Your love for constant munching and gorging on junk food could be speeding up your ageing process and making you look older in appearance than you actually are. Nutrition is intricately related to your biological age and piling up empty calories without appropriate nutrition can lead to premature ageing. Eating a balanced diet with protein, complex carbs, fibre, vitamins, fats, and minerals on the other hand can prevent you from ageing and make you appear or feel younger. Coupled with sedentary lifestyle, high stress levels and bad sleep hygiene, wrong eating habits can take a toll on your health and lead to age-related ailments. 

Unhealthy lifestyle choices can speed up the process of biological ageing, while a healthy lifestyle can slow it down, and improve quality of your life. However, making certain lifestyle modifications like going to bed early and establishing better sleep routines, find ways to beat stress like Yoga, meditation, or doing a favourite activity, avoiding alcohol and smoking, exercising regularly, and eating a nutrient-rich diet, can reverse ageing.

FOODS THAT ACCELERATE AGEING

"So certain foods can speed up the ageing process; that's a fact and has been well researched. From sagging skin to fine lines and wrinkles, here’s the scoop on nine culprits you might want to think twice about indulging in too often. Too often being the keywords, moderation is key," says Nutritionist Minacshi Pettukola in her recent Instagram post.

1. White Bread: Made from refined grains, white bread has a high glycemic index, causing blood sugar spikes that can lead to glycation and accelerated ageing.

2. Alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption can dehydrate the skin, depriving it of vital nutrients and contributing to premature ageing, including fine lines & wrinkles.

3. Trans fats: Fried foods (trans fats)can contribute to inflammation and oxidative stress, leading to premature skin & body ageing.

4. Margarine: Due to their high levels of partially hydrogenated oils - can make skin more vulnerable to UV radiation. They also can destroy hydration barriers in your skin.

5. Pastries: While they may be delicious, pastries are often packed with refined sugars & unhealthy fats, which can promote glycation—a process that damages collagen and elastin, leading to sagging skin.

6. White sugars: This sweet culprit not only spikes blood sugar levels but also promotes inflammation & collagen breakdown, speeding up the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

7. Overly processed meats are considered carcinogens and eating them can increase risk of cellular ageing and cancer. One must avoid them to live a healthy and longer life.

8. Aerated Drinks: Loaded with sugar and artificial additives, these fizzy beverages can wreak havoc on your skin’s collagen levels, leading to premature wrinkles.

9. Packet and instant foods: Convenience comes at a cost—processed foods loaded with preservatives, artificial flavours, and refined ingredients can accelerate ageing by causing oxidative damage to cells.

By limiting these ageing accelerators and focusing on whole, nutrient-rich foods, you can nourish your body from the inside out and support a youthful glow that stands the test of time.

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