You have all probably heard by now that fruits & vegetables can do wonders for your skin, and that high sugar, processed junk food is bad, but do you know specifically why sugar is bad for your skin?

Fruits & veggies contain a high amount of antioxidants which fights the free radicals that are so damaging to our skin. Sugar on the other hand does the opposite. When sugar is absorbed by the body it binds with fat and protein molecules. The result? Misshapen molecules that wreak havoc on your skin. Which part of your skin is the most vulnerable? Collagen. This damage is what causes the deep wrinkles and discoloration so many of us experience.

You may be thinking, well I can always go buy that expensive cream with all the fancy chemicals and promises of reduced wrinkle appearance and I’ll be fine. Wrong. The affect most of these creams has is temporary, not to mention all of the additional nasty chemicals that enter your bloodstream and do God knows what to your body. If you really want to prevent and potentially reverse the signs of aging, you need to start from the inside. That means eliminating sugar from your diet.

I have for the past 4 weeks been doing just that. I’ve been eating a ton of whole foods and healthy proteins, with no sugar except a treat once a week. I won’t lie, it wasn’t easy in the start, it took a good few weeks to get over the cravings, and if you know me you know how much I LOVE my dessert. Cake, cupcakes, cheesecake, ice cream, anything chocolate, you name it, I can and have eaten loads of it. I should by all accounts have horrible skin, but I’ve been fortunate enough to have not had a lot of damage to this point. I mean I’m 37 and often get mistake for 25, which has less to do with the care I take of myself and more to do with genetics. But things have a way of catching up to you, so reducing my exposure to processed foods (most of the excess sugar we consume comes in this form) will help prevent future damage and keep my eczema in check. Processed foods aggravate auto immune disorders, and most of us walk around with so much inflammation in our bodies without even knowing it!!

You can follow me on my journey, I’ll be writing about what I’m going through and the changes I’m experiencing. Or join me if you like! Just focus on whole foods (so nothing that comes in a box) and load up on the water (at least 2 litres a day).

So far in 4 weeks my eczema has significantly reduced, and the whites of my eyes are so much brighter. I do indulge once a week because it’s really hard to go cold turkey. Oh and a neat thing I’ve noticed? 20 mins after I have my little treat I fell sick and nauseous. Interesting to see just how sensitive our bodies really are.