Collagen = the glue holding us together
I go on a bit about protein & what a mythological entity it is. Many switch off here because we 'need' protein, right? What would you say if I told you we don't, that it is a fallacy? Think about it. The word protein was coined in the early 1800s - and not too much later, it was discovered that protein toxicity ('proteinuria' or excess of amino chains in the urine because the body is trying to excrete it) was high in people with a low plant intake & high meat intake.
It wasn't about the need for protein but the excess of it. The diseases found amongst those especially in built up cities that did not have access or interest in fresh plant foods. To be deficient in 'protein' we have to be deficient in every other nutrient because it is linked to all other nutrients. Exacerbated by things like excess alcohol and sugar, the body literally begins breaking down because we eat and live out of balance.
What does that breaking down look like?
Degenerative diseases (neuro, skin, bones, blood, organs)
Cancers
Diabetes
Kidney disease
Thyroid disorders
Mental health disorders
Heart disease
Body wasting (opposite to muscle mass & keto/paleo-type diets that trigger weight loss short term and living decay over time because the digestive mucosa becomes so damaged it can no longer assimilate nutrients).
And then we get onto all the fads
Protein powders, bone broth, protein bars. Wait, what does bone broth have to do with it? Well, collagen is a complex amino chain - the glue that holds us together. We are told that we 'need' to consume the collagen of another species to be strong and healthy. Someone forgot the memo that like the animals humans consume, we can CREATE our own collagen and that by supplementing with the so-called nutrients of another species, we are in fact destroying our body's natural capabilities of creating our own. So what are the building blocks of collagen?
Those would be LAMININS; crucifix-shaped, helix-bound structures are the ties or glue that hold those tiny AMINOS together. Aminos form 'protein' in hundreds of ways. And every system, every organ, every function requires a different chain or combination of aminos. The lie that we 'need' complete protein (ie meat) to survive, has resulted in so much sickness and death is as bad as it gets.
But back to these electron-microscopic particles; I can just imagine people are now making a mental note to go out and buy a laminin supplement. Well, you kind of can, by taking a land or water plant supplement. And how do your calcium supplements tie in, apart from being acidic and useless?
It is not calcium that gives you strong bones; that is a mere part of it. Yes, we need calcium but unless we are deficient in everything else or have very bad gut health, calcium is not an issue - but now, thanks to the medical wizardry of calcium supplementation, too many now have massive stores of this space junk floating around in our blood & lymph (read, blood clots & blocked arteries). To build strong bones, strong immune systems & strong gut health, we need foods rich in laminins in order to build our own collagen - ie build our own stores. That comes from PLANTS.
Raw or fermented in most cases is better, so get to love salad and cook less. Not just a slice of tomato, a few lettuce leaves or a bit of grated carrot. But as wide a selection of fresh raw fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts as you can get. Raw sprouts and ferments are about as good as it gets.
When governments, grant groups and supermarket giants get together
First, throw out that government/supermarket promotion of 5 veg, 2 fruit a day rubbish. Did you know every year they pay big bikkies to various hopeful groups to come up with new innovative ideas to product-flog? It has little to do with health.
The truth is, you need mostly fresh food, a lot of it. If you physically cannot consume such a range of fresh foods every day, supplement with a smoothie powder that has dozens and dozens of the widest variety of plant-based ingredients in dehydrated form. Or a fresh juice.
Some of the following you may never have heard of; that's because our food suppliers keep us on such a tight rein - they only promote what they grow. There are hundreds of thousands of possibilities that you wont find in a supermarket (but you can often grow).
FYI a shortlist of laminin-building food agents include (as organic as possible) - vitamin C-rich foods, and those high in natural minerals: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, citrus fruits, kale, kiwi, mango, papaya, peppers, pineapple, strawberries, beans, buckwheat, cabbage, chives, chickpeas, peanuts, organic soy, watercress, oats, barley, avocados, cucumbers, asparagus, horsetail, nettle, Brazil nuts, milk, spinach, carrots, peas, beans, root vegetables, sprouted seeds and nuts, sunflower seeds, lentils, almonds, apricots, dark chocolate (NOT the high-sugar dairy-milk sludge; another massive marketing campaign), mushrooms, greens, blackstrap molasses, sesame seeds, spirulina, coconut meat, cultured yogurt, water/coconut kefir, seaweeds, pumpkin seeds.
This is in no way even close to the possibilities and options. But seriously, if you want to build strength and longevity while slowing down the effects of aging AND preventing/treating disease, ignore this at your own peril. It's better than spak-filler!