Avoid These 5 Foods For Younger-Looking Skin!!

Hey JJ Here.

Every year around this time, I get.

The urge to make my home feel.

A little extra special. A space that feels just like the holidays.

And Wayfair is my go to for that.

Think cozy textures, twinkly decor, warm lighting, and all those little touches that make you want to curl up with a good book and a blanket.

You'll usually find my books stacked on a great little end table I got.

From Wayfair, proof that function and style give can coexist. Now, whether you're adding last minute hosting essentials, picking out gifts for loved ones, or refreshing your decor for the season, Wayfair makes it easy with beautiful finds, great prices and fast delivery. And when the holidays wind down, Wayfair has everything you need to tuck it all neatly away. Smart storage solutions for every room from the kitchen to the closet. Plus, with free shipping for any order over $35, don't that's fast delivery and a total peace of mind. It's the perfect mix of joy and order, bringing the holiday spirit in, then storing it all with ease. If you're ready to make your home feel as good as it looks, get organized, refreshed and ready for the holidays. For way less head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Wayfair Every style Every home that's W A Y F A I R.com hey, it's JJ here. You know, I've been talking about environmental toxins forever, and laundry detergent is a sneaky one. A lot of them contain harsh chemicals like dyes, preservatives, and even UV brighteners. Those brighteners don't actually clean anything, they just coat fabric so your eyes think things look whiter or brighter. That's more chemicals I don't want on my family sheets or skin. And if you've got sensitive skin or allergies around the house, this can be a big problem. That's what got my attention about Earth Breeze. It looks like a dryer sheet, but it's actually laundry detergent. You toss one in the washer and that's it. No pouring, no mess, and no heavy plastic jug. Their packaging is lightweight cardboard, which helps reduce plastic waste. And if you choose the fragrance free option, it's gentle, hypoallergenic, non irritating and non sensitizing. I really like how simple it is and how fresh and clean everything comes out without those unnecessary chemicals. Right now you can try Earth Breeze for up to 40% off with free gifts@earthbreeze.com virgin that's earthbreeze.com virgin for up to 40% off plus free gifts on your first order.

This episode is brought to you by Buffalo Trace Distillery. Powerful yet smooth. Contained but never tame. Proudly going their own way but never going alone. This is the spirit inside Buffalo Trace Bourbon made at Buffalo Trace Distillery, the world's most award winning distillery. Buffalo Trace is always perfectly untamed. Distilled, aged and bottled by Buffalo Trace distillery, Franklin County, Kentucky 90 proof 45% alcohol by volume. Learn more at buffalotrace distillery.com Please drink responsibly.

I'm JJ Virgin, PhD dropout.

Sorry mom turned four time New York Times Best Selling author.

Yes, I'm a certified Nutrition Specialist, Fitness.

Hall of Famer and I speak at.

Health conferences and trainings around the globe.

But I'm driven by my insatiable curiosity.

And love of science to keep asking.

Questions, digging for answers and sharing the information I uncover with as many people as I can.

And that's why I created the well Beyond 40 podcast to synthesize and simplify the science of health into actionable strategies to help you thrive. In each episode, we'll talk about what's working in the world of wellness, from.

Personalized nutrition and healing your metabolism to.

Healthy aging and prescriptive fitness. Join me on the journey to better health so you can love how you look and feel right now and have the energy to play full out at 100. Hey jj, Virgin here.

Okay, real talk. So often the holidays sneak up on me, travel, gifts, hosting, you know, all the things and suddenly it's like, wait, who spent what and where? And I know I'm not the only one who's looked at a bill in January and thought, wow, that escalated quickly. If you want to keep your finances under control this holiday season, you need to be using Monarch. It's it's rated the Wall Street Journal's best budgeting app of 2025. Monarch is the all in one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial life together in one clean interface on your laptop or on your phone. Monarch lets you link everything and gives you real time visibility so you're not shocked later. Right now, I've been checking the holiday spending category so I don't accidentally start the new year with that dreaded debt hangover. And honestly, just seeing everything laid out is already helping me stay more aware. This season, Monarch does the heavy lifting. It links your accounts in minutes, gives you smart categorization and super clear visuals. Yes, that end of your reset could be a real goal this time. Don't let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use the code virgin@monarch.com in your browser for half off your first year. That's 50% off your first year@monarch.com with the code Virgin.

