When it comes to aging, you really are what you eat! It’s summertime and many of us are using sunscreen to protect ourselves from UVA and UVB rays that not only damage our skin, but can also age our skin. But, did you know that there are foods that can age your body just as much as too much sun exposure?
Take my 30 Day Anti-Aging Challenge below after you read about aging foods vs. anti-aging foods.
The Top 3 Foods that Flunk Your Age and get an F- grade are: Fast Foods, Fake Foods and Fried Foods.
1. Fast foods: ex. Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish, Quarter Pounder, French Fries, Icy Coke, Thick Shakes, Sundaes, and Apple Pie. Most all fast food contains excess t rans fats that make skin look stiff and inflexible, and ultimately, wrinkled. Trans fats also age you on the inside. They increase your risk of heart disease and stroke and are linked to higher risks of developing Type 2 diabetes. The Institute of Medicine determined that there is NO safe consumption of trans fatty acids.
2. Fake foods: ex. Hot Dogs and Deli Cold Cuts….”Don’t make it your way!” at Subway: Sulfites that preserve processed and fake meats are pro-inflammatory and can cause rosacea and make skin look pasty and jaundiced colored. Processed meats are usually high in saturated fats and have nitrates in them. Both of those can lead to inflammation. *Remember, we always want to nourish our bodies with ANTI-inflammatory foods, not pro-inflammatory foods.
Other Fake foods that age our bodies: Bottled lemonade and sugary beverages like soda, processed foods in boxes, cans and freezer bags, corn dogs, cotton candy, candy apples, cheese puffs, and marshmallows for smores. Many of these items contain high amounts of sugar or sugar substitutes. Sugar, which is linked to inflammation, aids in wrinkle production, but it also affects your overall health because it is tied to heart disease and diabetes.
3. Fried foods: ex. Fried Chicken, Potato Chips and French Fries. These foods contain trans fats that clog and stiffen the arteries and small blood vessels and make skin look old. Anything that’s deep-fried in oil can add to inflammation throughout your body. Trans fats raise LDL “bad” cholesterol and lower HDL “good” cholesterol. When reading food labels, avoid products that include “partially hydrogenated oils” and “vegetable shortening.”
These foods do not “pass” when it comes to nourishing our bodies. They “fail” our bodies and age us faster, and they are abundant during the summertime at cookouts, barbecues, camp outs, pool parties and at the beach. This season, you’ll find lots of food trucks and food vendors serving many of these “F-“ foods, too.
The GOOD NEWS is that there are some incredible A+ Anti-Aging foods that are anti-inflammatory, that keep us looking younger and help to slow the aging process.
