The way our bodies function and how well we feel physically surely depends on our age. But did you know your body could be showing signs of aging that don’t align with the number of candles you blew out on your last birthday?
While chronological age is something we’re all familiar with, biological age is a little harder to determine. It represents the amount your body has aged due to lifestyle factors like smoking, sun exposure, environmental hazards, and diet, and your body may be older than you consider yourself to be. By the same token, this is good news! It means you have some control over the aging process, and can also end up offsetting the wear and tear that naturally comes with age by eating better, exercising, and quitting bad habits like smoking or excessive tanning. We bring this up because the food you are about reading about contains some sort of (advanced glycation end-products).
Energy Drinks
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Your grab-and-go Red Bull habit isn’t going to your future 60-year-old self any favors. Energy drinks are very high in sugar and very acidic, which can damage teeth and leave them more prone to stains that will age your smile. Plus, their high caffeine and sodium content can lead to dehydration, especially if you are drinking them instead of water. Since dehydration is one of the main factors that contribute to wrinkles and older looking skin, aim to drink the recommended 8-10 glasses of water per day…and even more if you’re consuming alcohol or working out. If regular H20 just doesn’t do it for you, why not try a detox water?
Alcohol
“The occasional glass (or two) of wine is no harm to you or your skin, but drinking to excess, especially sugary drinks [see above], causes free radicals. Alcohol also robs the body of vitamin A, an antioxidant that’s essential for cell renewal and turnover,” offers Dr. Taz. If you do drink, reach for drinks without added sugars, such as wine, champagne, or a vodka soda with lime. Also, be sure to drink in moderation and alternate each alcoholic drink with water. Or, the next time a friend wants to grab a drink to catch up, suggest a green tea date!
1. French Fries(Potato chips)
This food may be one of the universal side dishes that are most loved. There are some properties in French fries and most fried foods that make your skin age faster because foods fried in oil release free radicals that can cause cellular damage to your skin. Exposure to free radicals accelerates, and the skin elasticity can also be decreased by the salt from the fries. Substitute it with sweet potatoes instead of eating chips, not fry but bake or boil them. As they are rich in anti-aging copper, this food makes you look younger, which makes your skin look new.
2. White bread.
Not only is this not good for you, but it could also make you look older. The components in the white bread processing process produce AGE’s, you can get advanced glycation end products basically when the processed carbs miss with the protein. Foods such as white bread can also, as some scientists put it, induce inflammation in the body that is directly related to the aging process. They’re healthy for your skin, instead of replacing them with Whole Wheat Bread. Wheat bread also contains skin-beneficial antioxidants.
High-Salt Foods
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Your skin just urgently texted: Please defriend that jerk the salt shaker. And its posse of high-sodium prepared foods, for that matter. “Foods that are high in sodium cause you to retain water and feel bloated. The water retention can make the skin look puffy and tired,” comments Deborah Orlick Levy, MS, RD, Carrington Farms health and nutrition consultant. Dr. Taz also adds that “[High salt foods] trigger dehydration and some early studies show it damages DNA, shortening telomeres and accelerating aging.” These ways to shrink your belly in 24 hours can’t reverse aging, but they’ll at least help you de-puff, fast.
3. White sugar.
Everyone loves sugar in sweets, pastries and drinks, especially sugar. It gives you unnecessary blemishes such as acne(pimples), making you look older as well. The AGE mechanism is stimulated while our sugar level is elevated, and when sunlight is involved, it gets worse. Take frozen yoghurt instead of ice cream. Replace honey or berries with it.
4. Margarine.
It’s not the same for margarine and butter. Due to the fact that it’s high in partially hydrogenated oils, the world-renowned Harvard Medical School found that margarine is worse than a small amount of natural butter. In margarine, the fatty acids make the skin more fragile, which can harm the skin. Instead, substitute it with avocado or olive oil since they are abundant in anti-aging and antioxidants.
5. Processed meat.
There is nothing better than a barbecue or beef suya, but since they are high in sodium, saturated fats, and sulfite, they are bad for our health, all of which may dehydrate the skin and trigger inflammation to weaken collagen. Alternatively, replace it with turkey barbecue or chicken suya because they are packed with protein and amino acids that are important for natural collagen formation.
Try any eggs or beans if you are a vegetarian.
6. Dairy.
Instead of substituting seeds, almonds, groundnuts, walnuts, coconuts, beans, vegetables and figs, and everything else that is a source of calcium, dairy foods are foods such as cheese and milk. This is because you lose one of the most vital vitamins if you lose milk.
7. Soda or Coffee.
These drinks don’t directly affect the skin, but they affect something that your sleep does. Your sleep is disturbed when you eat drinks that are high in caffeine, and that’s bad for your skin, instead of replacing it with water. Water is the best drink you can give yourself to look younger than your age.
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