FOOD
There was a time when we didn’t have to think about collagen.
We didn’t buy it in powdered tubs, didn’t stir it into our coffee or take it in pills. We didn’t even know it by name. But we knew what it did. We felt it in joints that didn’t ache after a long walk. We tasted it in broths that made us feel better before we understood why. Collagen wasn’t a trend. It was just food.
We got it the same way we got everything else, by eating whole foods. Real ones. The kind you cook slowly, the kind that leave your hands slick with fat and your kitchen warm with steam. We used to cook differently. We used to eat differently. We didn’t separate meat from bone or skin from flesh. We boiled bones for broth, we crisped chicken skin until it blistered, we braised the cheap cuts into submission. We ate nose-to-tail not because it was fashionable, but because it was what you did.
But at some point, we started choosing chicken breasts over thighs, trimming fat, tossing bones, fearing texture, fat, taste, calories. The parts of the animal that were once prized for their richness, their slow-cooked depth and sticky satisfaction, became the bits we threw away or fed to the cat.
And so we stopped getting the nutrients that came with them.
Collagen is one of them. A structural protein found in skin, bones, cartilage, and connective tissue, it’s what keeps our skin plump, our joints cushioned, our gut lining intact. In its natural form, it’s released when we simmer bones for hours or slow-cook those sinewy, chewy cuts of meat. It’s what gives homemade broth that silky texture, the way it turns to jelly in the fridge. It’s deeply nourishing, even if you’ve never called it that.
But now, in the trend of wellness marketing, collagen has been rebranded. It's powdered, processed, and flavoured. It comes in sleek tins and pastel packets with promises of “glow” and “youth” and “repair.” We’ve swapped it for shelf-stable sachets, Instagram unboxings, and clinical branding. Most of these products are isolated. Stripped of the nutrients that support their absorption. Removed from the context that made them work in the first place. But our bodies still know what they need, and it’s not manufactured peptides with vanilla flavoring. It’s real nourishment.
We’re chasing what we used to simply cook.
The Real Glow Comes From Real Food
The body doesn’t thrive on extracts alone. Collagen synthesis requires a whole cast of supporting nutrients, vitamin C, zinc, copper, glycine, proline. When you eat a proper, slow-cooked meal, something like bone broth chicken soup, boiling the bones and stripping every last piece of meat from it. Adding in garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs, you're not just getting collagen. You're getting everything your body needs to use it.
This is the kind of nourishment you feel. It doesn’t show up overnight like a filter. It takes time, just like the food it comes from. But when it does, it lasts. Your skin feels stronger, not just smoother. Your digestion steadies. Your nails grow faster. Your joints don’t complain. You’re not treating symptoms. You’re supporting systems.
That’s what eating your collagen looks like.
Where to Begin
You don’t need to overhaul your entire diet. Start simple:
- Make a basic bone broth, chicken, beef, lamb, whatever’s on hand. Simmer for 8 - 12 hours with garlic, onion, a splash of apple cider vinegar, and herbs.
- Buy the whole chicken, not the breast. Roast it with the skin on. Eat it all and delight in the delicious, crispy, fatty skin.
- Choose cuts like oxtail, short rib, or lamb shank. Braise them. Let the connective tissue break down. That’s collagen, right there.
- Use the bones. Freeze them if you’re not ready to cook. Don’t throw them out.
- If you eat fish, try it whole. The head and bones contain amazing nutrients including marine collagen.
Eating this way reconnects you to your food. It slows things down. It reminds you that nourishment isn’t something to outsource. It’s something you make. It lives in the sinewy bits, the chewy corners, the overlooked textures modern diets tend to cut out. It’s in oxtail and brisket and chicken wings. It’s what makes your stock gel in the fridge. What gives soups body. What makes your skin feel plump, joints feel supple, and hair grow a little thicker without a miracle serum in sight.
In the End, It’s Not Just About Collagen
It’s about what we lost when we stopped cooking like this. It’s about the quiet pleasure of making something slow and rich and deeply restorative. It’s about reconnecting with food that asks something of you, and gives more in return.
So skip the sachets. Ditch the gummies. Make the broth. Roast the chicken. Eat the skin. Let the fat coat your fingers. Let the kitchen steam up. Your body will understand. It always did.
Collagen isn’t something you buy.
It’s something you eat.