As you get older, there are days you realize that you aren’t as fit, strong or ripped as you used to be. Some days, you realize that you can’t do the things that you used to. However, the thing that blindsides you is your diet. Your metabolism slows down, and even the exercise that you used to do to keep in shape seems useless. The problem isn’t necessarily the food you eat, or shouldn’t eat. In many cases, the problem is habitual.
All your life you are used to a certain diet, and it never seemed to affect you. It wasn’t that the food wasn’t doing anything to your body, but rather your body recovered quicker than you could experience the adverse effects of the food. Now, all of a sudden, you have to change a lifetime’s worth of bad eating habits and try to slow the sands of time. That’s easier said than done. Habits are hard to break, especially when you don’t see anything morally wrong with them. However, if you want to get in the habit sooner rather than later, here are 40 foods that you need to avoid when you are over 40.
40. Margarine
Margarine has come under heavy fire of late and with good reason. It looks like butter, in some cases even tastes like butter, but it is nothing like butter. Margarine is an artificial lubricant with artery-clogging saturated fats and loads of processed oils. It is no friend to your cholesterol. Many margarine brands use propylene glycol, which is an artificial compound. This compound has been found to increase bad cholesterol, and it is also associated with weight gain.
Those morning pancakes with syrup and margarine can be no more, lest you increase your chances of a heart attack or start growing sideways. It might cost a bit more, but you could substitute the margarine with butter or heavy oils like coconut or extra virgin olive. Unlike margarine, these fats and oils are good for your health.
39. Artificial sweeteners
Most of us have a sweet tooth, and without knowing it, we have incorporated sugar into most of our foods. However, recent times have labeled sugar as a modern-day poison, and as such, people have started to move over to artificial sweeteners. The problem is that these sweeteners are even worse for you than ordinary sugar. Studies have shown that artificial sweeteners like aspartame have been known to boost sugar cravings.
Sure, they don’t add any unwanted calories to your diet, but the food that they go with is the problem. Furthermore, studies have also shown that they increase a person’s risk of developing diabetes and other health issues. If you want to indulge in the sweet stuff, there are natural options. Maple syrup and honey are among the best choices. They contain many nutrients that are good for your body and are super tasty.
38. Soda
It goes without saying that soda is bad for you: It doesn’t matter how old you are. But when you start moving past your 40s, your body stops processing the poisons efficiently. Apart from the sugar content of fizzy drinks, which is already way more than the recommended daily allowance. Colas have other toxic chemicals as well.
The main culprit, 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI), is the caramel colorant found in most colas. Recent studies have shown it is connected with a higher risk of developing cancer.
When you near your 40s, you might not necessarily want to have kids any longer, but if it’s still a possibility, you should lay off the fizz. A 2018 study in the Journal of Epidemiology showed that men or women who drink fizzy drinks have a much lower fertility rate than those who abstain.
37. Food coloring
When you reach 40, you have probably seen how kids react to certain food colorants: They get hyper and drive you crazy. When you are older, you don’t get hyper, but your body is still taking shots on the inside. Although these colorants are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the dyes may contain cancer-causing substances.
Food colorants are such a huge part of diets because color sells. Something with vibrant colors will sell much better than the dull original. We are all guilty of buying food that looks good, regardless of what it could do to our bodies.
There are, however, healthy alternatives. Foods like beet juice and cold-pressed green juices are packed with vitamins and will provide you with all the color that your eyes desire. Paprika and turmeric are spices that don’t have overpowering flavors, but they add plenty of color to your dishes.
36. Sugary cocktails
Here is a doubleheader for the aging male. A few have to fill in the blanks from some of their college days due to some serious partying. Happy hour was an excuse to see how much you could drink in that hour. Sure, the next day you felt like a train wreck, but before the sun could set on another day, your body had recovered and you were ready for more.
