We literally are what we eat. You heard that saying a million times before, but I bet you didn't know it has everything to do with your wrinkles. Yes, our food choices can accelerate our aging process and damage our skin. Those annoying fine lines have more to do with our diet than with genetics. So before you spend a lot of money on expensive creams and facials, go grocery shopping and change your diet.
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Aside from smoking and poor sleep, the following foods and drinks are the worst thing for your skin. Make sure you eat them rarely or in tiny amounts so you can enjoy a younger healthy looking skin until you are 90 years old!
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Sugar
As you know, sugar is the root of all evils. Sugary foods and drinks are bad for everything in your body, including your teeth and your skin. When our diet is high in sugar, we accelerate a process known as glycation. Basically the excess of sugar in our body will affect our collagen levels. As you know collagen is what keeps our skin tight and smooth and when that goes the wrinkles will appear. Creams will not restore your collagen unless you change your diet.
Alcohol
I’m not talking about one glass of red wine which is known to be good for your heart, I'm talking about spirits. Whenever we drink, we dehydrate ourselves and that's why we feel hung-over the next day. Alcoholic drinks have a direct effect on the liver and an unhealthy or abnormal liver functions affects the skin. The health of our skin comes from within. You have to make sure to drink plenty of water while you are having your drinks to prevent severe skin dehydration.
Char
Don’t go crazy and stop eating BBQ, but make sure you are not choosing burned meat. That char on the meat and toast contains hydrocarbons which have pro-inflammatory properties. The pickle here is that inflamation affects collagen and breaks it down. We need an abundance of collagen so we can have a healthy looking skin. Although it's not a hundred percent proven its believed that an excess of char in our bodies can develop cancer.
Trans Fat
You know these are bad for you because they raise the bad cholesterol (LDL) and lowers the good one (HDL). Trans-fatty acids are found in some forms of vegetable oil due to a process where hydrogen was added. So you’ll know that you are eating a trans fat when it appears on the food label as partially hydrogenated oil. You have seen it a thousand times because most packaged baked goods, chips, frozen foods and creamers have them. Also is present in the oil most restaurants use to deep fry their food. Stay away from these because they make you more receptive to UV rays which causes aging.
Sodium
No surprise here, salt is simply bad for you. I'm not talking about table salt and the amount of it you put into your foods, I'm talking about foods with lots of sodium. For example, all canned foods have great amounts of salt to preserve them. Also, hot dogs and processed meats are high in sodium, nitrates and preservatives which is why you feel thirsty whenever you eat them. Salty foods dehydrate the body and give you that swollen appearance because they trigger inflammation.
