The age-old adage “You are what you eat” may be real. Everything that you put into your stomach has an effect on your body. Though ageing is a natural process, its acceleration is not. Ageing gracefully is what we all seek. Nutrition is key in this graceful ageing process. And certain foods can accelerate the ageing process. From sagging skin to fine lines and wrinkles, here’s a list of foods that can potentially speed up your body’s ageing.
Sugar
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As much as we all like to indulge in sugary treats, excessive sugar can lead to glycation, a process where sugar binds to proteins. Glycation can damage the collagen and elastin, which are essential for youthful skin. High-sugar foods and drinks such as desserts, energy drinks, and sodas can result in glycation. They can speed up your age, leave you feeling dehydrated, and adversely affect your skin.
Processed meats
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No matter how much you love to have that greasy bacon for breakfast, it might actually be a key factor in accelerating your ageing. Processed meats such as ham, bacon, sausages, deli meats, and smoked, cured, or salted meat often contain nitrates and preservatives, which results in inflammation and diminishing skin elasticity. It can also lead to health issues such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
White bread
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Maybe it’s time to look at those foot-long sandwiches, because white bread, which has a high glycemic index, can cause blood sugar spikes, which leads to glycation and accelerated ageing.
Margarine
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Go easy on that butter knife, when you scoop the margarine. Several studies confirm that margarine is worse than a moderate amount of butter. Margarine is loaded trans fat, that can clog arteries, reduce skin hydration, and promote inflammation. They can also raise your ‘bad’ cholesterol, and lower the ‘good’ kind, leading to inflammation. This inflammation can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.
French fries
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Yes, those salty treats can contribute to the ageing process. Foods deep-fried in oil will make you age inside out. Such oil-fried food promotes free radicals, which damage other molecules in your cells. French fries are an AGE (advanced glycation end products) food that can wreak havoc on the body.
Coffee
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Caffeine, which is a substance that occurs naturally in coffee beans leads to ageing. Though moderate caffeine is fine, excessive intake can dehydrate the skin and disrupt sleep, which is critical for skin repair and renewal.
Aerated drinks
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Though we occasionally end up grabbing aerated drinks, they can wreak havoc on your body and skin. These aerated drinks are loaded with sugar and artificial additives, which can lower collagen levels, and lead to premature wrinkles.
High-fructose corn syrup
A chemical cousin to your regular table sugar, high-fructose corn syrup is found in sweetened sodas and fruit drinks. This sugar interferes with your body’s ability to use copper, in order to form collagen and elastin. Also calorie-dense, corn syrup will age you quickly.
Charred meat
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When you charr or grill the meat, it can produce harmful compounds called advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which speeds up the ageing. This results in inflammation and also speeds up skin ageing.
Instant food
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Though it might save you some time, instant foods, which require almost zero time to cook, can accelerate ageing by causing oxidative damage to cells. This is because instant foods are processed with preservatives, artificial flavours, and refined ingredients. They are not only low on nutrients, but also make you age inside out. So, next time you reach for the pack of instant noodles, maybe think again.
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