I will be eating an Easter egg or two come Sunday, but I’m cutting back, not just for the sake of my waistline, but also my skin. Spots don’t bother me, it’s the internal damage from something called glycation whereby protein fibres stiffen up thanks to being bombarded by sugar molecules. This causes all sorts of damage, including to precious collagen and elastin which help keep our skin looking firm and fresh.
Glycation is part of ageing, but who wants to accelerate the process by excessive gobbling.
A reduced sugar diet is undoubtedly a sensible first step to good health — and better looking skin. Aim for a lower glycemic-index diet and cut back especially on processed sugars. Up your vegetable intake and be wary of overdosing on fruits and fruit juices, for while they contain plenty of nutritional pluses, an excess of natural sugars has downsides.
Anti-ageing research is working on ways to slow the glycation process and to encourage the formation of new collagen. Skincare companies have for five or so years been promoting ranges with ingredients said to help tackle glycation, such as green tea extracts and specially developed complexes aimed at interrupting the interaction between bad molecules and good proteins.
Interrupting our excessive consumption of sugar is something that was brought home to me recently when I heard the Warriors team performance nutritionist Lee-Ann Wann speak. She is outspoken about the health risks of sugar, especially hidden sugars, and the need for clearer labelling and lower recommended consumption levels.
While skin health isn’t on the list of cautions she spells out to her athletes, the message to to cut back has made a measurable difference in team fitness and body fat levels.
“Occasional sweet treats aren’t the problem, it’s the hidden sugars,” says Wann. These include those in breakfast and sports drinks, energy bars, sauces, dressings, cereals and soups. Often added sugar shelters behind other names on labels, such as dextrose and barley malt extract.
Starting with Easter, when chocolate overload is traditional, why not consider cutting back yourself. Be discerning by choosing fair trade chocolate or smaller, better quality eggs to give or to enjoy.
As someone who just spent my last Sunday afternoon on a barbecue cooking sausages for a school sports fundraiser, I was taken by the idea that Wann spoke in support of recently. It’s a new-style of fundraiser, developed by Ecostore, to replace the boxes of sugary snacks often sold by sports teams, club and schools with sales of soap. Good Soap for a Good Cause may prove a harder sell than chocolate, but the ethics are easier to swallow. A two-pack of soap sells for $2.50 with $1 in profit from every cake going to your good cause. The plant-based soaps are free of animal tallow, synthetic dyes and other nasties and come in two fresh-smelling fragrances: Lemongrass, and Grapefruit and Mint.
To find out more about this healthy fundraiser check out www.ecostore.co.nz/fundraising
