5 Foods That Age You Faster

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Did you know that your diet may be aging you beyond your years? If you consume highly inflammatory foods on a regular basis, they can do damage to your body’s regulatory functions, which can lead to cellular degeneration, disease, and wrinkles. Below are 4 foods to avoid that speed up aging on a cellular level.

5 Foods That Age You Faster:

1. Sweets

Too much sugar may kick-start a process called glycation. The theory is, “When you consume more sugar than your cells can process, the excess sugar molecules mixed with proteins, thus creating “advanced glycation end products”  or commonly known as “AGES”. AGES may damage your skin’s collagen, which is the protein that keeps your skin firm and youthful.

2. Refined Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates that are removed of their nutritional value, such as white flour, act like refined sugar in your body. With not much fiber to slow down its absorption in the bloodstream, these carbohydrates bring destruction on insulin levels and encourage the development of insulin resistance over time.

By eating wholesome carbohydrates, such as whole fruits, legumes and whole grains like quinoa and brown rice, you will receive a much more prolonged energy release.

3. Salty Foods

You might not be cooking with salt, but that does not guarantee your intake is low. Most canned foods are preserved using sodium, which can make you retain water and cause that “puffy look”.

4. Deep Fried or Grilled Foods

Cooking foods using high temperature increases inflammatory compounds known as AGE or advanced glycation end products. AGEs age you, encourage oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. High levels of AGEs in the body are attributed to neurodegeneration, osteoporosis, stroke, heart disease and other age-related diseases.

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While some AGEs occur naturally in the body, increasing the load by consuming heavily cooked foods can accelerate their damage. Try to cook your foods at low temperatures, although indulging in fried or grilled food is alright for a healthy person in moderation.

If you consume unprocessed, wholesome foods that are not deep fried, you will allow your body to undergo its natural aging process, rather than throwing it into overdrive.

5. Processed Meats

Sausage, deli meat and bacon, these meats contain sulfites and other preservatives, that can trigger inflammation in the skin, and accelerate the appearance of aging. Also, they tend to be high in salt, which can make you look puffy.

You can swap the deli meat on your sandwich for turkey or chicken. If you cannot totally avoid it,  use less meat, and load up on vegetables.

photo credit: pixabay

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