14 Foods That Make You Look Older

Ariel Ostad, MD, fellow at the American Academy of Dermatology, has compiled a list of 14 foods that make us look older.

1. Sweets

Too much consumption of sugar may kick-start a process called glycation. The theory: When you eat more sugar than your cells can process, the excess sugar molecules combine with proteins, creating "advanced glycation end products" (appropriately referred to as "AGES"), explains Dr. Ostad. Ultimately, AGES may damage your skin's collagen (the protein that keeps skin firm and youthful).

Unsurprisingly, too much sweet stuff is also bad for your smile. "Sugar sticks to your teeth, encouraging bacteria, decay, and discoloration," says Brian Kantor, a cosmetic dentist who practices in New York City. If you treat yourself to something sweet, swish water around your mouth afterward to remove any build-up.

2. Alcohol

A healthy liver means healthy skin. "When your liver is functioning well, toxins that could potentially affect the skin are expelled naturally through your body," says Dr. Ostad. "But if toxins build up in your liver, and aren't broken down properly, your skin can develop a variety of issues, like acne, sallowness, and wrinkles." Drinking can also trigger rosacea outbreaks.

To top it off, alcohol will dehydrate you and interrupt your sleep cycles, which contributes further to the unnatural aging of your body.

3. White wine

White wine falls into its own category because of its surprising dental damage. While a glass of red will give you instant "wine mouth," the acid in white wine damages your enamel and makes your teeth more prone to longer-lasting stains. So if you always end your day with a glass of chardonnay, your teeth may be more vulnerable to those coffee stains the next morning.

What’s important to remember is that you shouldn’t brush your teeth right after drinking white wine – it will cause further damage to your enamel. Wait at least an hour.

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4. Charred meat

That black char on your burger? It may contain pro-inflammatory hydrocarbons, which could present a problem since inflammation damage the collagen in your skin

You can still eat BBQ – just scrape off the charred bits before you do.

5. Salty foods

Even if you’re trying not to add salt to your food, but that doesn't guarantee your intake is low.

That’s because many canned foods have tons of sodium in them to preserve them. That sodium will stay in your body and cause water retention, making you look puffy and bloated.

Stay away from salty foods if you don’t want to feel bloated and puffy the next day – particularly in your face.

6. Processed meats

Think: Deli meat, sausage, salami and bacon. "Many of these meats have sulfites and other preservatives, which can trigger inflammation in the skin, and accelerate your aging and make you look older. Plus the salt in them will boost your water retention and make you look puffy.

7. Spicy food

Spicy food aggravates rosacea-prone skin, but it can also do damage during menopause. "It's believed that the blood vessels in the skin are more reactive then," says Dr. Ostad. Since spicy food dilates your blood vessels, menopausal women may find their skin looking blotchy and less youthful during this time. Don't worry about indulging in the occasional spicy curry, but regular flare-ups could lead to spider veins, puffiness, and/or permanent redness, says Dr. Ostad. Order your food mild when possible.

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8. Red meat

"Fatty meat generates free radicals," says Dr. Ostad. Free radicals are in search of missing electrons, they snag electrons from healthy cells, damaging them in the process. This damage ultimately affects your skin's ability to protect itself and generate collagen.

The way to prevent this is similar to a lot of advice about being healthy – eat in moderation. You don’t have to cut burgers out of your diet, but don’t eat them every day if you want healthy looking skin.

9. Energy drinks

Energy drinks may make you feel like you have the pep of a kid, but they have a not-so-youthful effect on your teeth. In fact, teeth exposed to energy drinks were stripped of more enamel than sports drinks, according to a General Dentistry study. Energy drinks were also found to be more acidic—no coincidence there. (Remember: Acidity makes your teeth more vulnerable to stains.) If you really need your energy drink fix, sip from a straw: "The less contact with your teeth, the better," says Kantor.

10. Lemonade

All citrus will strips your enamel, but lemons may be the worst of the worst: lemon juice created the most damage to enamel on your teeth compared to orange and grapefruit juice, in a General Dentistry study. "Add the sugar in lemonade to the equation, and you have enamel wear from the acid, plus plaque buildup from the sugar, creating stains and decay," says Kantor. As with energy drinks, sip from a straw if you must.

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11. Anything caffeinated

"Caffeine is like any other diuretic; it can make you excrete fluid, and deplete your body of moisture," says Dr. Hirsch. And yes, that includes your skin: "Anything dehydrating can dehydrate your skin, making it look dull and aged."

Good news: It's simple to combat the consequences of one too many cups of coffee. "Moisturizer, hands down, is the easiest way to look younger instantly," says Dr. Hirsch. Try one that has hyaluronic acid, a super-moisturizing ingredient that holds 1,000 times its weight in water.

12. Trans fats

Besides being harmful for the heart trans fats may also cause your skin to age. "It promote inflammation," says Dr. Ostad. (Inflammation is also bad news for your collagen.) Plus, the unhealthy fats may make you more vulnerable to UV damage, which is the number-one cause of aging, according a preliminary mouse study published in Lipids. Don't be fooled by a label that says "0g trans fat," as it can still contain under 0.5g of the artificial fat. Make sure to avoid products that list a partially hydrogenated oil on the ingredient label, too.

13. Coffee

Coffee not only stains the teeth, replacing the pearly whites of the younger years, but also dehydrates the body, which cause the skin to dry out and look less youthfully plump. The wrinkles around the eyes become more prominent when the body’s not properly hydrated.

14. Black tea

People who drink tea often can have stained teeth due to the high tannin content. However, a study published in the Journal of Dental Hygiene reveals that the casein in milk reduces the risk of tooth stains, while the citric acid contained in the lemon makes your enamel more porous and your teeth more vulnerable to stains

Source: health

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