Foods That Will Age You Prematurely
Avoid These Aging Foods
We've discussed the positive impact food can have on your appearance before. From DIY facial masks you can make from kitchen staples to consuming the right foods for healthy hair and skin, we've covered it all. So it makes sense that certain foods could have the opposite desired effect, and age you faster than you may care to believe.
Alcohol
"Alcohol causes your body to become dehydrated. When you are dehydrated, it causes your skin to have less luster and can accentuate fine lines. Alcohol can also lead to some extra pounds, as well as contribute to puffiness around the eyes, making existing bags look worse or creating bags you don't normally have. Some feel that alcohol stresses the body, raising the cortisol levels, which can add to extra weight around the facial area."
Salt
"Salt increases water retention and contributes to puffy eyes; as mentioned above, it accentuates existing bags and can create bags you don't have. Salt can also lead to puffy upper eyelids, making them appear heavier."
Processed Foods
"Processed foods also typically contain high amounts of salt and occasionally sugar as well. They also often contain sulfites which are pro-inflammatory and increase the aging of the skin via the activation of oxidation pathway."
Sweets
"Sugars cause proteins in the skin to link together in a process called glycation, creating a more brittle collagen matrix. Thus the skin is less flexible and wrinkles are more evident."
Spicy Foods
"Spicy foods tend to cause people to flush, which in some can lead to the development of broken blood vessels on the face."
Red Meat
"Red meat has possibly been linked to increased acne production, due to the possible increased production in testosterone from the amino acids in the protein. Some evidence has also shown that red meat can harden blood vessel walls, which may increase the aged appearance of skin."
Caffeine
"Caffeine, when applied topically to the skin, can help to reduce eye bag puffiness. However, when ingested a lot, it causes dehydration of the skin leading to a loss of luster and increased appearance of fine lines... Coffee contains a lot of caffeine which causes dehydration. Also the hot temperatures, for some, cause flushing and broken blood vessels. I suggest caffeinated green tea instead for those coffee drinkers; less caffeine, but a lot of antioxidants."
Artificial Sugars and Sweeteners
"New studies show that artificial sweeteners can spike insulin levels in a similar fashion as to sugar. These elevated insulin levels can lead to an alteration in your blood sugar levels which can also lead to aging."
Simple Carbs
"Simple carbs, as opposed to complex carbs, are pro-inflammatory, leading to increased reactive oxygen species and cross-linking of the DNA. These cause a breakdown of the collagen and elastin fibers in the skin, leading to a loss of thickness and elasticity. Instead, try complex carbs such as whole grains."
Energy drinks
"A supercharged sugar and caffeine drink; just multiply their bad properties together to get a great super-ager for your skin. In addition, these drinks are usually used to make you stay up late, another under-eye bag producing habit."