Foods that Make You Look and Feel Old

Sharon Moore January 13, 2015

You are what you eat, so they say. And perhaps most health experts will agree with this. Basically, certain foods contain unhealthy ingredients that can cause harm to your body if you consume them more often, or on a daily basis. On the other hand, there are foods that contain essential nutrients that boost your health and keep you looking and feeling young. And you probably know what these foods are. They are what we call “whole foods” and they include fresh produce like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seeds, and fish. How about the foods that make you look and feel old?

Here they are. (Note: You might want to start eliminating them from your daily diet.)

Hydrogenated Oils or Trans Fats

This type of oil, which is commonly used in fast food chains and restaurants, has long been linked to heart disease and obesity. You can find trans fats in commercially made cookies, biscuits and other pastry products. So before you eat something, check the label first. If one ingredient states partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated-anything-oil you must either not eat it or limit your intake. Various studies have shown that trans fat causes inflammation, which make you appear older over time.

Refined Salt

Salt does not only promote weight gain. Too much consumption of salt has also been linked to high blood pressure, which in turn fuels your risk of heart failure, kidney stones, water retention and other serious health problems. How much salt is enough? According to Harvard Health, if you are under 50, and you are in a great health and have no high blood pressure then you do not have to worry about salt intake’s dangers. However, you should avoid high-salt and processed foods. Furthermore, if you have high blood pressure and diabetes, you should not have more than 2300 mg or 1 teaspoon a day of sodium.

Processed Meats

Your daily favourites – bacon, deli and sausages – unfortunately contain large amounts of preservatives and sugar that cause inflammation and even skin irritation. Another thing, consuming too much of red meat may interrupt your body’s ability to produce collagen – the secret to a healthy, youthful skin. It may also lead to heart disease because red meat is high in saturated fats. If you are a meat lover, opt for the lean part always and buy the fresh ones, not the highly processed versions. Avoid frying meat and opt to grill it instead. Making use of homemade marinades that are consist of herbs and spices like ginger, onions and turmeric is a good way to reduce the cancer-causing chemicals that are produced when cooking meat. They also significantly boost the meat’s flavour and even make it even tenderer.

Alcohol

Whilst it can make you feel good sometimes, alcohol is not good for your body, especially your liver. Your liver processes toxins whenever you drink alcohol but it needs time to repair. Whatever contaminants your liver had not time to process will come out on to your skin. Having acne, wrinkles and rosacea are often indicative of liver problems. So better watch your alcohol intake. Choose wine over cocktail drinks as the latter often contain sugary syrups that lead to inflammation. Moreover, alcohol consumption makes you more likely to consume salty and fatty foods. The Harvard School of Public Health says women should not drink more than one glass of beer, and men, no more than two.

You are really what you eat. So make sure you carefully chose what you put on your plate. Your diet has a lot to do with your appearance, and the quality of your health as well.