Although wrinkles may be a normal part of the aging process, your diet can speed up the timeline. If you have started to notice wrinkles popping up around the eyes, forehead, and mouth, you may benefit from changing your diet. Taking a look at your lifestyle choices can help to answer the question of where your wrinkles are coming from, and limiting these “healthy” foods could lead to fewer wrinkles.
Rice Cakes
These low-calorie snacks are often found on most people’s diet-inspired grocery list, but these simple carbohydrates have a relatively high glycemic index. Eating them causes your blood sugar to increase dramatically, which causes wrinkles.
Frozen Entrees
Often extremely high in sodium, frozen dinners can lead to some severe health consequences. While convenient, these simple meals can lead to high blood pressure, which has been linked to the formation of wrinkles and age spots.
Cheese
Aged and high-fat cheese varieties are very high in amounts of AGE’s. If you want to reduce wrinkles but can’t give up your love for cheese, reach for a lower fat option. Mozzarella and cottage cheese, for example, have around 10 times less AGE’s than high-fat cheese.
Agave
Another “healthy” alternative to added sugars and sweeteners is agave. While many recipes suggest this syrup as a sugar substitute, it’s very high in fructose (up to 97%!), which causes the formation of wrinkles and other signs of aging to your skin. Some studies have shown that fructose leads to up to ten times more signs of aging than other traditional glucose sugars.
Margarine
Many dieters still think that margarine is a better choice than butter because of its lower saturated fat content. Not only does consuming margarine regularly increase inflammation, but the Journal of The American College of Nutrition found that people who regularly consume margarine have more wrinkles than those who do not.
Coffee
We may not be able to convince you to give up your daily cup of coffee, but at the least, you can have all of the facts. After all, caffeine leads to wrinkles in a very sneaky way. Drinking a cup of coffee too late in the day leads to difficulties at night. While you are sleeping, your skin cells are working hard to repair themselves from their daily dose of damaging UV rays and other environmental factors. If you are going to drink coffee, stick to one cup a day, and don’t use a straw which causes fine lines and wrinkles around your mouth.
Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges, and grapefruits can lead to damage to your skin. Minimize the destruction of these harmful fruit juices on the skin by washing your hands thoroughly before going outside after eating one.
Yogurt
Flavored yogurts may be delicious, but they sneak incredibly high sugar levels into those convenient containers. The high sugar levels in yogurts grab onto and break down the amino acids in collagen and elastin, leading to saggy, wrinkled skin.
Grilled Meat
When it comes to grilled meat, the reason why it can cause wrinkles is because the AGE’s are made in the kitchen. When meat is exposed to a high temperature without any addition of water, the glycation process happens while the meat is cooking. The most straightforward way to prevent this is by adding spices to help reduce the formation of AGE’s, or by cooking with water.
Bacon
It’s a fact that bacon is high in sodium, but the new Ketogenic diet trend may have you questioning if bacon is actually dangerous for you. While bacon may be considered an okay low-carbohydrate addition to your diet, it still has some severe side effects. Processed meats, including bacon, are typically very high in saturated fats and contain nitrates, which cause inflammation and lead to wrinkles.
Making Better Choices For Better Skin
Stick to fresh vegetables and fruits as much as possible to maintain a healthy complexion. Processed foods should always be limited as much as possible not only for your skin but for your overall health too. While fine in moderation, some foods are simply better avoided.
Need to hit the refresh button after reading our list of foods to avoid? Call Radiance Skincare & Laser Medspa today to schedule a skin rejuvenation appointment!