Collagen-Rich Foods: The 8 Best, Plus the Nutrients That Help

I've called bone broth one of the most healing foods of all time.2 Simmering bones, skin and cartilage for hours draws their collagen into the pot as gelatin, which is why a well-made broth sets like jelly in the fridge.18 In Ancient Remedies, I describe broth made from lamb, beef, chicken and fish as a staple for ancestors who wasted no part of the animal.25 Chicken broth carries more than collagen: a 2024 lab analysis found chondroitin and hyaluronic acid in chicken-vegetable bone broth, two of the reasons I point to chicken broth in particular.2611

Broth is the first of the top 10 gut-healing foods in my Healing Leaky Gut protocol, for the glycine, glutamine and collagen that become the building blocks of new gut lining.1 Gastroenterologists at Mayo Clinic reached a similar conclusion in a 2025 review. They list arginine, glutamine, glycine, histidine and proline among broth's amino acids, with calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc, and concluded that the documented benefits of those nutrients support the gut barrier, particularly in inflammatory bowel disease.12 Broth itself has been put to the test in people, too. In a trial in which 13 men each tried homemade chicken broth and a placebo soup 40 minutes before an 8-minute cycling time trial, and neither the men nor the researchers knew which was which, average power was 5.2% higher after the broth, a result the researchers linked to its carnosine and anserine.27

When my mom was recovering from cancer, through nutrition and lifestyle alongside her medical care, the foods she leaned on most for amino acids were bone broth and a little salmon.28 My Anti-Inflammatory Reset calls for a cup of broth a day, and my gut-healing protocol ideally 16 ounces.131 Start with our chicken bone broth recipe or the beef bone broth version, and see how much broth to drink a day for amounts.

Fish skin is loaded with collagen, as I've said on my show,14 so cook wild-caught salmon with the skin on and eat it. Three ounces of cooked wild salmon also supplies about 21.6 grams of protein and 0.27 milligrams of copper, one of the collagen helpers covered below.24

Wild salmon and sardines are number 2 on the gut-healing foods list in my protocol, for omega-3 fats that resolve inflammation and rebuild cell membranes.1 Aim for 8 to 12 ounces of low-mercury fish a week,15 and wild-caught fish is always going to win.14 For more fins-and-scales options, see the best fish to eat.

Sardines are small enough to eat whole, skin and soft bones included, which puts their connective tissue on your fork along with the fish. A 3.75-ounce can of Atlantic sardines with the bones supplies about 22.6 grams of protein and 351 milligrams of calcium.16 In The Biblio Diet, Jordan Rubin and I recommend eating whole small fish such as sardines and anchovies.19 Research on whole small fish is encouraging: in a Japanese study that followed 80,802 adults for an average of 9 years, women who ate small fish one to three times a month or more had about 30% lower risk of dying from any cause than women who rarely ate them, though men showed no clear link.29

Sardines are also low in mercury.15 Eat them straight from the can or on a salad with olive oil and lemon.

When you eat chicken skin or fish skin, you're getting loads of collagen, which supports your skin, hair and nails.3 The skin from half a roasted chicken weighs about 56 grams and carries 11.4 grams of protein.21 Roast thighs, legs or a whole bird with the skin on, then simmer the carcass for broth so the bones and cartilage go into the pot too. See chicken collagen for more on this source.

Gelatin is what collagen becomes after heat partly unravels it: the amino acids stay the same, it melts into hot liquid, and it firms up as it cools.18 In Heal Your Cells, Dr. Will Cole and I name gelatin, with bone broth and collagen, among the amino acid–rich foods for healing the intestinal lining, because they help maintain the tight junctions between gut cells.10 USDA lists unflavored gelatin at 85.6 grams of protein and 19.0 grams of glycine per 100 grams, so one envelope, about a tablespoon, gives you about 6 grams of protein.17

Gelatin has been tested in people as well. Eight healthy young men each went through three versions of the same routine, a drink an hour before 6 minutes of rope-skipping, repeated three times a day for 3 days, without the men or the researchers knowing which drink was which. With 15 grams of gelatin, PINP, which signals new collagen being built, rose 153% at 4 hours, compared with 59.2% with 5 grams and 53.9% with the placebo drink; all three drinks used the same blackcurrant base with 48 milligrams of vitamin C.30 Buy bovine or fish gelatin (the label names the source), whisk it into hot broth or soup, or use it for homemade gummies; our beef gelatin guide has more.

Collagen peptides are bovine or fish collagen cut into short pieces (hydrolyzed), which is why they mix into any drink, hot or cold, without gelling; my gut-healing protocol uses them in its Repair phase.1 For joints, the evidence is broad. Pooling 35 randomized trials with 3,165 people who had osteoarthritis, a 2024 analysis found that collagen products, most of them taken by mouth, reduced pain and improved physical function compared with control groups, without adding side effects or dropouts.6 One trial pairs collagen with a helper nutrient: 120 adults with knee osteoarthritis, aged 30 to 81, took a placebo or a daily sachet of 10 grams of bovine collagen peptides plus 80 milligrams of vitamin C for 6 months, without the participants or researchers knowing who got which, and the collagen group ended with less pain, better function and lower CRP and ESR, two blood markers of inflammation.31 Our page on collagen for joints goes further.

For skin, a 2025 review of 23 trials (1,474 people) found improvements in hydration, elasticity and wrinkles overall, though not in the trials without industry funding or in the highest-quality trials,32 and a 2023 review of 26 placebo-controlled trials (1,721 people) found that hydrolyzed collagen improved skin moisture and elasticity more than placebo.33

Oxtail and short ribs are the collagen-rich cuts my gut-healing protocol lists among the foods to eat freely in its Repair phase.1 Both carry plenty of bone and connective tissue, and long, slow, moist cooking turns that tough collagen into gelatin, so the meat goes tender and the braising liquid sets as it cools.18 Choose grass-fed beef. In Heal Your Cells, Dr. Will Cole and I point out that grass-fed and pasture-raised meats carry more omega-3s and CLA while avoiding the inflammatory residues of hormones, antibiotics and pesticide-laced feed.10 Try our bone broth braised short ribs or beef short ribs, and keep red meat fresh and unprocessed, as the safety section explains.

Tough, slow-cooking cuts are full of connective tissue, and some have been measured. In a Japanese lab analysis of everyday dishes, most delivered 0.2 to 2.5 grams of collagen per serving from their meat, and beef tendon was among the three dishes that reached 7.6 to 13.3 grams.5 USDA records also list hydroxyproline, one of collagen's signature amino acids, in braised beef: 0.24 grams in 3 ounces of brisket and 0.14 grams in 3 ounces of chuck.222320 Cross-cut beef shank is a classic cut for soups and stews, and tendon turns soft in long braises and pho-style soups. Choose grass-fed, and start with our beef stew recipe.