Image by mcmurryjulie from Pixabay
by Elizabeth Magee, LRD, RD
Last week I took to social media to see what “everyone” (AKA my friends in their late 30s) is doing for their eyes because I see pictures of myself and I LOOK SO TIRED!! Especially around my eyes. Over critical of myself? Probably, but I’m 39 and haven’t really paid much attention to my skin other than putting moisturizer on it.
So many suggestions came pouring in. Overwhelming. All said some type of cream, oil, lotion and a few people suggested more water, which I have been working on. I’m just so skeptical when it comes to certain things and generally don’t feel like wasting my money on a product that isn’t going to do anything.
A few comments recommending collagen were on my feed. Which is why we’re here right now. I keep hearing about collagen, and everyone seems to be using it. And I mean Jennifer Aniston promotes them, and I LOVE her. So now I’m curious.
We will start with what it is. Collagen is a protein, the main protein making up connective tissue. It’s strong and makes up cartilage, ligaments, tendons, bones and of course teeth. Consuming collagen grosses me out. Which is sort of dumb since I consume animal products and don’t have anything against them. But thinking about cartilage and tendons and eating them, ick.
When we age, we naturally lose connective tissue, that’s just what happens. So, can we counteract that by consuming collagen enriched products or by putting collagen in our coffee? Can we make our hair thicker and our nails longer? The evidence is weak with this one. Studies that have been done have been funded by the companies making the product which is a red flag for me when I’m trying to decide if something is legit or not.
Would it be more worth our money to buy foods plentiful in essential nutrients all on their own? Of course I’m saying yes to this. Good nutrition can have a domino effect on so many things including our skin, hair and nails! Fruits, veggies, lean proteins all come into play here; this is what we should focus on.
Is collagen going to hurt you? It’s doubtful. Are you going to see life changing results that make you look like you’re 23 again and have all the energy in the world? That’s doubtful too. And it this point in the game, I wish my answer was yes.
In my opinion it just seems our money would be better spent buying the foods our bodies want us to be consuming rather than trying to supplement with other things. This is proven to be beneficial in too many ways to even count!!
Did I buy eye cream? Yep. Did I spend too much money on the eye cream? Yes. Will I see results? I’m not holding my breath, but I am trying to drink more water and focus on getting good rest. It seems so logical. How could it work?? Using fancy lotion seems way easier.
Thankfully, I like to eat so I can shift my focus to all the delicious foods giving me all the nutrients and hope for the result that I look less tired soon.
Now it’s time for a nap!
Elizabeth Magee is a licensed registered dietitian. Her posts appear monthly on OYT.
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