Sugar does that too

We all have to grow old one day. Aging is a natural process and can be an enjoyable part of life if you’re living life to the fullest in good health. Instead of fretting about prolonging youth with artificial methods, we should focus on how not to speed up the aging process. Especially so because premature ageing due to poor diet and lifestyle choices often involves health problems.

“Sweet” is often associated with youth. Think terms like “Sweet young thing”, and the Harajuku fashion style in Japan where sugary-sweet pastels are commonly used to create youthful, energetic fashion coordinates. Beautifully-decorated desserts adorned with adorable colour schemes and designs, like macarons and donuts, are all the rage, drawing young women like bees to honey. And of course there’s the term "sugar high" that suggests that a sugar break is what one needs to get all energized and excited. 

Yet sugar not only contributes to a myriad of health problems, but in fact, speeds up the aging process.

Sugar is acidic, and excessive consumption of sugar can cause the blood stream to become neutral or mildly acidic, causing cells to age faster, and hairs to turn yellowish and white.

Sugar also leads to wrinkles. According to UK nutritionist, Dr Marilyn Glenville, sugar reacts with protein to create advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). These substances cause skin to be wrinkled and cell structures to harden.

Naturally-occurring sugars (think sugar within fruits) are fine as these are usually consumed with fibre, which slows down digestion of the sugar and reduces the impact it has on the blood stream. Refined sugars are the ones to beware of. Examples of refined sugars include the table sugar we use to sweeten our tea and coffee, for baking and cooking, sugar used in desserts (ice cream included, unfortunately), cookies and edible decorations on cakes and desserts, powdered sugar, also known as confectioner's sugar, commonly found sprinkled on cakes and donuts. Needless to say, sweets and chocolates are sources of refined sugar.

Don’t be fooled by natural and artificial sweeteners, which claim to offer a healthier alternative without refined sugar. Fructose, a common ingredient in natural sweeteners, sits in the liver and may lead to health issues like high cholesterol. Artificial sweeteners, on the other hand, could lead to increased appetite and consequently, weight gain. This is because the body expects calories when it detects something sweet. When that isn’t delivered, we end up seeking out more food to satisfy energy needs.

Don’t panic if you’ve spent your lifetime indulging in sweet food. It is not too late for a lifestyle change. Foods high in anti-oxidants, like blue berries, can halt skin damage caused by the AGEs. Omega 3 fatty acids cool inflammation caused by sugar. Rich sources include flaxeed oil, chia seeds, salmon, walnuts. Vitamin C stimulates collagen production and destroys free radicals that can cause premature ageing so be sure to eat your fruits and vegetables daily. 

Cut down on the refined sugar, and switch to healthier sweet alternatives, such as honey, maple syrup and brown rice syrup, which contain natural sugars. Very importantly, be sure to get your 8 hours of sleep daily. Lack of sleep slows down metabolism and inhibits hormone production. It also weakens your facial muscles, causing sagging. You’ll notice and improvement in tone and texture in your skin when you get regular, sufficient rest!





This entry was posted on Thursday, April 21, 2016 and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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