It might surprise you to hear that what you eat can play a huge role in the ageing process. As you age, your body changes and your dietary needs change too. It is important to eat a variety of foods that provide the nutrients your body needs to function properly at that particular point in time.

Ageing is a natural process that happens to everyone. As you age, your skin becomes thinner and less elastic. You may also notice wrinkles, age spots, and dryness (we certainly have!). These changes are a normal part of ageing.

You can help keep your skin healthy by eating a healthy diet and using sunscreen when you are outdoors.

But what is a ‘healthy’ diet, anyway? While it is common knowledge that eating fruits and vegetables can help you maintain your youthful glow, did you know that you can do some additional dietary adjustments to maximise the benefits of your food intake to your skin?

Dr Anthony Youn, better known as "America's most holistic plastic surgeon" has revealed some diet tips that can help decelerate your skin's ageing.

So, are you ready to find out how?

Credit: YouTube/Doctor Youn​

1. Consume recommended servings of healthy fats

We are constantly being bombarded with new diet fads and trends. It can be hard to know what to believe and what to ignore. However, one thing that has been shown to be beneficial for overall health is eating healthy fats.

For a long time, we were taught that fat was bad for us. This led to the development of low-fat and non-fat products in the 90s and early 2000s. However, these products often replaced fat with sugar, which comes with its own health concerns. We are now learning that it is not fat itself that is bad for us, but rather the type of fat.

There are healthy fats that are actually good for us, such as monounsaturated fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats can help to reduce inflammation and moisturise our skin from the inside out. Foods that are rich in healthy fats include wild-caught fish, avocados, olives, and nuts.

Dr Youn said: "These healthy fats can actually reduce inflammation and they can help moisturise your skin from the inside out."

2. Avoid dairy

The surgeon explained: "The problem with dairy is that it is inflammatory. There are proteins in it that our body does not typically react well to, and their sugars as well, like lactose, that a lot of people don't react to as well."

"So, if you've got issues with inflamed skin, if you've got acne, especially if you're an adult, one of the first things I recommend is to reduce the amount of dairy that you eat because you're going to reduce the inflammation and you just may see your skin health improve. It may also slow down the ageing process."

A plastic surgeon revealed some diet tricks to help your skin keep its elasticity, preventing it from getting wrinkled. Credit: Getty Images/Ijubaphoto.​

3. Eat regular servings of fruits and vegetables

The most common food advice that health experts (and basically, everyone else) give to keep your body healthy is to regularly consume fruits and vegetables.

But, did you know that aside from the health benefits that they provide, they can make your skin glow too?

Fruits and vegetables are essential for maintaining healthy skin. Antioxidants and phytonutrients found in the skins of these foods help to protect the skin and keep it looking young and radiant. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables of different colours to get the most benefit from these nutrients.

Dr Youn said that consuming phytonutrients from fruits and vegetables are "great for your skin to keep it looking young, keep it looking soft and supple, and to keep it looking hydrated".

4. Eliminate processed foods from your diet

It is no secret that processed foods are bad for our health. They are loaded with chemicals and often contain trans fats, which can wreak havoc on our bodies.

Not only do processed foods contribute to poor health, but they can also accelerate the ageing process. This is because processed foods are often inflammatory, and inflammation is a major cause of ageing.

If you want to slow down the ageing process, it is important to reduce the amount of processed foods you consume.

Consume "real" food — whole foods such as those prepared at home using unprocessed ingredients — instead, and focus on getting most of your nutrients from plants. This will help to reduce inflammation and keep your body and skin healthy and young.

5. Reduce your sugar intake

Another common piece of advice when it comes to health and diet is cutting down on your sugar intake. Sugar is one of the main culprits when it comes to wrinkles.

With the abundance of cheap processed food, a lot of us consume way too much sugar, and it shows in the form of wrinkles. If you want to reduce the number of wrinkles you have, cut down on your sugar intake.

Soft drinks are one of the biggest sources of sugar in our diet. If you want to reduce the amount of sugar you consume, consider cutting them out completely.

Surprisingly, white bread, rice, and noodles are also major sources of sugar in our diets. Many manufacturers of these staples add sugar to improve taste, so try to reduce the amount of pasta and bread that you eat.

Additionally, whole grains are a better choice than white bread because the fibre has not been stripped out.

Dr Youn emphasised: "Sugar equals wrinkles, reducing the amount of sugar you eat will help reduce the number of wrinkles you have."

Fasting can help your body get rid of toxins. Credit: GettyImages/Westend61.​

BONUS: Fasting

Research suggests that fasting can help to cleanse the body of damaging substances and promote younger-looking skin. One way to fast is to skip breakfast and lunch one day, and drink lots of fluids. This type of fasting is called intermittent fasting and can help with the process of autophagy, or cellular cleansing.

"I know people who've done the five-day fasting diet," Dr Youn quipped.

"I've seen it in my with my own eyes. I can see their skin actually glow afterwards and while they're doing it because their body is getting rid of all that unhealthy substances and helping them to look better and feel better both on the inside and on the outside."

Of course, we recommend talking to your doctor before making any dietary changes, particularly fasting.

So, there you have it, folks! Are you looking forward to trying these tips? Better yet, have you done or are still doing any of these methods? Mind sharing how you manage to maintain your routine? Looking forward to hearing from you!

