Having just been hit with the devastating news that it takes our skin 30 DAYS to recover from a hangover, it got us thinking about all the non-alcoholic guilty pleasures we put in our body and how they're sabotaging our glow (or lack thereof). Yes, we're talking food, glorious, food—everything from french fries to our ride-or-die, night-cap-essential pizza.
The bearer of more bad news? That would be Rachel Nazarian, M.D., at Schweiger Dermatology Group, who has ranked the following #FoodPorn based on how high (or low) on the glycemic index they fall...
9. Spaghetti and Meatballs: Bad, but Not Awful
More good news for pasta!
"The glycemic load (the number that estimates how much the food will raise a person's blood glucose level after eating it) is not ideal, but there's no dairy or chocolate, plus the fact that it's not typically high in sodium makes it not such a bad food for your skin."
8. Fried Chicken: Not as Bad as You'd Think
"It certainly isn't great, but being fried is really the only strike against it. There's no dairy! It's bad, but not as bad as it could be."
7. Ramen: Bad for Your Glow
"Ramen is high in sodium, which dehydrates the skin. This causes it to lose its 'bounce' and glow—albeit temporarily."
6. French Fries: Bad for Your Wrinkles
"French fries aren't so horrible, but the high sodium and salt content dehydrates and causes temporary dulling of skin, while the high carbohydrate content make it just as bad for wrinkles."
5. Blizzard Shake: Bad, Especially If It's Chocolate
"There's a high sugar load, so it's high on the GI, plus it's a dairy food, so that's another strike against it. And if it's chocolate flavored, that's even worse as there's evidence that chocolate also triggers acne."
4. Cheeseburger: It's Getting Real Bad
Spoiler Alert: "Cheeseburgers are only slightly less glycemic than pizza or macaroni and cheese, but there's less dairy, so not as bad."
3. Mac and Cheese: Among the Worst
"It's high on the glycemic index, which is bad for wrinkles and acne. Plus, there's a lot of dairy, which contains growth hormones thought to also trigger breakouts."
2. Pizza: Say It Ain't So!!!
"Pizza has a high glycemic index, so it raises blood levels of sugar and can trigger acne and advanced glycation end products that break down collagen. The dairy in the cheese also contains growth hormones that may trigger acne as well. Double strike."
1. Burrito: The Worst of the Worst
"The combination of high glycemic index foods and dairy products makes this the worst for your skin. High glycemic index products cause hormone levels to spike, which alters the quality of oil in the ski, and potentially causing acne breakouts. Also, high sodium content leads to dehydration and dulling of skin."
Lauren Valenti
Associate Web Editor
I’m the associate web editor at Marie Claire.
