Shun the Sugar for Sweeter-looking skin!

Shun the Sugar for Sweeter-looking skin!

By Leanne Rangel, MA, Aesthetician

Here are a few reasons to really watch sugar, not only for your waistline but your skin too!

1. Aging
I believe that inflammation is at the basis of aging in all organ systems, including the skin. One of the reasons inflammation occurs is from a rapid rise in blood sugar, which causes biochemical changes in the cell that result in accelerated aging. You can have deterioration of the brain or the heart muscle, and likewise of the skin. Of the internal causes of inflammation, one of the big ones is diet. In addition to biochemical changes, sugar causes damage to the skin in another way: When blood sugar goes up rapidly, sugar can attach itself to collagen in a process called "glycation," making the skin stiff and inflexible. Losing this elastic resilience of young skin will give you deep wrinkles and make you look old.

2. Acne
Acne is caused by a number of different factors, and is not limited to oily skin patients. Patients with dry/sensitive or normal skin types may have acne symptoms too. One driver of acne is the skin trying to protect itself. When the skin barrier is damaged, the skin reacts by creating inflammation and producing more oil (sebum). The inflammation and excess sebum creates the perfect environment for bacteria and yeast to grow, causing infection and leading to acne. Sugar changes our hormone status in our body by increasing insulin. This causes many other hormonal changes, some of which can result in acne.

Again, we want to eliminate sugar as much as possible to help alleviate the above factors.

-Leanne Rangel, MA, Aesthetician

A.G.E.S, Sugar and the Aging Process

A.G.E.S, Sugar and the Aging Process

By Kathi Bratberg, RN, MS Holistic Nutrition

What are A.G.E.S. and why are they a problem?  Glad you asked! The following information could significantly improve your long-term health.

A.G.E.S. stands for Advanced Glycation End Products. They are a complex group of compounds produced in the body from the interaction of sugar and amino acids (protein). Translated, this means all of the sugar we are eating is causing incredible inflammation and damage to our bodies. This is showing up as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's, autoimmune diseases, cancer and overall aging (think wrinkles and sagging skin, obesity, hormone imbalances).

Do you know that Americans consume 180 pounds of sugar per person per year- that translates to ½ a pound per day? Yikes - that is a lot.  For those of you that don't eat sugar - keep up the good work!

It is not just sugar that is causing the problem- it is all the other processed, high carb foods such as breads, pizza, pasta, pastries, cookies, rolls, bagels, soda and candy.  This stuff is so prevalent in our food supply and so hard to give up because it is very addicting.  Artificial sugars have their own share of problems, so we do not recommend these either. Our favorite sweetener is Stevia.

Another problem is that Americans eat a lot of fructose, mostly in the form of high fructose corn syrup.

This unnatural sweetener has to be broken down in the liver and ends up being stored as fat (VLDL and triglycerides), and we really don't want that in our arteries! Fructose also increases uric acid levels, leading to more low-level inflammation.  Fructose also tricks your body. It can turn off your appetite control system so you eat more and gain weight with the consequences of obesity, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and stroke. (The only fructose you should consume is the small amount you get from low glycemic fruits).

It is time to take back our health. We all have control over what we put in our mouth and how we spend our food dollars. By not buying poor quality foods, we have just voted for better products!

Healthy Foods to Eat:
Focus on whole, preferably organic, nutrient dense foods:
1. Grass fed meats
2. Pasture eggs
3. All vegetables- especially green leafy and cruciferous, onion and garlic family
4. Low glycemic fruits-especially berries, beans and legumes

Grains
Grains are a concern today with all of the Genetic Modification and hybridization. We only recommend minimal amounts of non-gluten, whole grains, such as:
1. Quinoa
2. Wild rice
3. Teff
4. Gluten free oats

Fats
Healthy fats are important for energy and healthy cell membranes. These include:
1.Unrefined coconut oil
2. Pasture butter
3. Extra virgin olive oil
4. Avocado
5. Raw nuts and seeds (avoid peanut butter)

Other tenants of good health to help reduce inflammation are exercise, optimize your Vitamin D levels (have them tested then take supplements), avoid toxic chemicals in personal care and cleaning products as much as you can, and don't smoke.

My wish for you is good health.
-Kathi Bratberg RN, MS Holistic Nutrition