 

[Zoya]

Plastic surgeon REVEALS five diet tricks to slow down the ageing process — “They can help moisturise your skin from the inside out"​

It might surprise you to hear that what you eat can play a huge role in the ageing process. As you age, your body changes and your dietary needs change too. It is important to eat a variety of foods that provide the nutrients your body needs to function properly at that particular point in time.

Ageing is a natural process that happens to everyone. As you age, your skin becomes thinner and less elastic. You may also notice wrinkles, age spots, and dryness (we certainly have!). These changes are a normal part of ageing.

You can help keep your skin healthy by eating a healthy diet and using sunscreen when you are outdoors.

But what is a ‘healthy’ diet, anyway? While it is common knowledge that eating fruits and vegetables can help you maintain your youthful glow, did you know that you can do some additional dietary adjustments to maximise the benefits of your food intake to your skin?

Dr Anthony Youn, better known as "America's most holistic plastic surgeon" has revealed some diet tips that can help decelerate your skin's ageing.

So, are you ready to find out how?

Credit: YouTube/Doctor Youn​

1. Consume recommended servings of healthy fats

We are constantly being bombarded with new diet fads and trends. It can be hard to know what to believe and what to ignore. However, one thing that has been shown to be beneficial for overall health is eating healthy fats.

For a long time, we were taught that fat was bad for us. This led to the development of low-fat and non-fat products in the 90s and early 2000s. However, these products often replaced fat with sugar, which comes with its own health concerns. We are now learning that it is not fat itself that is bad for us, but rather the type of fat.

There are healthy fats that are actually good for us, such as monounsaturated fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats can help to reduce inflammation and moisturise our skin from the inside out. Foods that are rich in healthy fats include wild-caught fish, avocados, olives, and nuts.

Dr Youn said: "These healthy fats can actually reduce inflammation and they can help moisturise your skin from the inside out."

2. Avoid dairy

The surgeon explained: "The problem with dairy is that it is inflammatory. There are proteins in it that our body does not typically react well to, and their sugars as well, like lactose, that a lot of people don't react to as well."

"So, if you've got issues with inflamed skin, if you've got acne, especially if you're an adult, one of the first things I recommend is to reduce the amount of dairy that you eat because you're going to reduce the inflammation and you just may see your skin health improve. It may also slow down the ageing process."

A plastic surgeon revealed some diet tricks to help your skin keep its elasticity, preventing it from getting wrinkled. Credit: Getty Images/Ijubaphoto.​

3. Eat regular servings of fruits and vegetables

The most common food advice that health experts (and basically, everyone else) give to keep your body healthy is to regularly consume fruits and vegetables.

But, did you know that aside from the health benefits that they provide, they can make your skin glow too?

Fruits and vegetables are essential for maintaining healthy skin. Antioxidants and phytonutrients found in the skins of these foods help to protect the skin and keep it looking young and radiant. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables of different colours to get the most benefit from these nutrients.

Dr Youn said that consuming phytonutrients from fruits and vegetables are "great for your skin to keep it looking young, keep it looking soft and supple, and to keep it looking hydrated".

4. Eliminate processed foods from your diet

It is no secret that processed foods are bad for our health. They are loaded with chemicals and often contain trans fats, which can wreak havoc on our bodies.

Not only do processed foods contribute to poor health, but they can also accelerate the ageing process. This is because processed foods are often inflammatory, and inflammation is a major cause of ageing.

If you want to slow down the ageing process, it is important to reduce the amount of processed foods you consume.

Consume "real" food — whole foods such as those prepared at home using unprocessed ingredients — instead, and focus on getting most of your nutrients from plants. This will help to reduce inflammation and keep your body and skin healthy and young.

5. Reduce your sugar intake

Another common piece of advice when it comes to health and diet is cutting down on your sugar intake. Sugar is one of the main culprits when it comes to wrinkles.

With the abundance of cheap processed food, a lot of us consume way too much sugar, and it shows in the form of wrinkles. If you want to reduce the number of wrinkles you have, cut down on your sugar intake.

Soft drinks are one of the biggest sources of sugar in our diet. If you want to reduce the amount of sugar you consume, consider cutting them out completely.

Surprisingly, white bread, rice, and noodles are also major sources of sugar in our diets. Many manufacturers of these staples add sugar to improve taste, so try to reduce the amount of pasta and bread that you eat.

Additionally, whole grains are a better choice than white bread because the fibre has not been stripped out.

Dr Youn emphasised: "Sugar equals wrinkles, reducing the amount of sugar you eat will help reduce the number of wrinkles you have."

Fasting can help your body get rid of toxins. Credit: GettyImages/Westend61.​

BONUS: Fasting

Research suggests that fasting can help to cleanse the body of damaging substances and promote younger-looking skin. One way to fast is to skip breakfast and lunch one day, and drink lots of fluids. This type of fasting is called intermittent fasting and can help with the process of autophagy, or cellular cleansing.

"I know people who've done the five-day fasting diet," Dr Youn quipped.

"I've seen it in my with my own eyes. I can see their skin actually glow afterwards and while they're doing it because their body is getting rid of all that unhealthy substances and helping them to look better and feel better both on the inside and on the outside."

Of course, we recommend talking to your doctor before making any dietary changes, particularly fasting.

So, there you have it, folks! Are you looking forward to trying these tips? Better yet, have you done or are still doing any of these methods? Mind sharing how you manage to maintain your routine? Looking forward to hearing from you!

I wish I had the mindset to fast.