Today health foods are flooded in the Indian market and awareness is increasing that refined sugar is not only harmful for our waistline but also shows deleterious effect on blood sugar level.
With such negative press sugar is receiving from doctors and dietitians, I thought it is time to decipher about skin care ramifications and the results are not good.
World’s best dermatologist and skin care experts agree that a diet high in sugar is a disaster for the over all well-being of the skin. According to me, it’s a waste of your hard earned money on expensive skin care products, if you are still binging into a diet high in sugar. We can moisturize skin from outside with creams but we need to feed and stimulate the growth of strong cells from inside too and sugar will sabotage it.
The major problem with sugar is that it makes the skin lose its plump, i.e. the elastic quality, which underlies the youthful appearance. This happens due to a process called glycation. Sugar attaches itself to a protein in the body and produces harmful molecules called advanced glycation end products.
This reduces the effectiveness of elastin and collagen, major proteins in the skin that help maintain its youthful appearance. If you persistently eat a high sugar diet, then as a result collagen and elastin become more rigid, so it is easier for wrinkles to form. It also becomes tough for the cells in the skin to repair normal damage. A high sugar diet also reduces the quality of the collagen in the skin.
It also shows more damaging effects due to UV rays. How much one can tolerate glycation depends upon your age, metabolism and exercise regime. It has been observed that if refined sugar is cut down to quite an extend, benefits are fruitful. The skin may seem less dry within days.
Sugar also promotes inflammation and also fluctuates hormones specially in women. This depletes antioxidants and leaves the skin vulnerable to inflammation, making it more prone to acne. Hormone overdrives our skin glands resulting in excessive sebum production and skin’s cell growth. Combination of sticky sebum and dead skin results in blocked pores.
Right diet can help women stay younger. Focus on food with a low glycemic index (GI). These cause a smaller increase in your blood sugar as compared to steeper jump from food with a high glycemic index or high GI.
Eat smaller meals often. Eating every two and a half hour will help keep your blood sugar and insulin under control. Eat lots of vegetables. Choose veggies across a range of deep and bright colors. These will provide a variety of antioxidant that dampen free radical damage and inflammation.
For more information on seeds, e-mail the writer at info@wellnessbeyonddiet.com. She can also be contacted at 08427162181
