Published August 31, 2025.
We've all heard stories about pirates notoriously battling scurvy from a lack of vitamin c. The deficiency was so severe that crews resorted to bringing citrus trees onboard. What you probably didn't know about the condition is that it was all about the body not being able to produce collagen.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body, making up 75% of the protein in skin and 70% in joint cartilage. Collagen is synthesized from the amino acids proline, glycine, and hydroxyproline. In order to complete its triple helix structure, the body needs vitamin C. Pirates historically suffered from scurvy because they lacked the vitamin c from fruits and vegetables to produce collagen.
While scurvy isn’t an issue in America today, our bodies still naturally produce less collagen as we age. For example at the age of 40, we will have lost roughly 25% of our collagen. It's vitally important to prioritize eating whole foods that support collagen production in our body like beef, eggs, beans, chicken, fish, and perhaps the best of all, beef bone broth! Bone broth is one of the most naturally bioavailable forms of collagen that is superior to synthetic collagen peptide powders. Some of the best sources of vitamin c are kiwis, melons, oranges, peppers, mangoes, papaya, guavas, and cherries.
If you are looking to incorporate more bone broth into your routine, my go to is Kettle & Fire’s grass fed and finished beef bone broth. Kettle & Fire slow simmers the knuckle, patella, and foot marrow bones for over 14 hours to extract as much of the amino acids as possible!
You can find Kettle & Fire at your local grocery retailer, and they also provided me with the 20% off code MYHEALTHFORWARD for their website.
As part of their commitment to create a healthier and more transparent food supply, Kettle & Fire’s bone broths are certified glyphosate residue free. The certification means that the bone broth on grocery shelves is tested to contain zero residue of the herbicide and pre harvest desiccant glyphosate. The certification is so important because it ensures that the land the chickens and cattle graze on and eat from hasn't been sprayed with glyphosate. The certification also ensures that there isn’t any cross contamination from herbicide drift.
