Our diet makes a significant impact on our appearance by making skin look clear, hair look thick and lustrous, and even adding a lustre to your nails and your eyes.
On the other hand, if you’re usually eating too much processed food with higher sugar and carbohydrate content; you could be causing more damage to your body than you think.
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Sugar and Your Skin
Processed foods are usually high in sugar and this isn’t just bad for your waistline, it wreaks havoc on your skin too.
A lot of skin problems such as acne, rosacea and eczema are exacerbated by the sugar you eat.
Moreover, sugar also contributes to increased inflammation which in turn breaks down the collagen; and elastin in your skin.
As we age, our bodies slow production of collagen and elastin, leading to the development of wrinkles, sagging skin; and even causing insulin resistance in the body.
This manifests itself in the form of dark patches on the neck and in areas of the body where skin creases such as the elbows, underarms, and knees.
Being Smarter About Your Sugar Intake
Being mindful of your sugar intake doesn’t mean that you eliminate it from your diet completely.
There’s a way you can still consume healthy sugar and keep your skin happy.
It will work wonders on your skin if you start to pay attention to the kind of foods you are consuming.
The best thing you can do is to look at where the item ranks on the glycemic scale.
Foods that rank higher on this scale contain large amounts of sugar; or are broken down more easily into glucose in the body.
Foods that rank lower on the glycemic index are better alternatives as they are not only low in sugar naturally; they also contain complex carbohydrates which nourish the body better.
They are broken down and converted into glucose at a slower rate, allowing them to be distributed into the blood stream better.
Eat meals that are healthy and balanced.
Don’t skip meals just because you’re cutting out sugar from your diet.
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Replace it with complex carbohydrates and foods that are high in fiber and protein.
They keep you feeling full and curb cravings that have you reaching out for sugary foods.
Even when eating healthy, opt to avoid fruits and vegetables that are high in sugar; and don’t have a lot of fiber in them.
Only consuming fruit juices, for example, is also not advised as it has no pulp which is the fibrous part of the fruit and the juice has higher levels of sugar.
Cut down the stress in your life as much as possible.
Stress increases the production of cortisol in the body and also causes an increase in inflammation.
Breakouts of acne as well as cravings for sugary foods are more common when you are stressed out due to this.
At the end of the day, being smart about your diet and minimizing the intake of sugar will work wonders in giving you the clear; youthful skin you want.
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