7 Worse Foods for Your Skin

Lisa Franchi November 26, 2014

What you eat affects your skin. That’s the reason why your skin feels off after a series of holiday parties, BBQs, and cocktail-overflowing reunions. While a few indulgences can’t hurt you over night, a continuously poor diet does.

Sweets

Sugary treats don’t only affect your teeth, but your skin as well. When you eat more sugar than your cells can process, the excess sugar molecules combine with proteins, creating "advanced glycation end products" – compounds that damage your skin’s collagen.

Sodium

Just because you don’t use salt when cooking doesn’t mean your intake is low. Many canned goods and processed foods contain large amounts of salt. Sodium makes your body retain water, causing you that ‘puffy’ look.

Alcohol

A little alcohol once in a while is fine. But going overboard – beyond the daily limit – can be very dangerous to your body, particularly your liver. And just in case you don’t know, a healthy skin depends on a healthy liver. When free radicals or toxins build up in your liver and not broken down properly, your skin health is affected, making you susceptible to acne, sallowness, and wrinkles.

Charred meat

We love it when our burger has some black char. There’s something about it that makes us crave for meat over and over again. But delicious as it may seem, charred meat may contain pro-inflammatory hydrocarbons that trigger inflammation, which in turn damages collagen. This doesn’t mean that you need to forget about BBQs. You just have to make sure you scrape out the black stuff and clean the grill to avoid contaminating other foods, including vegetables.

Red meat

Red meat doesn’t just contain saturated fats which are bad for your heart. They also contain radicals that fuel inflammation and destroy healthy cells. These damaging effects of red meat then interfere with your skin’s ability to protect itself and generate collagen. Go with leaner meats, like turkey and chicken. And when eating red meat, observe moderation.

Caffeine

Since caffeine is diuretic, it can make you excrete fluid, and deplete your body of moisture, resulting to dry, dull and aged skin.

Spicy Foods

While they are good for metabolism, spicy foods aren’t ideal for a healthy skin as they can cause uneven skin tone and dilated blood vessels. If a food comes in mild or spicy options, go for the mild choice whenever you can.

You need not let go of these foods forever. The key is to consume them in moderation. And more importantly, observe a well-balanced diet. Once you do, you won’t have to battle with food cravings and skin problems anymore.