Skin Care & Sweets

The health of your skin depends somewhat on the foods that you eat and the foods that you don't eat. The Mayo Clinic website notes that filling up on antioxidant-rich foods might help protect your skin, but eating unhealthy foods can actually damage your skin. Sweets are one type of food that you should limit in your diet because they can have a negative impact on the health and appearance of your skin.

Sugar

Too much sugar is bad for your overall health, but can be quite damaging to your skin as well. According to Allison Tannis, author of "Feed Your Skin, Starve Your Wrinkles," The sugar that most sweets contain targets your collagen, which is the substance that gives your skin a tight, supple and soft appearance. Unhealthy collagen can give your skin an older and more dull appearance. When your collagen isn't healthy, it can also increase your risk of sun damage, which can lead to wrinkles.

Tips

Cutting the sugar in your daily diet will help improve the appearance and health of your skin. Many brands of sweets offer sugar-free options that are made with sugar substitutes rather than pure sugar. Tannis recommends using stevia, a sugar replacement, in place of granulated sugar in recipes to cut your sugar intake as well. Replace sugary soda and fruit drinks with water or unsweetened iced tea to cut a significant amount of sugar from your diet. Limit yourself to dessert once or twice per week and read ingredient labels on your favorite foods to determine how much sugar each contains.

Nutrients

Just as sugar decreases the health of your skin, eating certain foods might promote healthier and younger looking skin. The Mayo Clinic website recommends eating fruits and vegetables, such as apricots, carrots, spinach, tomatoes and blueberries to help protect the health of your skin. Fatty fish, such as salmon or mackerel, nuts, and beans are additional foods that can have a positive impact on the health and appearance of your skin. If you crave something sweet, have a piece of fresh fruit, which is naturally sweet, or drizzle honey into a carton of plain yogurt.

Considerations

Sugar isn't the only culprit when it comes to unhealthy skin. Other lifestyle habits, such as not getting enough sleep or smoking, also contribute to unhealthy skin. If reducing the amount of sugar that you consume doesn't improve the appearance of your skin, make an appointment with a dermatologist. You might have an underlying condition that is causing your unhealthy skin.