Rice Cakes

Supermodels and women who wanted to be them used to say that rice cakes were the best way to lose fat. But now we know that they raise your blood sugar, which makes wrinkles appear faster. How? The cakes' simple carbs are broken down by your body in the same way that sugar is: they are turned into glucose. Valori Treloar, MD, a dermatologist and author of The Clear Skin Diet, says that once they've been changed, they stick to proteins like collagen that help fight wrinkles and hurt them.


Candy

In our society that loves candy, puberty is often thought of as having pimples. "But in countries without diets heavy in processed sugar, kids go through puberty without acne," he says. This finding is a pretty good sign that the Snickers bar you keep in your desk drawer may be causing your adult acne, even if you're not a kid anymore. To make things even worse, sugar breaks down collagen and elastin, which are proteins that keep skin soft, flexible, and bouncy.



"Healthy" Cereal

Don't be fooled by the good-looking package. The glycemic index (a way to test how a food affects blood sugar) shows that whole grains are usually lower than white grains. However, many "healthy" cereals are actually very processed and have a lot of added sugar. Treloar says that this means they can cause glucose levels to rise, which can cause wrinkles.

Milk

It might be good for your body, but what about your skin? Not really. Especially the kind that skims. "Milk can be full of growth hormones and growth factors that remain biologically active even after pasteurization," says Treloar. "Studies show that they appear to make their way into our blood stream where they can affect insulin, cause inflammation, and ramp up oil production." This led to breakout city. Everyone: you. Organic milk might be a good choice because it only has naturally occurring hormones and not added ones like non-organic milk does. However, more study is needed to say for sure if organic milk won't be bad for skin.

Chips

Because they are full of processed carbs, these snacks make inflammation worse, which in turn causes oxidative stress that damages DNA and collagen. It will get worse over time, giving you more fine lines, wrinkles, and an old look, says Farris. A study published in 2014 in The Journal of Drugs in Dermatology also found that processed carbs are the main cause of the rise in adult acne.



Secretly Sugary Smoothies

About three times the amount that is suggested, Americans eat 22 teaspoons of sugar every day. Some of the worst sources of sugar are hidden, and smoothies are one of the worst. But it's not the sugar that comes from fruit that's bad. Smoothies that you buy in a bottle or that are made to order from stores may have juice, frozen yogurt, or even sherbet added to the recipe. All of these are high in sugar. If you make them at home with only healthy things like yogurt or nut milk that hasn't been sweetened, you won't get the sugar bomb.



Agave

This sugar substitute is made from different kinds of agave plants and is said to be better for you. However, it often has more fructose than even high fructose corn syrup. "Fructose is metabolized by your liver where it not only turns into fat, but is much more efficient at breaking down collagen than regular table sugar," he says. This means that switching from sugar to agave, which seems like a healthy change, may make your crow's feet stand out more.

Juices and Sodas

You already know that most juices are just sugary drinks; in fact, many of them have as much sugar as a soda. You might not know this, but the reason they are so bad for your face is that they don't have enough fiber. Blood sugar changes that age skin too quickly can be avoided by eating fiber. If you don't have it, lines will appear.

Fast Food

Sticky spots can happen if you choose drive-thru lanes, where the food has a high GI and a lot of fatty fat. A study in the Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology shows that Western diets, which tend to be high in GI and high in fast food, are linked to more acne lesions than a low-GI, high protein diet.

Margarine

Fats are important for keeping skin soft, but not all fats are the same. Some, like the trans fats that are common in margarine, may also make you lose water. A study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that people who ate more margarine had more wrinkles on their skin.

Lesson Summary

Rice Cakes are now known to cause a spike in blood sugar, speeding up the formation of wrinkles. The simple carbs in rice cakes are metabolized by the body like sugar, converting to glucose, which can damage wrinkle-fighting proteins like collagen.

• Candy, especially those heavy in processed sugar, can lead to acne breakouts by degrading collagen and elastin, key proteins for supple skin.
• Many "healthy" cereals are refined and packed with added sugar, causing glucose spikes that contribute to wrinkles. Opt for whole grains lower on the glycemic index.
• Milk, particularly skim milk, can contain growth hormones that remain active and impact insulin, inflammation, and oil production, potentially causing breakouts.
• Chips, high in refined carbs, can trigger inflammation leading to DNA and collagen damage, resulting in fine lines, wrinkles, and an aged appearance.
• Smoothies from stores or chains may be sugar bombs due to added sweeteners like juice or frozen yogurt. Opt for homemade versions with healthy ingredients.
• Agave, often seen as a healthier sugar alternative, may have more fructose than high fructose corn syrup, leading to collagen breakdown and visible aging signs.
• Juices and sodas lacking fiber can cause blood sugar swings that accelerate skin aging, contributing to wrinkles.
• Fast Food, with its high glycemic index and saturated fats, has been linked to more acne lesions compared to low-GI, high protein diets.
• Margarine, containing trans fats, can impact hydration and has been associated with increased skin wrinkling in studies.