Ultraviolet rays, pollution, stress, and hormones are huge factors that affect the health and appearance of your skin. While these factors are seemingly difficult or even impossible to completely evade or regulate, there is another factor which can be controlled: Diet.
Sometimes there are foods that are way too delicious and the temptation readily makes it hard to maintain control over the diet. We listed down the top three food products that you should avoid and their respective impacts on your skin in order to encourage you to skip them! This is because our skin highly depends on our food intake. More often than not, the breakout, regeneration and overall health of our skin are determined by our diet!
DAIRY PRODUCTS
Dairy can be one of the worst enemies out there. Not because it includes cheese, ice cream and yogurt but because dairy is mostly high in sugar and it is not readily noticeable or known by many. A lot of people continue their regular sugar intake and subsequently still consume dairy products. As a result, the sugar in the body gets doubled and the effects become worse. In fact, Dairy is one of the primary culprits that lead to acne breakouts and other skin conditions. And so, it is important to cut back Dairy as a necessary consequence of reducing sugar intake or at the very least, do not take both dairy products and sugar at the same time.
Some Dairy products include milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, butter, and margarine.
PROCESSED MEAT PRODUCTS
The primary concern with processed meat is that they are high in nitrates and sodium. Both of these are unpleasant when in excess as they can produce substantial damage to the skin. Sodium or commonly used as salt causes premature skin aging and dryness in the skin. Apart from that, it is known to attack collagen strands which are vital for skin rejuvenation and regeneration. Nitrate on the other hand, is a culprit that causes inflammation. Just like Sodium, it can also cause skin aging at a slower but more significant rate since it attacks both elastin and collagen.
Some Processed Meat products include hotdog, sausage, burger, ham, deli meats, corned beef, jerky and more.
REFINED SUGAR PRODUCTS
Sugar is the biggest and baddest boss in the world of dieting. The temptation and rush are no joke when it comes to sugar. But its side effects are way too dangerous compared to others, especially to skin health! Sugar is known to damage the skin by producing free radicals in our bloodstream. The more sugar intake, the more free radicals there are. What’s difficult is that these free radicals attack proteins which are necessary for skin regeneration and protection. It also breaks down collagen and elastin which leads to premature skin aging!
To help your skin overcome premature skin aging and be free from free radicals, avoid succumbing to the sugar rush and temptation.
Some Refined Sugar products include soft drinks, chocolate, energy drinks, juice, pie, jam, cereals and many more.