5 Foods to Make You Look Younger and 5 That Age You
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- Oct 29, 2019
- 3 min read
Introduction:
But just as there are foods that help keep you looking fresh-faced, there are some that do quite the opposite. Check out the list of dos and don'ts when it comes to maintaining your youthful good looks.
Let's start with the best foods for your hair, skin, nails and overall youthfulness.
1. Cheese
First, the calcium in the cheese helps build strong teeth, and second, a bit of cheddar can counteract the acid left behind after a meal, making it the perfect choice for an after dinner snack.
2. Tomatoes
A youthful complexion isn't just a product of regularly using sunscreen, but by eating plenty of tomatoes, too. These healthy fruits are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant with natural sunscreen properties.
3. Olive Oil
Many people still avoid fat for fear of 'extra' calories, yet fat is an important nutrient for healthy skin.
It helps keep skin moisturized and reduces inflammation. Fats like extra-virgin olive oil are rich in antioxidants, to help protect skin from damage.
4. Salmon
Smoked, steamed or baked, salmon is certainly a superfood when it comes to your body and your looks.
Fats in the diet are essential for healthy and nourished skin. However, be sure to choose the healthy ones (mono-unsaturated fats).
Oily fish, nuts (Brazil nuts especially), seeds and avocados are fantastic for a healthy complexion.And they contain essential omega-3 as well as antioxidants such as vitamin E and Selenium. Antioxidants protect against free-radicals (pollutants) which can have a damaging/aging effect on the skin.
5. Watermelon
Watermelon might be 93-percent water, but it's still packed with vitamins and antioxidants to help you ward off premature aging. Watermelon is rich in vitamin A which can help prevent acne and keep skin moisturized.
It has a very high level of lycopene which (as pointed out with tomatoes) fights off the free radicals that age your skin. Plus, watermelon contains carotene that's been shown to help reduce oxidative stress, which ages your skin. And on top of all that, it's good for the waistline, too, as it's low in calories.
Now for the not-so-good news: These are the five worst offenders when it comes to making you look older.
1. Sugar
Sweets don't just wreak havoc on your teeth; they can age your skin, too. Collagen production naturally depletes as you age, but consuming excess sugar speeds this process up.
Sugar increases glycation's collagen-damaging effects and accelerates skin's aging.
2. Caffeine
Caffeine has an effect on aging because of the fact that it triggers cortisol release which is a stress hormone that can contribute to fat gain and aging.
Drink small amounts of water every hour too — rather than gulping huge amounts just a few times a day — and your body is more likely to absorb it and keep you hydrated and looking young!"
3. Charred Food
Black chars on barbecued meat contain pro-inflammatory hydrocarbons that can cause the collagen of your skin to be damaged. "If you want a glowing complexion, limit barbecued meats.
You don't have to chuck your grilled dinner in the trash, though, simply scrape off the blackened areas once cooked and scrub the BBQ to avoid future contamination.
4. Alcohol
Alcohol causes dehydration, leaving your skin dry and prone to premature wrinkles. But in addition to the damage it can do to your skin, it can also hinder you getting a decent night of sleep, and your ZZZs are imperative to keeping you looking fresh faced.
5. Salt
According to studies, consuming too much salt triggered an inflammatory response from the immune system, which can trigger or worsen eczema. So if you wake up with puffy eyes and a dry, flaky complexion, the packs of salty potato chips from the night before could be to blame.
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