The old saying “you are what you eat” holds true for your health, as well as your skin!

And, it turns out, your skin. Fill up on junk like refined carbs, sugar, and trans fats, and well, your skin is going to look like it. “We’re actually learning that poor nutrition is just as bad for your skin as cigarette smoking,” says Patricia Farris, MD, dermatologist and author of The Sugar Detox. A poor diet can cause inflammation, which triggers oxidative stress and in turn damages collagen and DNA, making you look older. Here are the top 5 food offenders to keep off your plate.

Rice Cakes

Once hailed by supermodels—and the women who wanted to be them—as the quintessential fat eraser, we now know that rice cakes cause your blood sugar to soar, which speeds up the formation of wrinkles. How? Your body metabolizes the simple carbs in the cakes the same way it does sugar—by converting them to glucose. Once they’ve been converted, they stick to wrinkle-fighting proteins like collagen and damage them, says Valori Treloar, MD, dermatologist and author of The Clear Skin Diet.

Candy

In our candy-heavy culture, adolescence is synonymous with pimples. But in countries without diets heavy in processed sugar, kids go through puberty without acne. Even if you’re well (well) out of your teen years, this finding is a pretty good indication that the Snickers bar you stash in your desk drawer may be a culprit for your adult breakouts. And to add insult to injury, sugar also degrades collagen and elastin, the proteins that keeps skin soft, supple, and springy.

“Healthy” Cereal

Don’t let the virtuous packaging deceive you. While whole grains are generally lower on the glycemic index (a measure of how a food affects blood sugar) compared to white ones, many “healthy” cereals are often highly refined and full of added sugar. And that means they can lead to wrinkle-inducing glucose spikes.

Juices + Soda

You know that most juices are just sugar delivery vehicles, with many packing as much as a soda. But you may not know that it’s their lack of fiber that makes them such bad news for your skin. Fiber is essential for preventing blood sugar swings that prematurely age skin. Without it, wrinkles will follow.

So here’s to HEALTHY DIET + LIFESTYLE changes that your WHOLE BODY can thank you for!!