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Two principal factors fast-track your skin’s aging process: Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) and sun exposure. AGEs result from fat or protein combining with sugar. While you cannot control these two factors, you can use several preventive measures.
Using sunscreen while outdoors and adjusting your diet are practical options.
Sun exposure, smoking, and stress aren’t the only bad habits you should stop. You can do much more to improve your health.
There are several questionable food choices to avoid due to their harmful properties. These foods can speed up the rate at which our bodies age. Foods with high levels of saturated fat, salt, and sugar are perfect examples.
Educate yourself, know what to avoid, and consider the substitutes. Avoid these harmful practices and try anti-aging foods to stay in good shape.
1. Sugar
You, doubtless, saw this one coming.
Yes, you must avoid sugar to slow your body’s ageing process. Sugar dehydrates your skin and makes it less flexible. It adds fat and can cause wrinkles on your skin.
Sugar is one of the primary causes of skin issues such as acne. High sugar levels can trigger the AGE process. Increased exposure to sunlight worsens the issue.
A high-sugar diet can destroy your skin’s elastin and collagen. It makes your skin lose its firmness and look wrinkled.
Swap ice cream for fruits or sugar-free popsicles. Take dark chocolate instead of other sweet treats. Blueberries are excellent substitutes with high collagen-protecting qualities.
2. Margarine
You should have abandoned this butter substitute a while ago. If you haven’t, pay attention.
Margarine is rich in trans-fat, which can damage your skin’s ability to stay hydrated. The less hydrated your skin is, the faster it wrinkles.
Margarine is a poor choice because it has hydrogenated oils. It can make your skin more vulnerable to ultraviolet damage. It contributes to elasticity and collagen loss.
Use olive oil instead of butter or margarine. Better still, crush an avocado and spread it on your toast. Yum!
3. Salt
Many popular foods such as cheese, crackers, chips, cereals, and pepperoni pizza contain excess salt.
Eat foods with a small amount of salt. Avoid foods with high-salt levels (don’t exceed 600-milligrams of sodium per 100-grams of food).
Salt makes your body retain water and creates a bloated look. It shrinks skin cells and causes dehydration. Insufficient water makes your skin wrinkled and speeds up the aging process.
If you can’t escape it, use iodized salt as a substitute, but endeavour to cut down use over time.
5. Alcohol
Alcohol is the ultimate dehydrator. It saps your body’s supply of vitamins A, B, and C. These vitamins are crucial to healthy skin and general health. Vitamin A in particular supports cell growth and collagen production. It makes your skin flexible and wrinkle-free.
Alcohol causes several skin problems including wrinkles, bloating, collagen loss, and redness. Alcohol exhausts your body’s nutrients and reduces your hydration levels. Too much alcohol drains minerals such as zinc and magnesium, and vital fatty acids. These vital nutrients are crucial to your body’s anti-aging process.
Consume a reasonable amount of alcohol. For women, it’s 1 drink daily, while men can take two. As you drink alcohol, make sure you take lots of water. As an alternative, you can experiment with mocktail recipes.
6. Energy Drinks
Substituting water for energy drinks is going to come back to haunt you. Energy drinks often have high acid and sugar levels. This can harm your teeth, making them vulnerable to stains.
High sodium and caffeine content can cause dehydration. Dehydration is a key factor in wrinkled skin, so you must drink enough water. Take at least 8 glasses of water daily, more if you exercise regularly.
In addition, remember to hydrate your skin with natural skincare products. If you’re tired of regular water, give detox water a try.
7. Coffee and Other Caffeinated Drinks
Caffeine makes you expel fluids, reducing moisture in your body, resulting in dry and brittle skin.
You can counteract this with a glass of water for each cup of coffee. Sodas and coffee can affect your sleep patterns. Both have high caffeine levels and affect your sleep schedule. Poor sleep can prompt aging signs such as fine lines, wrinkles, and dark eye-rings. Try to reduce your intake or use golden milk as a substitute. It is a potent anti-aging compound.
8. Dairy is Still on Shaky Ground
Several people have noticed positive signs on their skin after shunning dairy products. Many others experienced no noticeable difference. People react to dairy products in different ways. For many, it increases inflammation leading to oxidative stress. This is among the principal causes of untimely aging. Try healthy calcium-rich substitutes such as beans, seeds, leafy greens, figs, and almonds.
9. Sausage, Ham, and Bacon
While a bacon strip might look and smell like heaven, opt for tempeh bacon in its place. The preservatives added to processed meats create free radicals in your body. They oxidise your DNA and cells. It causes extensive damage which could lead to health conditions such as cancer.
10. High-Fructose Corn Syrup
People often add corn syrup to snacks and processed foods. Don’t! Avoid it as much as you can!
While excess sugar is detrimental to a young look, high-fructose corn syrup is even worse. It has a negative impact on your general health. Corn syrup leaves you vulnerable to diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, and tooth decay. Use healthy substitutes such as agave nectar and cane syrup.
Key Takeaway
Making big dietary changes can be tough. It’s easier to make minor changes and pace yourself. Despite the challenge, it pays to know how your dietary choices affect your body. The above list can help you decide what’s best.
Be conscious of what goes into your body. A few alterations to your dietary habits help keep your skin’s youthful glow. If you need more motivation, poor dieting puts your general health at risk. It can trigger health issues such as diabetes and heart disease.
It’s vital to know your body. Each individual is unique. The best approach is to make wise dietary choices.