Sugar-The Secret to Swift Aging

I have a mantra that I say always, "I hate chocolate!, I hate chocolate!". I say this over and over because chocolate is an indulgence that I am waging war with.

This was especially after I received an article that made my jaw drop and also informed the title of this post. Now, I know sugar is not great for the body and all but for me, it was baffling how a substance so sweet can have ugly and life-threatening effects on the body. 

Well, after intense research, all I would say is if we can cut sugar out of our diet, we would probably be 90% healthy and in relation with stunning skin, this indulgence WOULD ABSOLUTELY make any pretty  lady lose her youthful skin in a flash to a delicious, subtle yet virulent enemy. This hits hard at the age of 30 and onwards..

Sugar is basically evil.

We all know the negative effects of sugar to our health, from obesity to diabetes, but do you know that SUGAR and SUN DAMAGE are the two main causes of thorough aging? Collagen cells are basically the secret of youth, they are vibrant and responsible for luminous and great looking skin. I found out that sugar actually curls around these collagen cells, stiffens these cells and destroys them by basically attacking these cells and making them tough and inflexible=wrinkled cells=wrinkled skin. This process is called glycation.

An article (www.livingto150.com) referred to this  as "a nightmare process which degrades important body tissues. It must be dramatically reduced if aging is to be minimized".

So high blood glucose=sugar causes tough, wrinkled cells and this occurs all through the body. Tough, inelastic connective tissue is also very damaging to organs where flexibility is vital such as  the heart, kidneys, brain, eyes and pancreas. This inflexibility leads to reduced functionality and early death and that's the reason diabetics suffer from organ ailments or failures earlier than most people because their raised blood sugar level produces greater glycation.

Now, what can stop glycation? this deadly process cannot be stopped completely but  it can (thankfully) be reduced considerably by making changes in our lifestyle and diet. Since high blood glucose encourages glycation, we must cut out sugar from our diet as much as possible. 

We need to watch and curb our intake of carbohydrates such as starchy foods (rice, pasta, grains, potatoes, bread etc), junk food or comfort food such as ice creams and chocolate.This, for me, is really a prayer point but I find that as I take more interest in what I eat and apply DISCIPLINE, its not so impossible, after all. Add large amounts of vegetables, beans, fruits to your diet rather than starchy sources. High temperature cooking also produces glycation, so its NECESSARY to eat more of raw than cooked foods such as salads fruit shakes. It is also better to steam and simmer meals rather than cooking.

Now, I must state here that this is probably one of the most serious posts I have written. Glycation is responsible for so loads of degenerative diseases and fighting against this process is not only great for the skin but could also ensure longevity. 

Exercise at least three times a week also. So, this is not only about the skin, the skin just covers what is going on inside. Lets not let our appetites reduce our life-span, we need to watch very closely what we ingest ALL THE TIME. With great health comes great skin!