A Holistic Derm's Must-Have Smoothie Recipe To Help Restore Collagen

We love a good skin care routine, but all the fancy topicals in the world couldn't replace the basics: restful sleep, a diverse diet, and plenty of hydration. Healthy skin truly does start from within. We often recommend water-dense, high-fat foods to keep your skin dewy and supple—when it comes to skin that appears (dare we say?) lit from within, nutrition carries significant weight.

To create a skin-supporting sip, Bowe recommends selecting ingredients with protein, antioxidants (specifically vitamin C), skin-friendly fats, and prebiotics. Her smoothie fits the bill quite nicely: She includes banana for prebiotics that nurture the gut-skin axis; almond butter for protein and healthy fats; and blueberries, spinach, and cacao powder for those potent antioxidants. 

Specifically, cacao powder "contains polyphenols, which are bioactive nutrients known to quench free radicals and rebalance the gut microbiome," she explains in a comment. Blueberries, on the other hand, contain anthocyanins (or the pigments that give berries their blue-purple coloring), which have been shown to help support healthy skin aging1₁ by providing antioxidant protection against environmental exposure and free radicals. Research shows these anthocyanins can also promote natural collagen production2₂. Vitamin C also has an integral part in collagen synthesis, and it stabilizes the collagen you already have*—it's present in the berries and spinach.

If you want to add some extra protein and beauty benefits, we highly suggest chucking in a scoop of collagen powder. Hydrolyzed collagen peptides have been shown to help promote your body's natural production of collagen3₃ and other molecules that make up the skin, like elastin and fibrillin, and our targeted formula is especially divine, if we do say so ourselves.*

If you're looking to incorporate more skin-supporting foods into your daily meals, why not include them all in one delicious blend? Bowe's everyday smoothie is rich in antioxidants and collagen-supporting ingredients, and you can always add more collagen-enhancing foods to your overall diet too.

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.