An innocent cupcake with a fragrant cup of coffee that you enjoyed this morning or a nutritious salami sandwich that you ate for lunch may seem harmless at first. However, many products have negative effects on our body.
Sugars, unhealthy fats, excess salt, alcohol, and even caffeine can destroy important proteins and dehydrate us, and our skin is the first to suffer.
We do everything possible to eat healthily and we decided that it is time to present our readers with a list of 8 products that have a negative influence on our skin and should be eaten with a sense of caution.
Foods That Make You Age Faster
8. Sugar Destroys Protein And Lipids
Sugar is responsible for weight gain, creating wrinkles, making your skin saggy, and damaging overall health. Eating too much sugar starts a process called glycation: consuming more sugar than you can process causes glucose to bind to proteins and lipids.
This process damages the collagen of the skin (because these proteins are responsible for the firmness of the skin) and stimulates the development of wrinkles.
7. Trans Fats Weaken The Blood Flow To The Skin
Trans fats can be found in fast food, fried foods, margarine, canned frosting, any junk food, and the list is endless. Not only do they increase the risk of developing heart disease, but they also stiffen the arteries or constrict the blood vessels.
This weakens blood flow to the skin and causes wrinkles and premature aging.
Don’t believe packaging with “zero trans fat” labels, because the products inside may still contain less than 0.5g.
6. Alcohol Builds Up Toxins
A rare glass of wine will not harm your body, but drinking it regularly will affect your liver. When the liver works well, toxins are naturally expelled from the body.
But if these toxins build up in the liver and aren’t broken down properly, they can cause skin damage, including acne, paleness, and wrinkles, loss of collagen, loss of elasticity, redness, dehydration, and swelling.
5. Low Consumption Of Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are essential for the health and your skin’s youthfulness. They reduce skin inflammation, stimulate hair growth, and build strong cell membranes that reduce water loss from skin cells, among other benefits.
These are the healthy fats that should be consumed regularly to maintain healthy skin:
- Salmon
- chia seeds
- Avocado
- Almonds
- Wheat germ
- All nuts and seeds
- Vegetables with dark green leaves
- Eggs fortified with omega 3
- Coconut oil
4. Salt Makes You Retain Water
Excess salt can be found in many popular products: cheese, pepperoni pizza, potato chips, cookies, cereals, etc. Salt causes the body to retain water and results in a “puffy” look.
It also causes cells to shrink and leads to dehydration. An insufficient amount of water leaves the skin wrinkled and, as a result, makes it age faster.
3. Processed Meats Cause Dehydration
Loved by many, hot dogs, bacon, and delicious meats are packed with salt and preservatives. Consuming processed meats leads to dehydration and triggers inflammation.
In addition, these products reduce vitamin C in the body, which is important for the formation of collagen. Try to swap processed meat with chicken or turkey.
If it seems a bit difficult, try eating a little less and add some veggies to your sandwich.
2. Charred Meat Harms The Skin
The black char in your meat can contain pro-inflammatory hydrocarbons, which are very inflammatory to the body. This can break down essential elements for your skin, such as collagen, leading to an aged appearance.
However, you don’t need to give up BBQ with your friends, just make sure you remove the black char from your meat.
1. Fried Potatoes Use Up Important Minerals From Your Body
Potatoes break down almost instantly into sugars when they enter our body. Foods fried in oil at high temperatures release free radicals and this causes cellular damage to the skin. If you want to taste your potato in the most harmless way, bake it!
Products That Keep Your Skin Young
Here is a list of the best products to help you keep your skin looking fresh and young:
- Pomegranates: contain vitamins and antioxidants, help fight off sun damage.
- Extra virgin olive oil: contains omega 3 and fatty acids that are good for the skin.
- Blueberries: rich in antioxidants, they help keep blood vessels elastic and lower blood pressure.
- Green Tea: helps prevent oxidative damage to the skin caused by UV radiation.
Green Leafy Vegetables: Like spinach and kale, they are anti-inflammatory, anti-aging vegetables packed with vitamins K, A, C, and E.
Fatty fish: such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel are a great source of omega 3 fatty acids that reduce inflammatory conditions.
Water: plays the most important role in fighting the aging process. Drink to keep your organs and joints functioning properly, to support your metabolic processes, and to hydrate your skin.
Eating healthy is sometimes not easy! Did we mention any of your favorite products here? Will it be easy for you to reduce your sugar and salt intake? Share with us in the comment section!
