In our ongoing Super Food series we have been talking about what foods are great for your skin and body. Today we are going to turn the tables and talk about what you should not eat. The three things on this list make our body feel bad and our skin sad, so let’s kick them out of our diets together!

NO SALT

In America, up to 34% of the adult population suffers from hypertension which is a leading cause of stroke and heart attack. The food culprit which adds to hypertension is a high amount of salt in your diet.  Now, adding just a pinch of salt can make a difference to a dish, but is it really just a pinch? And often canned foods and meats have so much salt already included to keep it fresh, can we really have control over how much salt we eat? The answer? The best way to gain control is to use as much fresh ingredients as possible and avoid the hidden salty foods such as bread (half a gram a slice), canned soup (three grams), cornflakes (one gram), chicken nuggets (two to three grams of salt is often contained in the coating on the nuggets) and pizza (two and a half grams).

NO CHAR or HEAVY GRILLED FOOD

The black char on food is a big “No No”! The charred parts of food often encourage the destruction of good collagen in our skin and make us more susceptible to UV damage.  Always remove the black char off your food and if you’re cooking on your own grill at home make sure to clean it well so you are not confronted with this problem in any of your future meals.

NO SUGAR!

One of the most devastating foods to our bodies is the sweets which come in all forms, colors, tastes and shapes and they are extremely tempting!  Not only does it wreck our teeth, it is the number 1 enemy for many of our health problems including: high cholesterol, liver problems, diabetes, obesity, and even cancer. Even though this is one food many of us recognize as bad it is can also be viewed by many as one of the best tasting things!  Keep in mind how addicting sugar is, here is some help on how to look the other way!

• Go cold turkey. Although the initial 48-72 hours can be tough , many find that when you cut out all simple sugars they are able to train their taste buds to be satisfied with less.
• Reach for fruit. Keep fruit handy for when sugar cravings hit. You’ll get fiber and nutrients along with some sweetness.

• Grab some gum. If you want to avoid giving in to a sugar craving completely, try chewing a stick of gum. Research has shown that chewing gum can reduce food cravings.