You think the only errors in your diet are those that make you gain weight? Think again! Processed foods rich in sugar and fat do more than add a few inches on the waist and hips: they add extra years to your looks!
The next time someone wrong estimates your age (adding a few extra years), drop the pretzel or the cake you’re eating. Diet is the one that dictates the route of your body: everything from what your skin looks like, your bone density to how your brain functions. Thus, diet determines how fast the signs of aging appear.
Often, the solutions to “fix” a bad diet aren’t drastic, only measures that we might call “common sense”. Just get rid of some bad habits, among which the most dangerous ones are:
Number 1: Eating fast food
They call it fast food because it’s eaten on the run, when you’re out in the city, and you don’t need to prepare it. What you probably failed to notice is that the aging signs occur just as fast. Fat leads to inflammation and destruction of chromosomes: namely, aging rush to regenerate organs harder. In addition, they destroy the cell walls of folding, with serious effects on health and aging.
Although many restaurant chains and food manufacturers have been trying for years to stop using unhealthy fat when preparing their foods, it is best to be an informed consumer.
Eating at fast food should be avoided at all costs. When you’re at the restaurant, it is good to ask for a list of ingredients; read labels carefully before buying products at the supermarket. It is true that some ingredients have strange names, you do not know what to think of: usually you must avoid products containing “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated fats.”
Number 2: Stress-food
Eating at the office, in the car, on the road or in any other serious stress conditions harms your digestion. Adrenaline and cortisol released under stress make your blood accumulate in the extremities of your body (feet, hands) and not in the stomach and intestines, and their ability to process and absorb food is affected.
In addition, the stress changes the acidity in your stomach, also affecting the ability to absorb nutrients such as vitamin B12.
Furthermore, stress makes you not pay attention to how much you eat: chances are that you eat unconsciously, without observing that you have exceeded your limit. In general it is good to take a lunch break at work or go home for lunch so you can take your time while eating.
Number 3: Sweets addiction
The body has a limited capacity to absorb sugar: you could say it isn’t so, as some would eat sweets without stopping. The truth is that eating sugar in excess, sometimes even without being aware of it (in sodas,processed foods and other foods in commerce contain serious amounts of sugar) only overtax the body.
Excess sugar remains in the blood and causes problems, leading to slower ability to regenerate the body and to aging skin.Wrinkles appear faster, skin elasticity is lost and it can’t regenerate efficiently after trauma. Basically, consumption of sugar is like hitting the fast forward button for aging.
Candy lovers should know that natural products such as honey, maple syrup or sugar in fruits don’t have the same destructive effect as processed sugar.
