Is it possible to eat your way to beauty? According to the latest beauty trend, beauty-enhancing food and drink products are hitting the global market big time. And, they are being eagerly welcomed by consumers. In 2009, this new beauty trend launched more than 300 products with a whopping 306% sales increase over 2008. The Japanese are very serious about beauty . . . and more specifically the amazing benefits of collagen. They boast many 'beauty restaurants' offering collagen-rich items and hot pots (nabe) on their menus. Convenience stores on every corner sell a myriad of inexpensive collagen-rich drinks, and a new blend of fruit snacks (mango, pineapple, papaya, cranberry fruit) coated with collagen are being launched in supermarkets this year.
One of the latest beauty food products from Japan is a tasty treat called, Eat Yourself Beautiful. Actually, Eat Yourself Beautiful is a bag of pink grapefruit flavored marshmallows. Yup, marshmallows. Each bag claims to have of 3000 mg collagen peptides per pack and are said to bump up the body's collagen levels, smooth fine lines, tone and firm the skin, plump the lips and reduce the appearance of cellulite. Wow, who knew? It is not terribly surprising that the medical community at large has dismissed these claims saying that, "eating collagen has no more benefits than eating any other protein rich food." Smores anyone?
