The truth is that one of the best ways to prevent early ageing processes within both the skin and the body is to develop healthy nutrition habits. This works best when the habit starts early and is continued as a constant, normal lifestyle. The following good habits will start you on the right path. Remember that this will not necessarily reverse the ageing process; it can help it keep from getting worse and add a healthy glow to your skin.
Eat a balanced diet, rich in fiber.
Most of what you eat should be in breads (which includes pasta and rice but does not includes sweets like cake and cookies), fruits, and vegetables. 35% of your daily carbohydrates should be whole grain products and complex carbohydrates. 29% of your carbohydrates should be from fruits and vegetables and 15% should be in proteins from meats and dairy (or soy) products.
Remember to get about 20% of your diet in good fats (Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils). The recommended fiber amount is especially important in people who are 60 years old and up. Taking more fiber than recommended can be unhealthy for your gastrointestinal tract, so follow the recommended amounts. Inconsistency in your daily nutrient and calorie ratio leads to muscle loss and this loss makes skin look aged and sagging.
Lubricate your system from the inside by consuming plenty of fluids
The majority of drinks should be water. Because your skin requires much water to retain health through proper moisture and toxin removal, the amount of fluids (this includes pure juices and water but excludes sodas, tea, coffee, etc) that you take into your body is extremely important. The body weight is actually about 60% water, constant replacement of this is necessary; without it your skin becomes sunken and sallow.
Besides healthier skin, drinking more water can help aching joints, headaches, healing, hot flashes, lack of energy, and lethargy. This is due to dehydration, which in extreme can be fatal. The reason that most of your fluid should be water with a smaller amount of pure juices is because these drinks do not act as diuretics, meaning that they do not draw moisture from the body.
Caffeine does act as a diuretic so it should be taken in very small amounts or not at all. Dehydration also causes the ageing process to accelerate. Because proper fluid intake increases overall health and increases energy, the skin keeps a glow to it giving the appearance of younger skin.
Break your eating habits down.
Eat five small meals a day with a healthy snack rather than eating three large meals a day and consuming too many sweets in between meals. Make a commitment to go now longer than 4 hours without eating a small, healthy (balanced) meal. By consuming your daily nutrients and calories this way, you are offering your body a constant supply of energy which helps your skin to glow while skipping meals tends to create eating binges late in the day.
By skipping meals and creating the late binge eating and resultant calorie consumption, you are setting yourself up for weight gain, which ends up stretching your skin. With weight loss, the skin usually sags which is something we want to avoid when we are using anti aging techniques.
Skipping meals is often done in an attempt to lose weight, but the result is actually the opposite because food deprivation actually slows the metabolism. Sluggish metabolism leads to even more weight gain and stretching of the skin. By eating small meals throughout the day, you are offering your body a constant supply of food and metabolism remains stable.
Eat less saturated fat.
Your body actually needs about 20 grams of fat per day. This is not trans fat, hydrogenated, or partially hydrogenated fat, but in the good fats, Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils. These oils should also be balanced with one another. The good fat intake is especially important because your tissues are comprised of protein cells which stick together by fat cells.
Because your skin is constantly in a renewal process, too little fat intake shows ageing in the skin very quickly as the fat cells are not there to provide the necessary cushion. In contrast, too much fat builds in the body, first affecting the skin. In attempts at anti ageing skin, many women undergo plastic surgery; these surgeries often consist of removal of fat pockets and excess skin. You can see that proper intake of good fats is important to keep your skin healthy and young looking.
