So what nutrients do I need for skin firming?
Amino acids are among the most important of nutrients for skin firming. Collagen and elastin are both proteins, and proteins are made up of amino acids. Collagen is very important because it is the connective tissue that holds skin (and everything else in the body) firmly together. Elastin is the other important component, providing the suppleness and elasticity of skin.

Collagen Nutrition for Skin Firming
Collagen is mainly comprised of three different amino acids – gylcine, lysine and proline. Lysine is an essential amino acid that we need to consume from a food source, whereas gylcine and proline are considered non-essential amino acids because they are made naturally in the body. However, all non-essential amino acids are made from the essential amino acids – so go figure!

I would actually recommend using whey protein powder, it provides an excellent profile of all essential amino acids. It also contains many of the non-essential amino acids such as lysine and proline. So rest assured, whey protein powder will definitively provide you with all the collagen building amino acids you need.

There is also another essential nutrient for creating collagen, and that is vitamin C. Vitamin C acts as a metabolizer for proline and gylcine, turning them into a different form that bonds with glycine to make collagen. So, without vitamin C, collagen simply wouldn’t happen. Great food sources of vitamin C include broccoli, oranges, kiwis, blackberries and tomatoes.

Elastin Nutrition for Skin Firming
Elastin is primarily made up of four amino acids – gylcine, alanine, proline and valine. Whey protein powder is also a great source of these amino acids. So whey protein powder is definitively the way to go, when it comes to elastin and collagen.

Topical Applications
Some skin firming products such as skin firming creams and skin firming lotions contain elastin and collagen. However, there is no evidence that elastin and collagen are absorbed through the skin. The only known method of creating collagen and elastin is from the inside out by eating food sources of amino acids.

A Smoothie for Skin Firming
1 cup of whey protein powder
1 cup of ice cubes
1/2 cup of strawberries
1/2 cup of blackberries
16 oz of milk (fat % of your choice)

Put all the ingredients into your blender and blend! This smoothie will provide you with all the needed amino acids and vitamin C benefits for firm skin.