11 foods that make you age faster

That beautiful, youthful, radiant and wrinkle-free skin: one day it will be a thing of the past. (Or maybe it already is. In that case, sorry for this harsh reality check.) We can’t escape it… We’re getting older. But that doesn’t mean we can’t slow down the process of turning into a raisin. If you cut the following 11 foods from your diet, your skin will age less quickly. 

Because these 11 products really kick-start the ageing process. No, there’s nothing we can do about getting older chronologically. Time keeps ticking. But perhaps that’s a good thing, because I really don’t want to remain an insecure teenager for the rest of my life. But the biological process of ageing? You can give that a helping hand. Your lifestyle affects the speed at which your body ages.

Foods that make you age: not exactly a cheerful list

How does that work? If you eat unhealthily a lot and often—lots of fats and sugars, that is—you increase your risk of health problems. Think inflammation and metabolic issues. Those problems, in turn, cause damage to your cells, reduced organ function and increased risks of age-related diseases.

That then raises your biological age. The solution: eat as healthily as possible. And avoid unhealthy foods as much as you can. I can already tell you that the list below won’t exactly make you cheerful. You’ll have to give up many of your favourite foods. So, once again: sorry.

1. High-sugar breakfast cereals

Milk with breakfast cereal: a tasty start to the day for many people. Tasty, yes, but not healthy. You’re basically eating a bowl of sugar and—surprise, surprise—that’s not good for you. Lots of sugar causes a spike in your blood sugar level. If that happens continuously, it can lead to insulin resistance and metabolic problems. And that, in turn, contributes to accelerated ageing processes in our bodies. Oh, and one more thing: a diet high in sugar doesn’t do much for your skin either. It damages collagen and elastin, the miracle substances that keep skin firm and youthful. Forget all those anti-wrinkle creams. You simply need to eat less sugar!

2. Hot dogs and bacon

Bad news for the meat lovers among us. The occasional slice of bacon with your eggs or a hot dog eaten straight from the bun really isn’t that bad. But do you eat such fatty meats very often? Then you should take a closer look at your diet. Processed red meat is packed with saturated fats and preservatives. These stimulate chronic inflammation, which accelerates the biological ageing process. What’s more, they increase your risk of age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease. Fatally bad for you, then.

3. Alcohol

Oh, this one hurts. You knew it was coming, but seeing it there in black and white still hits hard. Alcohol doesn’t do much for your young, fit and toned body. Having a drink every now and then is fine. But drinking heavily every weekend like you did when you were 16 (when it was still allowed!)? No, not very smart. Alcohol accelerates the ageing process in three ways. First, you urinate more often, which dehydrates you and makes lines and dull patches on your skin appear more quickly. Second, alcohol interferes with the absorption of essential nutrients, putting your cellular health at risk and encouraging cognitive decline. And third, too much alcohol can cause liver damage, while a healthy liver is crucial for a healthy, fit body. It’s actually quite ironic that we ‘toast to good health’, isn’t it?

4. Products made with refined grains

I find this even more painful than alcohol. We’re talking about pasta and white bread, and those happen to be my favourite foods in the whole world. These products are made from refined grains. That means they have been stripped of all the fibre and nutrients found in the grains—the very things that make grains healthy. Refined grains cause rapid spikes in your blood sugar level. If these spikes occur often, they can cause inflammation and metabolic problems. And those two just happen to fuel the ageing process considerably.

5. Sugary soft drinks

You probably knew that soft drinks aren’t exactly good for you. But did you also know that, biologically speaking, they make you age faster? The sugar causes—there they are again—spikes in your blood sugar level. The inflammation and metabolic problems that follow accelerate the ageing process. In the long term, they can also cause diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. All age-related physical problems we’d rather avoid. Better skip that cola when you’re thirsty (or are you now realising what a ticking time bomb a rum and cola is…)

6. Anything deep-fried

NO! It’s getting more painful by the minute. I’m only now realising how much unhealthy food there is on my list of favourite foods (‘anything deep-fried’ is a favourite dish, yes). Chips, frikandellen, chicken nuggets, cheese soufflés: they’re all packed with trans fats. These increase the risk of inflammation and metabolic problems and yep, that makes you biologically older. Deep-frying oil that is reused time and again is a particularly big culprit here. Time to switch en masse to the Airfryer after all?

7. Restaurant food

Yes, you can carry me away now. Are we not even allowed to eat out anymore if we want to stay toned, young and fit?! We may not always think about it, but many dishes on restaurant menus are packed with unhealthy fats, sugars and salt. Sugars and salt in particular increase the risk of metabolic disorders, such as obesity and high blood pressure, and these are linked to accelerated ageing processes. Of course (and fortunately), not every dish on the menu is bad. And the same applies here: every now and then, you can absolutely go all out and enjoy a delicious meal out.

8. Food from delis

Delis are a genuinely American concept. In the Netherlands, we mainly know them as places where you can get delicious delicacies, from sandwiches to cheese and cured meats. As indulgent as such delicacies may feel, your body mainly experiences them as fuel for the ageing process. Cold cuts in particular often contain lots of preservatives, such as sodium and nitrates. These promote inflammation and metabolic problems, accelerating biological ageing. And then there’s all that salt…

9. Crisps

Empty your pantry—at least if you want to stay young for a nice long time. The large amount of salt in crisps can cause you to retain more fluid and raise your blood pressure. As a result, your blood vessels and other organs may age more quickly. Plus, the trans fats in crisps don’t do you much good either. They can damage cells and set ageing in motion. Better snack on carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes in the evening. It can be quite sociable too. Well, sort of…

10. Cookies, muffins and other sugary baked goods

No birthday without cake. It’s a shame that cake (and muffins, cookies and doughnuts) also makes you age just a little faster. Baked goods are packed with refined flour, sugars and sometimes trans fats too. The amount of sugar threatens collagen and elastin, the substances that keep your skin young and firm. Trans fats and sugars are also both triggers for inflammation and metabolic problems. That’s going to be quite a party, without cake, crisps, alcohol, fried food, soft drinks…

11. Syrups and treacles

Treacle on your pancake, a little agave syrup in your tea… Treacles and syrups are all delicious sweeteners. And every single one of them is a poor choice if you want to slow down your biological clock. They cause spikes in your blood sugar level, can damage collagen and elastin and increase the risk of age-related diseases. The alternative? Er… Nothing. Honey, you might think, but that too ultimately consists of sugar. Time to kick your sugar addiction, perhaps?

Also read:

• Huh: these 5 ‘healthy’ products contain more salt than a bag of crisps
• Expert tips: how to avoid all that unhealthy, ultra-processed food in the supermarket
• These are the unhealthiest sweet and savoury sandwich toppings

Source: Eat This