Sugar and alcohol are things you should stay away from, but the combination of the two is poison when you get older. Besides, having one or three too many when you are at college is OK, but if you’re still bingeing at happy hour when you’re 40, it’s just awkward. A cocktail now and then is not going to kill you, as long as you have your drinks in moderation.
35. Fruit juice
Here is a drink that is touted as being healthy. However, this could not be any further from the truth. Just because it says “100% juice” on the bottle does not make it a healthy drink.
But what is the difference between having fruit juice and eating fruit? If an apple a day can keep the doctor away, why can’t a glass of apple juice a day do the same thing?
The answer lies in the eating. When you eat fruit, you take in the juice as well as the fiber. This means your body will digest it at a much more controlled rate and you won’t get a sugar rush.
When you drink pure fruit juice, you ingest more fruit than you would if you had eaten the fruit. This means you ingest much more sugar and none of the fiber. The result is a spike in energy, and if you don’t use it, it turns to fat.
34. Muffins and cupcakes
We all love a sweet treat now and then. When you are young, your body can still fight off the negative effects, but once you hit your 40s, now and then has to change to almost never if you want to keep your physique. Store-bought muffins and cupcakes are some of the worst treats you can get.
In most cases, a single cupcake could contain more than your daily allowance of sugar and fat. Apart from the extra pounds you will gradually gain, the sugar can speed up your aging process.
Sugar and salt have the same effect on your body’s cells. It sucks them dry, and they become hard. When your skin cells lose their moisture and elasticity, you develop wrinkles. If you have too much sugar in your diet, these wrinkles will come along quicker than they should.
33. Deli meats
I don’t know of anybody who doesn’t enjoy a good sub now and then. To ease the conscience, whole wheat or other healthy bread is used. From there on the ingredients seem pretty healthy, especially if you stuff your sub with leafy greens and other veggies.
The problem, however, lies in the meat. Whenever you see processed meat, the warning lights need to go off because you know that the meat is packed with a range of unnatural preservatives.
Most deli meats have high concentrations of sodium, nitrate preserves, modified cornstarch and carrageenan, all of which is responsible for boosting belly fat and causing some other serious health problems.
If you can’t curb the craving, you should opt for the least-destructive meats. The roasted chicken and turkey options are generally better for you than hams and kinds of bacon. Be sure to check the nutritional info if you don’t know what to choose.
32. Charred meats
There are very few things that come close to firing up the BBQ on a hot summer’s weekend and putting some meat on the grill. The only problem is the BBQ and the open flames.
It’s ironic how bad something can be for your health even though it smells and tastes so good. Your skinless chicken breast which is the doctor’s meat of choice becomes a carcinogenic nightmare when you decide to cook it on an open flame.
When you cook your meat over an open flame or very high temperatures, the proteins can develop heterocyclic amines (HCAs) as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
In short, these chemicals can change the DNA of a person and in the process, increases the risk of cancer development. If you have to use the BBQ, close the lid and use it as an oven. You’ll get the same smoky taste, minus all the bad stuff.
31. Nacho Cheese
It’s game day, and you want to indulge in some crunchy nachos. Not when you are over 40, you don’t. Nachos in itself are not that bad for you; there are actually some healthy nachos out there nowadays.
The problem comes with the sauce. Nacho sauces are saturated with artificial colorants, preservatives and lab-made flavorings. It’s not the cheese in the sauce that gives it the fantastic color.
However, you don’t have to stay away from your favorite game-day snack completely. You can whip up your homemade sauces with minimal effort and can be healthy as well. How?
Use real cheese when you make your dip and add some herbs for extra flavor. If you have a green thumb, you could always add fresh herbs from your garden. There is no limit to what you can make if you put your mind to it. It’s not as instant as the store-bought stuff, but it is much healthier.
30. Chinese takeout
There are nights when you don’t want to cook and having something delivered to your door seems like the only option. When the takeout craving hits, try to stay away from Chinese. In general, the dishes are loaded with sodium and sugar. Foods like General Tso’s and chicken lo mein are only some of the nasties you should avoid.