The holidays are almost here, but there's still time to score great gifts at Dick's Sporting Goods. Find everyone's must have gifts from Nike, FP movement, Adidas and more. Need your gifts fast? Stop by your local Dick's or shop Dick's.com for fast shipping, curbside pickup or same day delivery. Every holiday starts at Dick's.

The secret to younger looking skin isn't at Sephora or even the dermatologist's office. It's at the end of your fork. Let's talk about the foods you need to get rid of in your diet so you can turn back the clock and get glowing again. So the first one you knew I was going to say this sugar. But why is sugar so bad for your skin? Well, the deal is it accelerates skin aging because sugar binds to protein in your skin through a process called glycation. And you know What? It forms AGEs Advanced Glycation End products. These ages damage your collagen and elastin. These are the proteins that keep your skin firm and elastic and that means wrinkles and sagging. Next thing that sugar does is create inflammation. A high sugar intake can cause a spike in insulin levels, which may lead to increased inflammation and exacerbate problems like acne and rosacea and eczema. Plus, sugar impacts your skin texture and your appearance. Excessive sugar can make the skin more vulnerable to sun damage too, by degrading the natural antioxidant defenses. But I have some something amazing for you. If you need a little sweet, what you're going to do is swap out the sugar for something called allulose. Now here's what's super cool about alulose. It's known as a rare sugar, comes from things like dried fruit and maple, but it doesn't have any calories because it isn't really absorbed. Now it doesn't also impact your blood sugar insulin levels. So it's great for you if you're insulin resistant or diabetic or you want to become more insulin sensitive, which is all of us. It also can aid in weight management and calorie reduction because again, it's got 0.4 calories per gram. It's like negative vegetable and it lowers the blood sugar response to a meal and it raises GLP1 so you actually feel fuller after you eat it. It has a glycemic Index of basically nothing. Again, not only does it not raise blood sugar in the right amounts, it can actually lower blood sugar. And it also doesn't promote tooth decay or cavities because it doesn't ferment in the mouth like other sugars. It's very similar in taste and texture to sugar. However, it's not quite as sweet, so you might need to use just a little bit more. Plus, it can help with metabol health. It may reduce liver fat accumulation and improve your lipid profile. And it acts as a prebiotic, so it can be good for the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. Now, if you've tried some of these sweeteners out there, you're like, oh my gosh, they make me bloated or they give me diarrhea. This one doesn't do any of that either. So it's got all of these good things. I think of it as a therapeutic sweetener and none of the bad. Next up, you probably heard about seed oils, and I'm going to instead talk about bad oils or damaged oils because here's the thing, it's actually what's been done to the oils, the balance of them. What you want to avoid is a high omega 6 to low omega 3 balance. Now, we need both omega 6s and omega 3s in our diet. They're essential fatty acids. But too much Omega 6 can promote inflammation and contribute to chronic disease. Again, too much Omega 6 can make you more inflammatory, which can lead to things like arthritis and heart disease. But also the bad processing can oxidize them as well, which also creates problems. Now, one of the other things you'll see with a lot of these vegetable oils is that they come from genetically modified modified crops. And a lot of times the challenge, they've modified them to be able to withstand pesticides, so they use more pesticides and toxins. Love fat. So you've got little toxin sponges. So you've got these oils that are could be oxidized, damaged, have more pesticides in them. Very problematic. So what do you want to avoid? The things you want to avoid are these big bottles of plastic oils in the light in the stores, like that big bottle of corn oil that's high in inflammatory omega 6s generally COR genetically modified, ditto with canola oil, tends to be highly processed and might contain GMOs as well. Same with soybean oil, Another one, soybean is one of the most genetically modified crops. And then safflower oil, another one that's high in omega 6s and GMOs and sunflower oil. Finally too, cottonseed oil, another one. These oils, again, are the ones that tend to be genetically processed, industrialized, heavily processed, so that they tend to be oxidized beyond just the inflammatory part. They can also contribute to acne and oily skin by encouraging more oil production, which can lead to clogged pores and to acne. And of course, again, the inflammation, I think is the biggest issue that we have here. Because you want that balance. Remember, you don't want to be totally anti inflammatory, but you need the balance between the two. And so many of the processed foods are so, so, so high in omega 6s, which is probably what has pulled us, pushed us out of balance so much. So again, what I really focus on is creating the right ra. There's a test called an omega quant test which looks at your omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. It also looks at your fatty acid levels in general. It's a great test to do, really inexpensive and you can do it at home and that will show you where you're at. If you find that you've got a big high six ratio, you'll want to push more of the threes for a bit to get you back in balance. But there are some sixes like almonds and sesame seeds and eggs and walnuts and something called GLA or gamma linolenic acid, which is another essential omega 6 fatty acid, which actually is to help support good skin health because it reduces inflammation, it can help with things like eczema and psoriasis. It can help actually balance hormones and regulate your menstrual cycle and ease PMS and help with heart health and cholesterol levels and reducing inflammation in the blood. It's probably something you've never heard of because it's not in things we would normally eat. It's an evening primrose oil, borage oil or blackcurrant oil. There was actually a study done in 2005 and it was published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science that found that that evening primrose oil positively affects