Even though eating is essential for our health, not everything you consume will yield the healthy results you desire. Some foods can actually make you look older than you are, and it may surprise you which ones have this effect.
Sugary Foods
Some of your favorite indulgences, especially the sweet ones, are at the top of the list. If you have a sweet tooth, cutting back on these tempting treats can be challenging. This category includes a variety of foods such as pastries, cakes, sugary cereals, specialty coffees and teas, sodas, candy, and more.
Sugar is often hidden in unexpected places. Check the sugar content in your favorite foods before indulging. Another downside of sugar is that it makes your skin more reactive to UV radiation, accelerating the aging process. Reducing calorie intake can help maintain a youthful appearance longer.
Processed Foods
Many modern diets are loaded with heavily processed foods. These foods, such as refined grains, often have most of their nutritional value stripped away. Processed meats are preserved with chemicals to extend shelf life, but these additives are linked to increased risks of colon cancer. Opting for more poultry is a healthier choice.
Processed foods include white bread, white flour, pasta, biscuits, and baked goods. Many dairy products also fall into this category, with pasteurized milk often being loaded with additives that affect lactose-intolerant individuals.
Processed meats like sausage, bacon, ham, and deli cuts contain high levels of salt and chemical preservatives. While these additives enhance flavor, they also cause inflammation and can lead to cardiovascular disease, stroke, hypertension, cancer, and diabetes.
Fried Foods
Foods cooked in oils at high temperatures, such as corn or sunflower oil, release free radicals. This increases inflammation and leads to a process called cross-linking, which reduces your ability to eliminate toxins, damages skin, and causes more wrinkles. Olive oil is a better choice due to its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
Fried foods are ubiquitous today. It’s easy to overlook some of them, including fried chicken and fish, French fries, mozzarella sticks, hush puppies, and even donuts.
Salty Foods
Consuming a lot of salty foods can lead to dehydration. Regularly eating salty foods causes the skin to lose water, speeding up the aging process.
Baked Goods
Baked goods, another type of sweets many people crave, contain refined flour, a lot of sugar, and often trans fats. Trans fats increase inflammation and the risk of heart disease. Common baked goods with trans fats include cookies and crackers, pie crusts, frozen pizza, commercially baked goods, microwave popcorn, and non-dairy coffee creamer.
Choosing healthier meals and adopting a more plant-based diet can help you avoid foods that harm your skin. Substitute honey or fruit for white sugar to sweeten foods without causing skin damage, choose poultry over processed meats to prevent dehydration, and drink more water instead of caffeinated beverages after dinner to improve sleep quality. Lack of sleep can contribute to fine lines and wrinkles.