Believe it or not, the sodium and sugar are the least of your problems. Make no mistake, Chinese is amazing, but the flavor is achieved with monosodium glutamate (MSG). This flavor-enhancing substance has been linked to many side effects.
You are not suffering from a premature hangover. A headache, nausea and the weakness you feel could very well be the MSG you ingested. It might not be Chinese takeout, but you can make similar dishes at home with the same ingredients, minus all the MSG and sugar.
29. Turkey bacon
Turkey bacon is much like any other deli meat. The added preservatives and other substances that add to the mix make it poison to your body. If you want to avert that impending heart attack, you have to lay off the bacon.
Or maybe you want to try a healthier version to try and stay in shape, so you opt for turkey bacon. After all, it has roughly 13 less calories than the original per slice. Unfortunately, you are only fooling yourself.
Turkey bacon has more saturated fats and sodium than normal bacon, which means that you will just be putting that impending heart attack on a fast track.
Your best alternative is to grill that turkey at home. Once everyone has had their fill, slice the leftovers into thin strips and pan fry them in olive oil. It makes for tasty sandwich meat or light snack.
28. White pasta and white bread
This is probably one of the hardest staples to cut from your diet. White pasta and white bread are versatile, and if you aren’t mindful of what you eat, you could ingest way more than you should.
White bread and pasta are made from refined grains, which means that they have been stripped of all their fiber and nutrients and become high-glycemic. This says that your blood pressure spikes and falls quickly.
When you overeat pasta and bread, you can develop diabetes and also become obese because your body can’t process the carbs quick enough. If you can’t let go of the pasta and bread, opt for the fiber-rich and unrefined alternative.
Brown, whole wheat and bean-based pastas will provide you with the needed fiber to keep you regular. The same goes for bread. Whole-wheat, sprouted bread is among the healthiest options available.
27. Fat-free dressing
Many times when people are overweight and want to do something about their weight, the first thing they do is a search for low fat or fat-free replacements. Fat-free dressing is among the biggest snares people get caught in. Sure, it doesn’t have fat, but it is loaded with sugar, salt and other additives. In most cases, they have more harmful ingredients than their full-fat counterparts.
You can make your dressing with healthy ingredients at home; all you need is a food processor. If you don’t have one, you can make a universal dressing with olive oil, vinegar, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and some honey. Add everything together to taste, shake it up and voila.
26. Fat-free dairy products
During the 90s, there was a significant push among the health conscious of promoting fat-free products. The problem with the fat-free is that they are generally tasteless and people end up eating more due to satisfy the craving.
To make the foods more flavorsome, companies add sugar and salt, which is counter-productive. Recent studies have shown that sugar is linked to more diseases than fat.
Dairy is an integral part of your diet, so you can’t cut it out completely. However, some full-fat products help the weight-loss battle. Grass-fed butter is packed with vitamins and other nutrients, and it helps with slowing the sugar absorption process.
Go for the full-cream milk. It has more calories, but it is also more filling. There is also no evidence to suggest that it increases your risk of heart disease or diabetes.
25. Flavored yogurt
There is no denying that flavored yogurt is much more satisfying than Greek yogurt. However, like most other flavored foods, it is packed with extra sugar and other flavorings that your body is not supposed to try and digest. Besides, Greek yogurt is packed with satiated proteins and is low in sugar.
If the taste is something that deters you from buying the healthy option, you can add some flavor of your own. Top it up with some fiber-rich fruit and some nuts. If it isn’t quite sweet enough, you can add some honey as well. Not only are you enhancing the flavor, but you are making your yogurt healthier.
The fruits add essential vitamins, and the nuts are packed with omega-3 oils. The honey is also packed with antioxidants with is known to alleviate allergies. The sugar in honey, together with that of the fruit will give you the energy boost you need to get you going in the morning.
24. Canned fruit
Here is another sweet treat that you need to say goodbye to. It might say fruit on the can, but there is almost nothing healthy about the contents. The fruit is drenched and preserved in syrup, artificial flavoring and a host of other chemicals that are made to enlarge your belly.
