15 Health Benefits of Eating Chicken Feet

12. Maintains hormonal balance

To live a long and healthy life, it is very important for our hormones to be balanced and functioning well. Many factors can affect hormonal balance such as stress, lack of sleep and the medications we take. When our hormones are out of whack, they can wreak havoc on our health, causing issues such as weight gain, depression, anxiety, fatigue, digestive problems, insomnia and much more. They are chemical messengers that control processes such as growth, metabolism, and reproduction.

Collagen helps to balance the hormones such as insulin, estrogen, cortisol, melatonin, and progesterone. The body needs the amino acids found in collagen to balance these hormones. The equilibrium of amino acids in the body plays a large part in controlling function of the thyroid, metabolic rate as well as hormone production.

Consuming the gelatin found in chicken feet gives your body a protein that contains no tryptophan. Eating other types of proteins that contain tryptophan can result indirectly in an increase in cortisol, the stress hormone. Tryptophan itself can contribute to the suppression of thyroid function. If you eat a large serving of meat, it probably helps to take in gelatin at the same time, so that a healthy balance of amino acids enters the body.

13. Good for your heart

Hardening of the arteries is one of the significant risks when it comes to cardiovascular disease. Narrowing of the arteries is believed to be due to excess cholesterol which forms plaque inside the artery. The heart has to work harder to pump the blood which raises the blood pressure and increases the risk of a heart attack. It also causes the blood vessels to become stiffer.

The good news is that eating chicken feet can boost your cardiovascular health and help manage your heart rate. The proline in collagen breaks down protein needed for cell regeneration and repair.

Proline also helps the walls of the artery to release the build-up of fats and prevent it from accumulating in the arteries and causing blockages. When blockages take place, blood flow is restricted, and the necessary oxygen and nutrients are unable to reach the parts of the body where they are needed.

The arginine in gelatin also helps to control blood pressure, another factor which is very important for cardiovascular health. It produces nitric oxide which causes smooth muscles to relax. When the smooth muscles in the blood vessels relax (vasodilation), this causes the blood pressure to drop and circulation to improve.

14. Improves liver health

Our livers take a beating when they try to get rid of all the toxins we put into our bodies. Over-processed foods, pesticides on fruits and vegetables and alcohol are some of the toxins that can put a strain on the liver. The liver has the job of processing whatever you drink or eat, preparing it for use, or getting rid of it.

When the body is able to detoxify properly, overall health improves. When it is not functioning well, toxins are not broken down and eliminated. When excessive toxins build up, this causes inflammation occurs, and this can manifest in many ways. The liver needs an abundance of amino acids to keep it functioning at a high level.

The glycine in collagen can help to reduce liver damage and minimize the damage caused by any toxic substances. Many experts recommend eating a 3-day bone broth diet to detoxify the body. Adding some chicken feet to the bone broth will help to build up your health and help your body to detoxify.

Studies related to Glycine take place in many animal trials as a potential compound for decreasing liver damage caused by alcohol and other factors. It has been found to help repair liver damage and is even able to lower the effects of alcohol on the liver. It does this by increasing the metabolism of the alcohol in the stomach.

15. Reduces cellulite and prevents stretch marks

Genetics plays a part in the onset of stretch marks and cellulite, but collagen levels also have a role. When collagen levels drop, the skin becomes thinner and loses its elasticity. Stretch marks and cellulite can happen as a result of genetics, your age, and the fluctuations of your hormones but also because of the decline of collagen production in your body. When skin contains a healthy amount of collagen, it is firm and less prone to cellulite.

Once you have cellulite, it is tough to get rid of it. Cellulite is a result of lack of collagen in the dermal layer of the skin that helps to support the fat. Cellulite can result from a combination of too little collagen and too much fat. Adding collagen to your diet can help to stimulate collagen production at a cellular level.

A study in 2010 of 105 middle-aged women suffering from moderate cellulite, noted that supplementing their diet with hydrolyzed collagen improved the overall appearance of the skin and the cellulite on the thighs. What happens is that as collagen levels increase, the skin walls strengthen. As a result, it retains more moisture making it look firmer, this changes the appearance of the cellulite bumps and makes them less noticeable.

Who knew that eating chicken feet could have so many benefits? Most of these benefits come from getting enough collagen which benefits the skin, cartilage, ligaments, muscles, growth of cells and much more. It not only keeps you healthy but helps you to look younger for longer.