Age Gracefully By Cutting Out Sugar

September 25, 2014

It’s midnight and you are having a craving for sugar. You get in your car and head to the nearest convenience store in your neighborhood. Once at the store, you pick-up a few things to beat the cravings i.e. donuts, cake, candy bar, you name it you purchase it. You go home to enjoy your snacks that are slowly becoming a nightly habit. One day after your make-up application you look in the mirror to discover that you are looking much older than normally. You are frantic and worried to find out why your skin looks older than your age. You start by reading books and purchasing new anti-aging creams in hopes to regain your youthful skin. One trip to the doctor confirms that it is not what you been doing but what you have been eating. Often times, people are not aware of the effects that sugar can play on your skin. A diet high in sugar can cause premature aging making your face appear more wrinkled and less youthful overtime.

Sugar creates glucose in our bodies that normally binds to proteins within the body once ingested, but few fail to realize that this type of binding can also cause less flexibility which affects the collagen in the body and the skin. When skin is less flexible it lacks collagen which is the number one aspect to aging gracefully with supple skin. With the lack of collagen and elasticity, skin will appear rigid which leads to deeper wrinkles and the appearance of older skin. You are probably thinking this means no longer eating deserts that you enjoy…right? Actually, that is far from the truth. Simply reducing your sugar intake to a more moderate consumption daily will help to offset the deepening of skins wrinkles. Some tips to consider:

Limit your daily sugar intake of refined/processed sugars to no more than 40 grams
Try making your own flavor water instead of drinking juice or soda loaded with high fructose corn syrup. Start by adding lemon, strawberries, lime, or whatever you consider to be your favorite fruit to a fresh glass of spring water. This will help cut your sugar intake by 50% especially if you enjoy drinking juice at your meals.
Incorporate sweet vegetables into your diet. Try adding podded peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, rutabagas into your daily diet. You will notice the more you enjoy these healthier sweet options the more likely you will satisfy your sugar cravings.
Enjoy a variety of berries and fruit for dessert. You can spice them up with a low fat whip cream.

Just by reducing your sugar intake daily will not only improve your overall health but restore a more youthful, supple, appearance to your skin. Check out more information on the effects of aging and sugar at Science Daily.