There is a fountain of youth, and you don’t have to travel across the world to find it. Achieving a glowing complexion is a sure sign that you have discovered it. You don’t need a skin care clinic either. Just some essential, yet easy, changes in your diet will have you on your way.
The secret is sugar. A good sugar scrub on the outside reveals a glowing radiance. However, sugar on the inside is the mortal enemy of a youthful complexion, especially when consumed in excess.
It turns out that sugar n spice is not everything nice. In excess, it is causing your skin to break down and age from the inside out. The damage is caused by a process called glycation.
Glycation is what causes collagen and elastin, the proteins that give skin its elasticity, to break down. When damaged, you begin seeing dullness and loss of firmness. You also see the fine lines develop that will become ingrained wrinkles. As if that were not enough, glycation can cause skin pigmentation to darken in patches.
This process also triggers inflammation, which creates skin redness and makes it look puffy. In younger people, it can create acne and breakouts. It may also cause skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and rosacea to worsen. Altogether, glycation is bad news for skin.
The foods that contribute to this unhealthy process may come as no surprise to you: candies, baked goods, and sweetened beverages top the list. Highly processed foods made with refined flours and carbs, as well as fried foods and those cooked at high temperatures, also contribute significantly.
I know you might be feeling annoyed by this list since those are all the easy foods to grab on-the-go and for comfort on a blue day. But don’t worry. It turns out that sugar alone is not the issue. There are ways to still enjoy food and flavor and make your skin better.
The first step is lowering how much refined sugar you use and/or increasing how active you are each day. The American Heart Association recommends keeping added sugar intake below a certain level.
Men should aim to keep their intake below 9 teaspoons per day.
Women will want to keep it below 6 teaspoons.
That doesn’t just include what you add to your food. It includes what companies add to your food too. Read those labels and stick to the serving sizes to have a good idea how much sugar you are really getting every day.
Here is how to figure out how much added sugar is in your prepackaged food. Find the “Nutrition Facts” on the package. Divide the grams of “added sugar” listed there by 4.
Example: a serving size of a caramel macchiato coffee creamer I like is 1 tablespoon. It has 5 grams of added sugar. For every tablespoon I add to my iced coffee I am getting 1 ¼ teaspoons of added sugar.
The flip side to that equation, as you remember, is getting in motion. When your body is moving, you are burning energy. That is how you use up the sugar in your body. On days you can’t get in much activity, lower the amount of added sugar in your diet for the day.
Another way to reduce glycation is using healthy sugar substitutes. Stevia and monk fruit can be good options.
Stevia is a South American shrub used for food and medicinal purposes. The steviol glycosides found in its leaves are what make stevia so sweet. It contains no calories, so has no effect on blood sugar levels. Stevia is 200 to 350 times sweeter than sugar, so a very little bit goes a long way.
Another sweet option is monk fruit. In southern China it’s known as luo han guo, or Swingle Fruit. It has been used historically in Eastern medicine for colds and digestive issues. As with stevia, it is intensely sweet, 100 – 250 times sweeter than cane sugar.
One final way to address glycation is eating fresh fruits and vegetables. They are rich in antioxidants that protect skin from the effects of glycation. Some also have beneficial enzymes that can repair skin damage. The more fruits and veggies you can eat without cooking, the better.
The following foods and spices have shown specific benefits in protecting the body from glycation.
Allspice
Almonds
Black Pepper
Blueberries
Cinnamon
Cloves
Cocoa
Cumin
Garlic
Ginger
Grapes
Green Tea
Kale
Mangoes
Marjoram
Mulberries
Oranges
Oregano
Raspberries
Rosemary
Sage
Soybean
Tarragon
Tomato
Turmeric
Yerba Mate
Now that you know the skin essentials of sugar, you can make those easy changes. The sooner you start, the better. Making these healthy changes when you are young will push off the effects of aging skin to your distant future.
No matter what age you are, there is no need to feel skin envy. Reduce the added sugars in your diet. Get your body moving. Eat a diet in fresh fruits and vegetables. It will all make a glowing difference.
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