Food nutrition seeking truth record: Collagen’s food history myths and correct answers to skin care
Everyone in the world knows that "the form complements the form." This saying has been passed down for thousands of years and is deeply rooted in people's hearts.
When it comes to magical ways to maintain appearance, today's women often look for the magical substance called "collagen" in beef tendons, pig trotters, chicken wings, and fish skin. They believe that eating it every day is like a spring silkworm spinning silk, weaving a gorgeous fabric on the face that will never fade.
This kind of persistence is quite a bit of the legacy of the ancient alchemists who made elixirs to seek immortality.
However, if you examine the history of the development of Chinese food and carefully explore the food philosophy behind the ingredients, you will find that this is just a "beautiful lie" intertwined between modern business narratives and traditional food customs.
Tracing the origin·The dislocation of "poor students" in ancient and modern times
Looking back on the long journey of Chinese diet, people in ancient times ate pig trotters and drank soup, not to directly supplement the "collagen" we call today.
In the dietary system nourished by agricultural civilization, the use of food ingredients follows an overall concept. This concept is "five grains for nourishment", "five fruits for help", "five livestock for benefit" and "five vegetables for supplement". The above contents are all based on this concept. The punctuation mark at the end of the sentence is a period.
For those foods that are full of gum, in traditional cooking aesthetics, their "moist" and "thick" texture are more used to make soups and freeze, so as to add flavor levels and morphological beauty to the dishes.
However, modern nutrition has cleared away the fog and directly demonstrated that collagen is actually a "poor student" in the protein family that is harmless to humans and animals.
That is to say, it is not the "essence" of protein. Its nutritional value is far less balanced and comprehensive than that of an egg or a piece of tofu.
Today's people regard it as a "holy product" of beauty, but in fact it is a serious misunderstanding of its historical role.
Seeking truth·The way to transport the spleen and stomach and nourish the skin
Following the principle of the spleen and stomach in traditional Chinese medicine, and moving towards the path of digestion and absorption in modern science, the principles are always consistent.
Whether you stew pig trotters rich in collagen until crispy, or drink up expensive drinks in one go, the collagen that enters the mouth must pass through the "big furnace" of the intestines and stomach and be decomposed into the most basic small molecule peptides and amino acids.
The human body is like a smart steward. It will redistribute these raw materials and use them to synthesize proteins needed in various parts of the body, or to supplement liver blood, or to nourish kidney essence. However, there is absolutely no way to achieve "precise guidance" and go straight to the facial skin to fill the support network that has been broken due to the passage of time.
The ancients once said, "If the skin doesn't even exist, where can the hair be attached?" The elasticity and luster of the skin depend on the abundance of qi and blood in the body and the coordination of the functions of the internal organs. It is a dynamic balance of the speed of collagen synthesis.
This speed is regulated by innate genetics. With the continuous change of age, it is invaded by diseases, and it also faces erosion from the external environment such as ultraviolet rays. It cannot be changed by simple "food supplements". It is affected by many factors, including limitations of congenital genetic conditions, which change with age, constant invasion and interference caused by diseases, and the erosion and damage of factors such as ultraviolet rays in the external environment. It is not a simple "food supplement" method that can have a significant effect on it and change it.
Discernment·Cognitive limitations of external and internal application
Some merchants have launched smear-on collagen , which claims to be able to "reach directly to the bottom of the skin."
If the ancients who were well versed in cooking aesthetics heard this statement, they would definitely smile.
Just think about it, the skin jelly that has been cooked to the right state still needs to flow when it becomes warm, and when it cools down, it will condense into a block. The size of its molecules can be seen clearly from this.
How can such a large object penetrate the skin, the natural barrier of the human body?
The so-called "radiant" that appears instantly after application is just the optical effect produced by the temporary replenishment of moisture in the stratum corneum. It is a contemporary version of the traditional "water-based skin care". Once you stop using it, it will return to a dry state, just like the tide recedes.
For people like Ms. Lin in this article who have high blood lipids, if they listen to the saying "eat more, take more supplements" and eat greasy and thick pig's trotters and chicken wings, not only will they not be beneficial to beauty, but they will increase the burden on the spleen and stomach, disturb qi and blood, and go against the path of health.
Inherit the beauty wisdom of adapting to the weather
Chinese food culture has always emphasized that "if you don't eat from time to time, you will go too far."
The true way to maintain beauty is contained in the eating habits and festival food customs that have been passed down for thousands of years.
It is not obsessed with a certain kind of deified food, but focuses on the overall balanced diet and the adjustment of life.
Eating sprouts in spring can help hair growth, eating melons and fruits in summer can help clear away heat and relieve summer heat. Eating pear and lotus root in autumn can moisten dryness and nourish the lungs, and eating rhizomes in winter can store essence and strengthen the body.
When the sun is warm, expose your back to the sun to help the growth of yang energy in your body. When the moon is bright and the wind is refreshing, sleep peacefully to calm your mind and nourish your yin blood.
For people living in modern times, the way to take effective measures to reduce the loss of collagen is to return to those ancient and simple wisdoms, to actively prevent diseases, regulate emotions, and avoid excessive ultraviolet rays. This is not to stay up late and endure exposure to the sun without scruples, while expecting to rely on bowls of hoof flower soup or bottles of expensive drinks to reverse the unfavorable situation.
All in all, among the grades of food ingredients, collagen is by no means the kind of "essence" worthy of high-profile pursuits. Its nutritional value is limited, and its method of supplementation is not straightforward and clear.
Only by pushing away the fog of commerce and returning to the key spirit of "wholeness, balance, and conformity to nature" in traditional food culture can we understand that the true way to maintain beauty is not to seek outwardly, but to cultivate it inwardly, hidden in the daily wisdom that the sun rises, the moon sets, and every bite of food is absorbed.
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