skin health in adults. They took evening primrose oil for 12 weeks and after that time skin was more moisturized, less dry, stretchier, firmer, less tired looking and smoother. So here's what I'll tell you. Back when I was struggling a lot with my skin, before I discovered that dairy was causing a lot of the problems. And if I'm working with someone who's got any skin issues, GLA is what I'll look at. Adding in what you Want to take out are these damaged industrialized seed oils and swap it out for things like extra virgin olive oil. Now, I especially love extra virgin olive oil because it's got these polyphenols that are antioxidants that help protect the skin from environmental damage and can also reduce the signs of aging. Plus, olive oil can help with your skin barrier because it's got these healthy fats that improve the skin's barrier function, which then help retain moisture and protect against irritants. And it's also anti inflammatory. Extra virgin olive oil can help reduce inflammation and calm the skin and get rid of some of that puffiness. Now, I alluded to this already, man, I struggled with acne for so much of my life and did not know this. And one of the things that kind of got me into nutrition is my skin. Dairy was a huge trigger for me, and it's a huge trigger for a lot of people because dairy can increase insulin levels and something called insulin, like growth factor, and these can boost your oil production and make acne worse. Dairy can trigger an inflammatory response response. It can potentially lead to a bunch of different skin conditions, but really specifically acne. So there was a study in 2018, it was a meta analysis and a systematic review was published in Nutrients, and it found that consuming any dairy, including full fat and low fat options, was linked to higher odds of developing acne. Because what I found in looking at food sensitivity tests was that the top things that people tend to react to are dairy and eggs. And that especially when I start to look at skin, the first thing that I always do is p out dairy products. And what I have people do is just pull them out and swap out. It's so easy now because there's so many different options out there for different types of yogurts and milk. So if you're doing dairy milks, you can swap it out. Or dairy yogurt, Swap them out for nut yogurts. Nut milks. Just watch those to make sure they're not putting in damaged oils and sweeteners. Next one, alcohol. So what does alcohol do to your skin? Well, first of all, it's a diuretic, so it actually can dehydrate your skin. A diuretic encourages your body to get rid of water, so it can lead to dehydration, hydration, and then that dehydrated skin looks dull and flaky and dry. It also impairs your skin barrier function. It weakens your skin barrier function, which makes it more susceptible to things like bacterial infections and environmental pollutants and signs of aging. Plus it promotes inflammation and oxidative stress. It increases the inflammatory response and produces free radicals, which accelerates your skin aging and exacerbates inflammatory skin conditions. So if you're going to drink, go for dry farm wines. Now the difference with dry farm wines is that they are lower in alcohol. They don't have all of the extra. It turns out in the United States in the wine industry, they can put a whole lot of additives. I think it's over 100 different ones and not have to claim them. So you don't have those additives. They're clean wines, they're lab tested and they're lower in alcohol. So if you are drinking, stick with dry farm wines. And if you are suffering with any rosacea or any of these types of things, drive some sparkling water for a while. Rotate it out. Now, if you want even more tips, I have a free guide that I made for you. It is called Inner Wellness Outer Beauty, your anti aging cheat sheet. And I put it@jjvirgin.com Anti Aging. And in it I talk about skin care, I talk about food, stress management, supplements and more. Now, speaking of supplements, there are two that I'd love to call out right now because these make such a difference. One you probably wouldn't have thought about for skin, and that is enzymes. Now, enzymes are going to do a couple different things. They're going to improve your nutrient absorption and they're going to help break down nutrients in the diet more efficiently. And that means that your skin is going to receive these nutrients, plants, vital vitamins and minerals for health and repair. Plus they're going to aid in digestion, which again reduces inflammation. And I'll tell you what was interesting. One of the things that I noticed when I first started taking enzymes was that they immediately had I had a little bit of rosacea acne that as I started to take my protein first, enzymes went away. Now the other one is collagen. So collagen is a primary component of the skin that provides structure and elasticity. And supplementing with collagen can help your skin firmness and your skin texture. And hydration. Collagen can help increase your skin's hydration levels so it's smoother, it's more supple, and it can help your skin heal and repair. So that could help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. And There was a 2014 randomized clinical trial that was published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science that looked at how taking collagen, peptide supplements affect the skin. So they have 32 healthy people try different combinations of supplements for 1212 weeks. So first group didn't take anything. Second group took three grams of collagen peptides. The third group took three grams of collagen peptates and 500 milligrams of vitamin C. And the fourth group only took 500 milligrams of vitamin C dot and during this time they measured hydration, water loss and skin elasticity using different tools. So here's what they found out. The second and third group had better skin hydration and elasticity compared to the first group, which did nothing. And then the third group, that was the group that did both the peptides and vitamin C had similar improvements to the second group. So that means that maybe the vitamin C didn't help that much. But here's the thing, it was a wimpy dose of vitamin C. Let's be honest, I would like to see 2 grams here. But what the study did suggest was that taking collagen peptide supplements can make your skin more hydrated and elastic, which is great for your skin health. I take collagen for my skin and my joints and for my muscles.

