It’s no secret that smoking cigarettes isn’t exactly a healthy lifestyle choice. But do you know just how much smoking can affect the way your skin ages?

Aside from sun exposure, smoking is the main cause of facial wrinkles, and that’s not just because of the 4,000 toxins being absorbed by your skin when you smoke.

This article gives a great overview of why smoking is so detrimental to skin. According to the article, “Cigarette smoke emits free radicals that destroy vitamin C in the skin, which leads to premature wrinkling.” Vitamin C is important to your skin because it helps with the production of collagen, which keeps your skin firm.

Just consider the difference smoking can have on your skin, especially as you start aging. If you are a young smoker, you may not be noticing visible effects of your habit now, but quitting is the only way to halt, and even reverse, some of the effects.

Go to any bookstore, and you’ll likely see diet books galore. Among the titles, you’ll likely find one pertaining to Paleo diets. It’s easy to feel lost in the hustle and bustle of trends in nutrition. The following is a simple explanation of this way of eating.

“Paleo,” short for Paleolithic, is a way of eating simple, like our ancestors, who were known to suffer from fewer chronic diseases than modern populations. In short, the Paleo concept is based on assumptions of what humans of past generations would have eaten, as well as nutritional and dietary histories of many parts of the world.

Going Paleo calls for eating traditional foods offering significant nutritional value. Think organ meats, broths, fermented vegetables and fermented cod liver oil. People on this diet opt to eat whole foods that provide optimal, nutrient-dense food, while avoiding processed, refined, nutrient-poor factory foods. This means avoiding grains, legumes (beans), refined sugar and pasteurized dairy products.

Many people on this diet have reported regained health and wellness. They think of it as a way of eliminating foods that don’t promote health in the body. Remember, as with any diet or lifestyle change, results will never happen overnight. If you’re considering adopting this diet, be prepared for a transition!