Lunch Your Way into Glowing Winter Skin with Collagen-enhancing foods

Cold weather brings with it an urgent need for some sort of a moisturizing miracle. If you happen to live in the Northern Hemisphere, you probably feel just like me at this time of the year - drab with dry, dull, fragile skin. Creams are slathered and masks applied but there’s one key factor that many of us forget: It’s not just what you apply topically, more important is how you feed your skin from within that will make all the difference.

So what is the secret ingredient? It’s collagen! 

Collagen helps skin look younger and plumper. Babies have a lot of it, but as we age, the body produces less of it making our skin thinner, less full with wrinkles becoming more visible. Sun exposure and pollutants are also responsible for the reduction of collagen renewal.

While the body is constantly creating new collagen to repair what’s damaged, somewhere around our mid 30s, the collagen production tapers off. This is the time when it becomes very important to start making lifestyle choices that will help your skin maintain its strength, resiliency and volume. Eating healthy is a big part of that new regime.

Foods that Boost Collagen Production

You do not need to eat chicken feet or pig knuckles to enrich your diet with collagen boosting ingredients (although in some Asian cultures, they certainly do). With some grocery planning, you can ensure that every single meal of the day contains the secret ingredient that will make your skin feel and look younger, even during the brutal winter weather months.

We’ve compiled a list of easy to find, delicious and healthy collagen enriching foods. The best way to take control of what you eat is to prepare your own food. The following ingredients can be easily packed in your Yumbox daily for healthy lunches on-the-go, or in Yumbox MiniSnack for quick energy boosting snacks that will make your skin glow again.

Healthy snacks that will make your skin glow packed in Yumbox Tapas.


10 Easy to pack Food for Lunch and Snacks that support Collagen Production


1. Red Vegetables tomatoes, peppers and beets.

2. Dark Green Vegetables kale, spinach, asparagus, and broccoli. The antioxidants in these foods protect collagen from breaking down.

3. Berries raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and others like dark veggies are antioxidants and are the perfect sweet snack.

4. Orange vegetables yummy carrots, roasted sweet potatoes anyone? Vitamin A helps to restore damaged collagen.

5. Citrus fruits are high in Vitamin C which helps us synthesize collagen. Add some orange slices to your snack routine, or use lemon to dress your salads.

6. Avocados are a favorite addition to any meal. Try Avocado oil in foods to enhance your glow.

7. Garlic has lipoic acid that can help restore damaged skin. It's also a tasty compliment to most any savory meal.

8. Flaxseeds Try sprinkling your salads with flaxseed or eating flaxseed enriched bread in sandwiches. Flaxseed and other unsaturated fatty acids promote collagen production.

9. Soy Tofu or soy cheese are easy additions to your salads and they have collagen forming qualities.

10. Fish Tuna, Salmon and more. Try a smoked salmon wrap. Super healthy and delicious. Those Omega-3s help protect your skin cells.