It is no secret that when we are eating a poor diet, that there are going to be negative health effects. However, something that most people don’t think about is how these choices in diet might affect us in the future. When we gain weight and load our bodies up with unhealthy, processed foods that are full of sodium, fat, and sugar, we are setting ourselves up for failure.
A poor diet can set us up for health issues down the line, but one thing it also does that many people might not consider is give us the appearance of being older than we actually are. While it is very important to avoid the health consequences of unhealthy dieting, it is also something worth considering. If we want to appear younger and maintain our vitality in our every day lives, excess weight gain will only old us back.
It’s extremely important that we are able to feel comfortable, confident, and happy in our bodies. And there is no shame in having a little bit of extra body weight. However, it becomes an issue when our body weight is a reflection of a poor diet that is going to age us prematurely and give us health issues in the future. It is also important not to over-do it with sugar. Sugar doesn’t just make it easy to pack on the pounds – it can also be bed for your oral health an it can actually cause wrinkles and decrease the collagen in our skin, which helps it to stay elastic. With poor collagen production, our skin has a tendency to speed up in its aged appearance and can lack elasticity, which can cause breaks in the skin, wrinkles, and other blemishes like stretch marks.
Sugar, like other foods such as red meat, fried eggs, and other dairy products like cheeses, butter, etc., is also related to Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). This means that these foods can also contribute to poor collagen production and a lack of elasticity in the skin, which can cause us to appear much older than we really are.
Overall, living a healthy lifestyle is important for many reasons and in many ways. Do everything you can to be conscious of the things that you are putting into your body so that you are able to know with confidence that you are doing everything possible to prevent aging prematurely in your own life and avoid diseases that are completely preventable, but not always reversible!
Keeping this in mind, taking an active role in consuming healthy foods and avoiding excess sugar is a great way to prevent premature aging and prepare yourself for a long and happy life, starting now!