As you age, the foods you eat begin to affect your health in different ways. What your body accepted at age 20 may give you severe allergies at age 40. And so, according to experts, it is important to stick to a healthy diet all the time to help you maintain a fit body and glowing, youthful skin.

Your biological age – the age of cells and tissues – is mostly influenced by your genes and lifestyle habits like diet. And so, studies believe that at least 15 percent of your daily calories from ultra-processed foods makes you biologically older than your chronological age.

Ultra-processed foods have also earned a bad reputation—because they’re loaded with calories, sugar, fat, and sodium. Some of these things you need to live a healthy life include:

Sugar

According to studies, excess sugar increases the risk of biological aging as well as various life-threatening diseases like heart attack and diabetes. High amounts of sugar in the blood damage your cells, causing chronic inflammation – which leads to obesity and liver damage in the long run.

Experts say that ultra-processed foods account for about 60 percent of daily calorie intake in the US.

processed meats

Processed and frozen meats, while delicious, are full of preservatives and salt. And so, your bacon, sausage, ham and deli cuts, which are smoked and cured so they can last a long time without spoiling, making them dangerous to your health and skin.

According to experts, sodium and chemical preservatives cause inflammation which weakens your body inside and out. While doctors consider a little inflammation good for your body’s cells to heal, too much inflammation leads to heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

Liquor

Alcohol increases the risk of normal aging and premature aging of the brain. Chronic alcohol consumption causes excessive dehydration which dries out your skin as well as causing DNA damage in telomeres, which are repetitive DNA sequences that protect the ends of chromosomes. Telomere length is an indicator of biological aging.

While heavy drinkers are more likely to get liver cirrhosis — which is permanent damage — even moderate drinking can lead to problems like fatty liver disease. This can also make it difficult for your kidneys to function properly.

soda and energy drinks

Drinking sugary soda at least twice a week has been shown to age your body faster and also increases your risk of disease and early death.

According to experts, fizzy drinks mainly contribute to obesity and type-2 diabetes – which accelerate ageing. People who reported drinking a 350ml bottle of fizzy drink per day had common changes in the DNA of cells that were 4.6 years old.

spicy food

Although you may like your food hot, your body may not be able to tolerate the heat. Experts say spicy food can cause your blood vessels to swell and even break – leaving purple spots on your face. If you have rosacea – a common skin condition in women after menopause, the heat of the spice may cause skin irritation.

Spicy foods can also increase your body temperature, so you sweat to cool back down. When sweat mixes with bacteria on your skin, it can cause breakouts and spots.

According to a study, consumption of hot and spicy food is also linked to Alzheimer’s-related cognitive decline.

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