Be sure to join me next time for more tools tools, tips and techniques you can incorporate into everyday life to ensure you look and feel great and.

Are built to last.

Check me out on Instagram, Facebook and my website jjvirgin.com and make sure to follow my podcast@subscribetoj.com so you don't miss a single episode. And hey, if you're loving what you hear, don't forget to leave a review.

Your reviews make a big difference.

Difference in helping me reach more incredible women just like you to spread the.

Word about aging powerfully after 40.

Thanks for tuning in and I'll catch you on the next episode.

Hey JJ here. And just a reminder that the well Beyond 40 podcast offers health, wellness, fitness.

And nutritional information that's designed for educational.

And entertainment purposes only.

You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it.

Replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Make sure that you do not disregard.

Avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your healthcare professional because of something you may have heard on the show or read in our show notes.

The use of any information provided on the show is solely at your own risk.

Hello listeners, this is Anne Boeckle, author, blogger and creator of the podcast what Should I Read next? Since 2016 I've been helping readers bring more joy and delight into their reading lives. Every week, I take all things Books and Reading with a guest and guide them in discovering their next read. They share three books they love, one book they don't, and what they've been reading lately, and I recommend three titles they may enjoy reading next. Guests have said our conversations are like therapy, troubleshooting issues that have plagued their reading lives for years, years, and possibly the rest of their lives as well. And of course, recommending books that meet the moment. Whether they are looking for deep introspection to spur or encourage a life change or a frothy page turner to help them escape the stresses of work, school, everything, you'll learn something about yourself as a reader and you'll definitely walk away confident to choose your next read, with a whole list of new books and authors to try. So join us each Tuesday for what Should I Read Next? Subscribe now wherever you're listening to this podcast and Visit our website whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com to find out more. More.