Why does a vegan diet contribute to the parchment skin effect?

Collagen is an animal protein. Plants do not produce it. Therefore, when we eat only plant products, we don’t provide our skin with some of the amino acids needed to synthesize new collagen. As its synthesis in our body decreases with age, in vegans the signs of this process are more quickly visible first the joints make themselves known – they hurt and sometimes swell, then there is the effect of thin, parchment-like skin, weakened hair and nails.

What foods contain the most collagen?

The collagen bomb is eggs – not only do they contain a large amount of this protein, but it is also perfectly digestible. The second  even proverbial collagen booster is gelatin, it is almost collagen itself. However, you would have to consume large amounts of gelatin to get the same results as with good quality supplements. Besides,  the doses of collagen in a reasonable portion of jelly are too low, and there is less bioavailability.  Collagen perfectly penetrates meat and fish broths. Hence, traditional broth is not only a remedy for health problems, but also a good conditioner for the skin. The greatest amount of collagen is contained in the skin, bones, cartilage in meat, and in the case of fish, the bones, scales and skin, which, however, are rarely on our plates. Instead, they are excellent raw materials for obtaining collagen. Most supplements are based on collagen from marine fish. Thus, they are natural products. Synthetic derivation of collagen is a very expensive process.

Studies indicate that fish collagen is better absorbed than that extracted from other animals. In the process of processing it is easier to obtain sufficiently small sizes of its particles.  

A purely plant-based diet completely lacks some amino acids, vitamins and micronutrients. The body copes with them until ca. 25 maximum 30 years of age, when the synthesis of endogenous collagen runs at full speed. After that, it slows down and supplying the body with ready-made elements for collagen housing is increasingly important.  

Skin deprived of amino acids from dairy, eggs, fish and meat will be biologically older in the long run than the skin of a person eating animal products.

What should alert you that the lack of collagen is becoming acute?

• Worse skin condition – acne, appearance of new wrinkles,
• Hair loss,
• Brittle nails,
• Joint and bone pain,
• Slow wound healing,
• The formation of stretch marks and cellulite on the skin.

Are there plant products that can replace collagen?

They don’t. On the other hand, they can somewhat mitigate and slow down the degradation of proteins in the body and promote the synthesis of new ones. These are all antioxidants, vitamin C (without its participation collagen does not build at all, it acts here as an enzyme), phytohormones, algae, protein-rich legumes.  

Of the aforementioned categories, algae are particularly noteworthy – they contain an amino acid essential for the construction of collagen – hydroxyproline, which is also found in fish collagen. 

Phytohormones recommended for ladies also have an anti-aging effect. These are plant substances that somewhat resemble female hormones – estrogens. They are found, for example, in soybeans, flax seeds and oil, red clover, immaculate herb. They do not affect the hormonal balance, but help to somewhat alleviate the symptoms of menopause, among other things. strengthen the skin.  

A vegan diet is a conscious choice. To meet the challenge, it is also worth knowing all its consequences, all the pros and cons. Depending on the motives – how much is the decision related to ideology, ecology, and how much to health  – to decide or not to take collagen supplementation in order not to become a “young old lady” – this issue arises on vege forums. Ewa Woydyłło- Osiatyńska – a psychologist who knows the matter from her autopsy – has written about the psychological aspects of such a decision, and declares that veganism is most often associated with the need to come to terms with a faster loss of beauty in favor of fidelity to other values.