We’ve said it a thousand times before, but if you want to get fit sustainably, then just cutting food or calories from your diet isn’t the way to do it. That’s why methods like reverse dieting are so important, because they help you reach your fitness goals without sacrificing your body and overall health.
In our article on ‘What to Expect with a Reverse Diet’, we talked about the many benefits and challenges that come with reverse dieting. While this method does take some investment, the end result is much more beneficial. Reverse dieting can help you sleep better, workout better, and even improves your metabolism.
Fitness is more than just a number on a scale. It’s the result of a complex network of behaviors and lifestyle changes, ones that can sometimes be difficult and take a lot of work. If you decide to help your body recover from caloric deficits through reverse dieting, then you need all the help you can get. That’s where collagen can come in.
Why Collagen?
Many people fall into the trap of binge eating after calorie restrictions, which has been proven by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania to actually result in sudden increased weight gain.
Reverse dieting is important because it helps you regulate this process, allowing you to up your intake in increments that won’t overwhelm your body. If you’re turning to this method to help you in your recovery, then collagen can play an essential role in strengthening your body and overall health.
Calorie restrictions can limit the nutrients we have access to, and this includes nutrients that are essential to proper bodily function and health. An unregulated low calorie diet could lack the needed nutrients and minerals for bone and heart health, for example. Thus, before you use reverse dieting, you need to be able to identify nutritional gaps and increase intake of foods that can help you get back to optimum health.
According to WebMD, collagen can help keep your skin hydrated, strengthen your bones, increase muscle mass, and even has the potential to lower blood sugar levels. These are all important factors in maintaining and developing your health. Collagen can be particularly beneficial if you’re an athlete or someone who’s using a reverse dieting program to change your body composition to include more muscle mass.
Where Do I Get Collagen?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, so it makes sense that you would find it in protein-rich foods. You can get more collagen through eating chicken, fish and shellfish, lean meat, and egg whites, for example. Bone broth is also a good source, and easy to integrate into most meal plans. Vegan or vegetarian? Collagen is available in citrus fruits, berries, and even garlic.
You can also decide to take in collagen from a supplement to ensure that you’re getting the amount you need. For example, Brightcore’s Revive multi-collagen supplement is made from high quality collagen sources like grass-fed bovine and free range chickens. Ora Organic’s vegan collagen supplement is an organic, affordable solution that’s free from major allergens and fillers.
Whether you’re an athlete or a regular person, when you’re coming out of a diet that puts you at a caloric deficit, your body is going to need time to recover. While everyone’s fitness journey is different, collagen can nevertheless play an important role in reverse dieting by relieving joint pain, increasing muscle mass, and improving overall health for a better, brighter you.
Jess Martin is a health and fitness buff who knows that when you want to get healthy, you don’t take shortcuts. She’s currently taking a course on fitness and nutrition, and believes that the right diet even more essential than the perfect pair of shoes.
If you’d like to learn more about reverse dieting, sign up for my FREE Faster Metabolism Blueprint to help you determine whether or not your metabolism has slowed down and whether you need to make nutrition changes to your diet.
