Which damaging foods cause accelerated skin aging

Friday, April 20, 2012 by: Fleur Hupston
Tags: skin aging, foods, damage

(NaturalNews) A flawless skin has always been synonymous with beauty and health. Many people spend a fortune on expensive skin products and on visiting doctors or dermatologists to treat skin conditions. Imbalances in the body often manifest as skin breakouts, rashes, or other skin problems.

Skin health and beauty isn't always attainable with skin treatments or cosmetics and, as is often the case, greed for money prevails in the skin care industry. Many skin care products contain harmful, even dangerous, ingredients. Most cosmetics work mainly by protecting the more superficial layers of the skin. To get your skin to be radiant and flawless, one has to go deeper than that - the skin is an organ and this means nourishment must come from within.

Balance the body to achieve skin health

The skin does not only function as a barrier for the body, but also contributes to its detoxification and hormonal equilibrium. Skin health is often compromised by thyroid problems, hormonal fluctuations, negative reactions to medications, stress, or an unhealthy diet. Lifestyle changes are the first step to achieving a flawless skin, but you should also have your hormones and systemic health checked out to make sure that skin problems are not a manifestation of some kind of imbalance.

Diets that cause inflammation

Natural News has pointed out for years that a healthy diet, filled with antioxidants but low in toxins, sugars, and refined carbohydrates, has anti-aging effects on the skin. US skincare expert, Dr. Nicholas Perricone, author of the book "Ageless Face, Ageless Mind", concludes that certain foods cause inflammation and water retention which can lead to premature aging, obesity, and health problems. He advocates reducing saturated fats, sugars, and high glycaemic carbohydrates.

Renowned US Dermatologist Dr. Leslie Baumann recommends that "if you want sweeter-looking skin, sidestep the sugar. Sugar and highly refined carbohydrates, including white bread and rice, french fries and sugar-laden sodas, can increase acne and speed aging by causing glycation - the result of sugar breaking down and bonding with protein molecules - which reduces the elasticity of collagen in your skin."

Foods to include and foods to avoid for radiant skin

Include: Water, oily fish such as salmon and sardines, avocado, berries, citrus fruit, nuts, seeds, green vegetables, red wine in moderation, green tea, rooibos tea, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, and plain yogurt.

Exclude or limit: Processed foods, sugar, wheat, preservatives, trans-fatty acids, dairy products, excess salt, excess alcohol.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.perriconemd.com/category/the+doctor/philosophy.do
http://www.derm.net/meet-the-doctors/doctor-bios/1-dr-leslie-baumann
http://www.peertrainer.com/diet/dr_perricone_diet.htm

About the author:
Fleur Hupston is a professional freelance writer. She is passionate about living as natural a life as possible and reducing damage to the environment wherever possible. She spends a lot of time researching and writing about alternate medicines and healthy, green living, and manages to find the time to home-school her two daughters.