Nutritionist warns excess sugar can speed up ageing

Eating too much sugar may speed up ageing, nutritionist Külli Holsting said on ERR’s Terevisioon programme, where she discussed how diet can affect skin ageing. She said moderation and variety are key.

Holsting said the connection between the gut and the skin is as important as the links between the gut and the nervous system or brain. “If everything is well in our gut, it shows in our skin too,” she said.

She demonstrated several dishes, including an avocado and Greek yoghurt cream with lemon juice and a little agave syrup, and a salad with tomatoes, rocket, boiled egg and blueberries. Instead of oil, she added crushed nuts. Holsting said a varied selection of colourful vegetables supports skin health, and that drinking water is also important.

Holsting added that avocado peel can be dried and crushed for use as a facial scrub, saying it contains beneficial bioactive substances. She also said avocado can be used to make hair masks.