This story has been updated since it was originally posted on 09/21/2021
We all want our skin to look and feel healthy, right? Well, beauty starts from within—so a healthy body equals healthy skin. This means that eating the right foods can do wonders for your complexion, and eating foods that are bad for you will ultimately affect your skin, causing premature signs of aging that can be extremely difficult to get rid of. And while many people have found ways to avoid using high-glycemic foods in dinners and other meals, snacking is where most of us have gotten lazy. But your snack foods can wreak havoc on your skincare if you’re not careful! There are a lot of unhealthy foods that can negatively impact your skin, but most health experts will agree one category of food is the absolute worst: high processed foods with a high glycemic index.
“Foods with a high glycemic index or processed foods can lead to worsening aging. This can result from free radical damage, increased sugar levels as well as increased exposure to advanced glycation end products which can contribute to skin aging as well as dullness and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles,” board-certified NYC dermatologist Dr. Marisa Garshick told SheFinds. To learn more about the worst processed you should avoid at all costs if you want to maintain your youthful glow over 50, we spoke to Garshick and Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, NYC-based celebrity cosmetic dermatologist and author of The Pro-Aging Playbook. They told us foods like potato chips and candy are some of the worst culprits.
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Potato Chips And Other High-Glycemic Foods
Potato chips are one of the worst offenders for your skin. While this snack is almost everyone's guilty pleasure, Dr. Frank says they can be way more harmful than you would expect. "[Don't eat] potato chips or anything that is super processed," he warns.
In addition to the high glycemic index of potato chips, another major factor when it comes to the health of your skin is the high sodium content. "Sodium increases inflammation and also causes water retention, which can make your skin puffy and give an aged appearance," Dr. Frank explains. All of that salt can also cause dark circles, breakouts, dehydration, and inflammation. Yikes!
You shouldn't think that the seemingly healthier options are the solution, either. He stresses that any sort of salty chip can be detriment to your skin, which "can include baked or 'healthy alternatives' that may be lower in calories, but can be sky high in sodium."
Dr. Yoram Harth, another board-certified dermatologist also warns against eating chips, as well as and other processed foods like boxed cereal, sweetened baked goods, candy, fried foods, white bread, because they spike blood sugar levels—meaning they are all high glycemic.
He told us, "These choices cause our glucose levels to rise quickly, triggering an increase in growth hormones. This leads to enlargement of the sebaceous oil glands, more sebum production, and ultimately, more acne breakouts. Therefore, high-glycemic foods should be limited or entirely removed from the diet in people with acne-prone skin."
If your skin is started to show signs of age, chances are that your diet is the problem - rather than your actual age! Take a close look at everything you eat, making sure that you're not only eating healthy meals, but also healthy snacks.
There are a ton of snacks that have been found to promote a healthy complexion, like blueberries, nuts and even dark chocolate, because these options are loaded with antioxidants. If you trade your chips for these healthy alternatives, you'll be on your way to younger-looking skin!
