If you’re hearing a lot about collagen, it’s for good reason. 

Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body. 

Your skin, joints, muscles, and the lining in your gut are all held together by collagen. 

What exactly is collagen and why is it important?

Collagen is a structural protein made from three amino acids: glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline.

It acts like a scaffolding in the body, providing strength and elasticity to muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, bones, and more. 

It’s important because as we age, collagen can naturally decline.

Other factors such as diet and stress can reduce collagen levels, as well. 

When collagen declines, we get more wrinkles, and our skin doesn’t bounce back anymore. 

And we experience things like joint pain and stiffness. 

The main benefits of collagen include:

Joint and bone health

Collagen gives that structure to cartilage, which is going to help your joints stay nice and cushioned. 

If you train or work out hard, collagen helps support recovery and reduce inflammation after your workouts. 

Skin elasticity 

Collagen helps your skin stay smooth and hydrated. 

If you want firm, supple skin, collagen is your friend. 

Gut health

Glycine is one of collagen’s key amino acids, and it plays a huge role in maintaining a healthy gut lining. 

Metabolism 

Collagen helps preserve lean mass.

This keeps your metabolism strong and helps you burn fat efficiently. 

Supports sleep

That amino acid we talked about, glycine, can help calm the nervous system. 

And that’s going to help you sleep better. 

Which in turn reduces stress and cortisol. 

I’m Carnivore, don’t I already get enough collagen? 

You would think that since collagen is made from amino acids, a Carnivore diet would mean sufficient collagen. 

But not necessarily. 

A Carnivore diet focuses heavily on muscle meat, but collagen is primarily found in connective tissue and skin. 

This is why you hear some Carnivores speak of eating “nose-to-tail,” meaning the whole animal. 

So if your Carnivore diet is mostly muscle meat, you might need to up your dietary collagen. 

And if you don’t already eat an animal based diet, you should consider ways to get some extra collagen in. 

Sources of dietary collagen 

As we mentioned, collagen is primarily found in the skin and connective tissues. 

Bone broth 

You can’t really beat bone broth for collagen. 

The slow-simmering of bones and joints releases plenty of yummy, healthy collagen. 

And if you’re fasting, bone broth is perfect, and it won’t break a fast for weight loss.

Bone broth is simple to make at home. 

You need:

2-3 pounds of bones (beef, chicken, etc. - joints and marrow bones are best)

1-2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar (helps draw minerals out) 

Enough water to cover the bones by a couple of inches

Optional: veggies

Salt

Add everything to a large pot and bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat and simmer for 12-24 hours. 

Pour through a fine strainer. Broth will keep up to 5 days, or freeze in jars or ice cubes. 

Skin-on meats

Think pork rinds, chicken skin, and fish skin. All rich in collagen. 

Gelatin-rich cuts

Meats like ox tail, brisket, and short ribs contain connective tissue that turns gelatinous when slow cooked. 

Supplementing 

If you find that you’re not getting enough dietary collagen, consider supplementing. 

You can do this in two ways:

• Gelatin powder - You can use gelatin powder in cooking - google Carnivore or Keto recipes that call for gelatin powder

• Collagen Peptides - Look for grass-fed unflavoured options, with no junk ingredients or sweeteners, and use as directed 

More tips

A few other helpful things to note:

• Make sure you are also getting enough Vitamin C, as it is essential for collagen production

• If you smoke, break the habit, it damages collagen

• Regular exercise can boost collagen production

Bottom line 

Declining collagen levels contribute to aging skin, achy joints, and sore muscles. 

Even if you’re eating a Carnivore diet, you might benefit from including more collagen-rich foods, or supplementing.