Sugar is harmful to the skin by Best Facials Singapore
You must have heard that sugar is one of the 3 whites to reduce for a healthy skin. The 3 whites are simple carbohydrate, sugar and salt.
You must also have heard many skincare products uses anti-glycation as one of its key anti-aging ingredient or treatment plan. Simply put, it is trying to reduce the sugar effect (glycation) which prevent collagen production and cause skin to loose its elasticity.
In both instances, Â if you reduce the intake of sugar, it will benefit not only the skin but also the whole body. We all understand well that isolated body health is not possible. Hence, a glowing face is a sign of a healthy body with optimum heart, lungs, liver and gut health.
In this blog, let’s deep dive into the bittersweet truth about sugar.
Sugar and ageing
* Research has helped us understand how sugar has such effects on skin. Collagen and elastin proteins are highly susceptible to an internal chemical reaction within the body called glycation. When protein (collagen) and sugar reacts, it forms lines and wrinkles. It also causes the skin to look sallow, and slack appearance instead of looking plump and vibrant .
Sugar and acne
* Does sugar cause acne? Yes. It causes imbalanced hormones and inflammation Sugar stimulates pancreas to create insulin which puts extra stress on the liver to process extra blood sugar. As the liver is also responsible to process hormones, the link between sugar and acne becomes clear.
Acid alkaline balance
* Our body needs a pH of 7.4 and even a small shift of that can cause serious consequences. The body needs to naturally survive and it will do its best to maintain this alkaline condition by taking minerals like calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium from vital organs and bones to neutralize the acid. If we focus on eating food which does not topple this condition, we will have less inflammatory internal environment, where essential minerals and internal organs can work well.
What are foods that can cause acidity?
1) Proteins, sugars, coffee, alcohol and red meat are acid-forming foods. Swap it with lentils and beans for your protein intake.
2) Dairy is also acid-forming, so swap it with coconut, yogurt and goat cheese
3) Drink loads of water. Infuse it with lemon, mint and cucumber to make it more interesting. Also, one should note that our internal acid/alkaline balance does not refer our stomach. The stomach needs to be acidic in order to digest food. Lemons and limes, are acidic but once metabolised will have an alkaline effect on the body. This applies to pineapples, raspberries, tangerines, watermelons and onions.
You may also be interested in Healthy liver, healthy skin by Best Facials Singapore and Skin Superfoods
Hope you’ve enjoyed this series of blogs from Best Facial and Spa East Coast Singapore ~ Angels Dream Spa.
