is basically a protein, which is hard to digest, consuming it in excess can lead to constipation, diarrhea or bloating.