By Helen Sanders Aug 17, 2017
Most people try to eat a good diet to keep their body in shape or combat disease, but have you ever thought about the correlation between diet and ageing? Making consistent poor food choices can not only take a toll on your overall health, but can also speed up the ageing process.
Everything can be enjoyed in moderation, but it’s important to be aware of which foods you should be avoiding on a daily or even weekly basis. Foods of low quality can cause inflammation in the body, which can damage your skin’s collagen and speed up the ageing process.
Foods That Age
Processed Carbohydrates
While most people know they should avoid processed carbohydrates such as white bread or baked goods for overall health, they can also lead in inflammation in the body and damage your skin’s collagen. Collagen is responsible for keeping your skin smooth and resistant to wrinkles, so it’s crucial to avoid inflammation if you want to keep your collagen production normal.
There are other lifestyle habits that can damage collagen such as smoking and sun damage, so along with altering those and enjoying a healthy diet low in processed carbohydrates you can fend off early ageing.
Processed and Fatty Meats
Any processed meats such as hot dogs, bacon, cold cuts and pepperoni are typically loaded with saturated fats and nitrates, which lead to inflammation of the skin. Fatty cuts of meat should be avoided as well due to the high saturated fat content, which raises LDL, or “bad” cholesterol and inflammation.
You can still enjoy meat, but make sure you’re choosing lean cuts and steering clear of the processed kinds.
Deep Fried Foods
This one goes without saying, but deep fried foods such as french fries are not only bad for heart health, but they also lead to issues such as inflammation and can cause skin irritation and damage collagen. It’s definitely important to keep your intake of fried deep fried foods to a minimum if you want a clear, healthy and younger looking complexion.
Alcohol
While moderately indulging in a glass of wine can have some health benefits, it’s important to keep in mind that it should only be in moderation. Overindulging in alcohol, especially on a regular basis, can speed up the ageing process. Keep your drinking to one 5-ounce glass of wine a day, or one 12-ounce glass of beer.
Foods To Enjoy
Beans
Our skin is primarily made from protein, so if you’re not consuming enough heart healthy protein, your skin will reflect that. Beans are a great source of clean proteins along with an excellent source of fiber, iron and other nutrients.
Produce
Most Westerners still aren’t consuming an adequate amount of fruit and vegetables each day! These foods are essential for a healthy life because they are packed full of nutrients such as vitamin C, water, and antioxidants. Antioxidants are crucial to anti-ageing as they protect your body from the harmful damage of free radicals, which can cause issues such as cell damage and cancer.
Some vegetables that should be added to your daily diet for anti-ageing properties include romaine lettuce, arugula, spinach and asparagus. Some fruits that should be a part of your daily diet are watermelon, tomatoes, and citrus. Vitamin C can aid the production of collagen, so it’s important to have a healthy intake each day, which is manageable if you are eating enough fruits and vegetables.
Healthy Fats
Believe it or not, fats are essential for a healthy body! Monounsaturated, polyunsaturated or omega-3s are crucial for proper collagen production. Foods such as salmon, avocado, coconut, nut butters and flax are all examples of some anti-ageing fats.
These heart healthy fats will also contain some antioxidants and vitamin E which is another contributing factor to anti-ageing. They will keep your skin naturally moisturized and plump. You can add them into your everyday life by sprinkling flax over salads or into a smoothie, adding nut butter to your morning oatmeal or enjoying a filet of salmon for dinner a few times a week.
Water
Hydration is so important for a healthy body and healthy skin. Drinking at least two litres of water a day helps keep skin naturally moisturized and delivers essential nutrients throughout the skin. Water also helps your body excrete toxins through urination, meaning it will remove anything harmful in the body.
The Bottom Line
If you want to keep ageing at bay, consume a diet full of healthy fats, fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water. Steer clear of fried foods, processed carbohydrates, alcohol and processed meats. By following a healthy diet, doing regular exercise and getting adequate sleep, you will stay looking healthy and young.
