When you’re getting ready to look your best for a big event, it’s important to avoid foods that can mess with your skin or make you look puffy. By reducing them in your diet for a few days, you’ll really see a difference.
Here are the foods that make you look tired, foods and drinks that you should avoid when you need to look great. From excessive sugar and salt to trans fats and heavily processed foods, here are the worst choices for looking fresh.
1. Sweets
Sugar and refined carbs can have a negative effect on the collagen in your skin, making it lose its elasticity. Whether you’re eating too many sweets or a lot of carbohydrates, the result is the same, inflammation and a lot of advanced glycogen end products (AGEs), which can contribute to sagging skin and puffy bags under your eyes. Avoid foods with a lot of sugar particularly in the morning, since they’ll fuel more sugar cravings throughout the day.
2. Salty Foods
If you’re eating too much sodium in your diet, you’re not just risking heart disease, but also dehydration. Foods that make you look tired can have high levels of salt, whether you realize it or not. If you’re not careful and you get dehydrated after eating too much sodium, your skin won’t look its best. Even if you won’t go on a low sodium diet, eat less salt before a big event.
3. Red Meat
When you eat red meat regularly, you’re more likely to develop wrinkles, and the long term effect is that your skin will age faster. The aging effect has to do with carnitine, a compound found in red meat with a negative effect on your blood vessels. You can reduce the impact it has on your look by sticking to a single serving of red meat per week.
4. Artificial Sweeteners
Don’t think that you can avoid sugar by using artificial sweeteners. Aspartame can also contribute to inflammation, which is foods with artificial sweeteners are among the foods that make you look tired. Also, artificial sweeteners can increase your cravings for sugar, and even if you manage to avoid any sweets, you might end up eating more carbs.
5. Fried Foods
Most fried foods have a bad effect on your arteries, but they can also contribute to plenty of skin issues. Eating too many fried foods also means your diet includes a lot of trans fat, the worst kind of fat for your skin. Avoid any fried foods the night before when you plan on looking great for a special event.
See also: 10 Low Calorie Foods That Give You Energy
6. Spicy Foods
Anything that’s too spicy also falls into the category of foods that make you look tired. Spicy foods don’t just make you sweat, they can also contribute directly to breakouts and irritation. Going too far with spicy treats can also dilate your blood vessels and cause an uneven skin tone, so stick to more mild favors instead of trying to cover up redness with foundation and concealer.
7. Alcoholic Drinks
Dehydration is also a danger when it comes to alcohol, and that doesn’t just make your skin look dull, it can also cause puffiness, especially in the eye area. If you plan on having more than one drink, make sure that you’re also hydrating with plenty of water. Drinking in the evening is particularly dangerous if you don’t drink enough water.
8. Processed Meats
From hamburgers to cold cuts, heavily processed meats aren’t just a big source of trans fat, they can also contain preservatives that contribute to inflammation. That’s why they some of the worst foods that make you look tired. Stick to fresh cuts and avoid any processed meat that’s deep fried.
More: 10 Lazy Ways to Stay Thin
9. Caffeine
Just like alcohol, caffeine can dehydrate you, and the effects will show on your skin. Don’t just cut back on coffee, make sure that you’re also avoiding energy drinks and sodas if you don’t want to look tired. Too much caffeine will also ruin your beauty sleep, making you look tired and older.
10. Skipping Meals
If your only choices are foods that make you look tired or nothing, you’re better off eating than skipping a meal. Breakfast is particularly important, but any skipped meal can have negative effects on your skin and make you look tired. You’ll also have to deal with cravings for all the wrong foods if you ignore your hunger.
