It is true that "you are what you eat," and that includes everyday food's effects on your skin. In particular, maintaining a poor diet for a long time can cause various skin problems and cause you to look older than you are.
For example, drinking too much alcohol can have a negative effect on your liver. The extra toxins in it are released into your skin, causing problems such as wrinkles and acne.
Meanwhile, overloading on sugar in sweets and sodas can start a process called glycation. When extra sugar combines with proteins the result could harm the collagen in your skin, according to Health. Collagen is a protein that keeps your skin smooth and tight.
Artificial sweeteners are not any better for skin. In fact, studies show that they can cause unwanted skin issues, such as irritation and inflammation.
Next, even if you do not use salt when cooking, many grocery items such as canned foods contain sodium to preserve the contents. Too much salt in your diet can cause you to retain water, resulting in your skin appearing puffy.
In addition, fatty meats produce free radicals, which can speed up aging. When these atoms steal electrons from healthy cells, skin becomes more vulnerable to aging.
Remember that preserved meats such as bacon, sausage, and deli meats, have preservatives. These preservatives do not preserve your skin; they make it look older than it should.
Next, caffeine can cause your body to release fluid, which in turn can remove water from your skin. The good news is that you can hydrate your skin by drinking water or applying a moisturizer.
Then there is trans fat, which is contained in foods such as margarine, according to Prevention. The trans fat could cause inflammation in your skin. That can harm its collagen and result in UV damage.
Finally, it is somewhat surprising that spicy food can be harmful to your skin. Eating too much of it can result in skin that is red or puffy, or "spider veins." So use food to spice up your life-sometimes.