The saying is true: You are what you eat.
“The foods you eat truly have an impact on your skin. The different components that make up a food can either help or hurt your skin appearance, texture and elasticity,” Beth Warren, RD observed to Bustle.
So as you can attend all manner of summer party, you are likely to see tables full of food. But noshing on certain items can lead to no-nonsense skin problems. One of the top culprits? Salt. And it seems there’s no escaping it. Salt is in most delicious foods – looking at you, potato chips – that you find at a holiday party. Here’s what eating too much of the stuff can do to you.
It can make you look puffy
Too much salt can make you retain water, leading your face to feeling puffy, Shape Magazine observed. This is especially true for the skin around the eyes, as it is thinner – and more likely to show the effects of a night of too much salt.
The short-term fix: To reduce any swelling around your eyes, give yourself a spa day, complete with cucumbers over your eyes. The cooling sensation will bring down the inflammation and add some topical moisture to keep skin hydrated.
Those potato chips may cause you to look puffy tomorrow morning.It causes one heck of a (food) hangover
You know the feeling: You curl up on the couch after eating too much food and you feel terrible. This is the dreaded food hangover. The Sun noted that symptoms of a food hangover can include headaches, low energy levels and poor sleeping habits. How can salt do that?
When you chow down on salty foods, you body pulls moisture in an attempt to recalibrate itself. If you don’t replenish and rehydrate, you’re likely to be reaching for a bottle of antacids the next morning.
Here’s how to beat it: Keep sipping water all day and incorporate plenty of vegetables into your diet, Bon Appetit suggested. High-fiber veggies can help beat the food hangover by getting your digestive tract functioning properly.
It makes you eat more
Eating salty foods should make you thirstier, right? Not so, says science. In fact, eating salty foods likely makes you hungrier. Health Magazine noted that when you eat salty foods, your body still craves something sweet – so you may be more likely to eat more to satisfy that hunger. While one wild night at the barbecue may not budge the scale, you may start to see that number creeping up if you keep super salty foods in your diet.
Before you embark for another summer party, make sure to pack a water bottle to keep yourself hydrated. Once you’re there, balance your plate with salty foods like potato chips and high-fiber foods like kale salad and plenty of fruit. Your body will thank you.
