Why Weight?

Does This Diet Make Me Look Old?

By Bob on October 8, 2014 4:40 AM

Did you ever stop and think that what you eat has an impact on how you look? Me neither.

I know that eating healthy makes me feel better. But how I look? How can that be? Luckily for those of us (translation: me) who are wellness challenged, the scientists have it all figured out. And the answer is really pretty obvious when you think about it. 

Since aging is basically a chronic inflammatory state, eating poor quality foods such as trans fats cause inflammation. That's not good for the aging process. Simply put, eating crap can make you look older. 

Eating too much sugar or processed foods like pasta, bread, and baked goods can damage your skin's collagen (the stuff that keeps your skin springy and resists wrinkles). Even worse, those inflammatory thingy's (doctors call them AGEs -- Advanced Glycation End-products) are bad for your overall health. They're tied to heart disease and diabetes. 

Foods like fruits and vegetables are good for our overall health. Better yet, they're good for our skin. 

Want to maintain that youthful appearance? Here are some foods you might want to dial back: 

5 Foods to Limit

1. Alcohol
That's a tough one, I know. While moderate drinking may be good for your heart, heavy drinking can rev up the aging process. That's one drink per day for women and two for men.

2. Hot Dogs, Bacon & Pepperoni
This is the holy trinity of processed meats and (be honest) most of us love 'em to death. The problem is that they're usually high in saturated fats and have nitrates. Both of these can lead to inflammation.

3. Potato Chips & French Fries
Want fries with that? Nope. Remember that anything that's deep-fried in oil can add to inflammation throughout your body.

4. Fatty Meats

Nobody's suggesting you go 100% vegetarian but the key to meat is to keep it lean. Take the tenderloin instead of the T-bone and look for ground beef that's at least 95% lean. 

5. Doughnuts & Sugary Pastries
You already knew this, right? They're packed with sugar and they produce those wrinkle-generating AGEs.

Why Weight? is a column on diet, nutrition and making better choices so you can live a longer healthier life. The authors are not doctors and nothing here should be taken as medical advice. Always consult your physician before making any changes in diet, exercise, nutrition or cell phone provider (Let's face it doctors are just really, really smart, they know a lot about a lot of stuff). Our goal is simple: We want all Baby Boomers to live long enough to get back the money they've paid into Social Security. Remember, your children's inheritance isn't going to spend itself. It's up to you.

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