Processed Foods

Refined carbohydrates –  white bread, rice, and sugar.

These are carbohydrates that come from natural whole foods, but have been altered in some way by processing to”refine” them. Processing methods include industrial extraction, concentration/purification, and enzymatic transformation.

Refined Carbs are bad for your skin in many different ways:

Lack Nutrition

This kind of processing strips the foods of all the important nutrients we eat it for – vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc. So when you eat refined cards you are essentially eating a lot of empty calories which only adds to your waistline – which, btw, in the least of your problems – read on to find out.

Give you sugar spikes and lead to Insulin resistance

Refined carbs are quickly absorbed into the blood and the bloodstream is flooded with glucose. This surge in glucose causes your brain to send a signal to your pancreas to release a burst of insulin. These spikes in sugar and insulin can cause you to develop insulin resistance over the long term – which is the leading cause for type-2 diabetes.

Contribute to weight gain

You may find that when you eat a heavy carb meal after a blood sugar surge, your energy drops. You may also experience food cravings, which, if you’re trying to shed some pounds, can hinder your success.

Contain other harmful additives

During processing, other artificial ingredients may also be added to the foods that are inflammatory.

How is your skin affected by all this?

Any or all the above factors in turn lead to various kinds of inflammation throughout your body. Inflammation causes a break down of collagen and elastin in the skin leading to wrinkles, sagging skin, and rapid aging.

The sugar molecules also get attached to protein through a process called glycation, and form advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Skin’s collagen and elastin are especially prone to glycation. Glycation, apart from contributing to wrinkles, can also exacerbate conditions like acne and rosacea.

Avoid all ‘fast carbs’

We call any carbohydrate foods that rapidly increase your sugar level as ‘fast carbs’.