Cooking with Salmon & Chicken

Salmon can be a good source of collagen, but it’s important to be specific about which part of the fish you’re talking about. The most significant amounts of collagen in salmon are found in the skin and bones, not the muscle meat that is typically eaten.

Here’s a comparison to chicken:

Salmon: The collagen in salmon is primarily Type I collagen, which is the most abundant type in the human body and crucial for skin, bones, and connective tissues. The skin of salmon is particularly rich in this collagen, with some sources indicating it can be one-third collagen by weight.

Chicken: Chicken is also a great source of collagen, but it’s primarily Type II collagen. This type is found predominantly in cartilage and is essential for joint support and health. Like salmon, the skin, bones, and cartilage of a chicken contain the highest concentration of collagen.

Comparison of Collagen Amounts:
While it’s difficult to give a definitive “per gram” comparison due to variations in preparation and the specific parts being measured, here’s a general idea based on available data:

Chicken skin is often cited as having a very high collagen content, with one source mentioning it contains about 8.6 grams of collagen per kilogram.
Salmon is also a significant source, with a similar source noting 2.9 grams of collagen per kilogram of salmon (likely including the skin and bones).

The key takeaway is that both are good sources, but they offer different types of collagen and you need to eat the “less desirable” parts to get the most benefit. If you’re aiming to boost your collagen intake from food, focus on consuming the skin of both salmon and chicken. Making bone broth from the bones and cartilage is easier to do in the chicken than the salmon, since whole salmon is harder to process.

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