Food companies have tried to ease the conscience of the ever-growing health concerned masses by developing unsweetened varieties. The sugar content might be at an acceptable level, but the fruit still lacks fiber and other nutrients.
You’re filling your stomach with nutritious food that has no dietary value. The vitamins that you would typically find in fresh fruit also gets primarily destroyed during the canning process. Instead get in the habit of using fresh fruit in your desserts and know what healthy sweeteners you can use.
23. Pancake syrup
It goes without saying that you should leave the pancake syrup well enough alone. You are already committing a dietary sin by eating pancakes. When you add syrup to the mix, you’re only making things worse. If you use maple-flavored syrup, you are just fooling your taste buds.
Flavored syrups are made from high fructose corn syrup. Fructose in fruit is not a problem, but as soon as it is concentrated, bad things happen. It has been linked to metabolic syndrome and increased belly fat, for starters. As you grow older, you will get to realize that nothing comes close to the natural products.
Man has not yet found ways to make artificial foods as healthy as their natural counterpart. Stick to real maple syrup. It might be pricey, but it is packed with antioxidants and other trace minerals, all of which your aging body needs.
22. Whipped toppings
Here is where the nutritional lines start to blur. Nowadays, cream is back on the menu of healthy foods, because it contains healthy fats and other goodies.
So why is whipped cream so bad for a person? It is the only cream that has been mixed until it is light and fluffy. Well, that is that case when you make your own whipped cream at home.
Store-bought whipped cream is awful for you, and it isn’t even made from real cream. There are some dodgy lab-concocted ingredients like partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and corn syrup that make up the bulk of the “cream.”
None of those ingredients are figure friendly, and you will pick up weight in no time if you want to indulge. If whipping up your own cream is not your style, use fresh cream instead. It tastes fantastic with just about anything, and you can be sure that it is cream and not an artificial substitute.
21. Fast foods
There is no surprise here: Fast food is a definite no-go when you hit your 40s. When you eat fast food, you tend to want more of it, so it’s smart to just avoid it all together. Fast food has also been linked to Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.
A recent study of 3,000 participants showed that the individuals who ate fast food more than twice a week were twice as likely to develop insulin resistance, and subsequently, diabetes. We haven’t even touched on the weight issues revolving around fast food yet!
The poison lies in the name, “fast.” Most of these foods come premade and have gone through some preservative process. Then there is the sugar content: There is too much of it. Lastly, many fast food companies rely on MSG to enhance their food’s flavor. In the end, you end up craving more and overeat.
20. Canned soup
It isn’t just the sweet stuff you need to stay away from when you’re older. The savory side also has a couple of items you’re better off avoiding. Canned soup is one thing you can do without.
One helping of canned soup will use up half your daily sodium allowance, and most varieties have added MSG to enhance the flavor.
Instead, with a little bit of planning, you’ll find that making soup is one of the easiest meals you can make. Buy some bone broth and add your leftover meats and veggies for a smooth soup. Bone broth is high in collagen, which is great for your skin. It restores skin-cell elasticity.
19. Pasta sauce
Pasta is already on the naughty list for those over 40, and the sauce is no better. Well, some of them at least. Store-bought sauces usually have tomatoes or tomato paste as a base, but it’s the added ingredients you need to be mindful of. These sauces often contain inflammatory oils and extra sugar and salt, and that is where the sauce becomes a poison.
The great thing about pasta sauce, on the other hand, is the homemade versions. Pasta is one of the most versatile dishes, and you only have your imagination to stop you from making some delicious meals. Any meat can be added to your sauce, not to mention cheese. Don’t be shy with the cream, either. Fresh cream is the perfect companion to any pasta sauce. It will make your dish very rich, which also means that you won’t eat too much.
18. Processed peanut putter
We all remember the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we had growing up. Now that you’re all grown up, it’s time to leave the peanut butter alone. As with so many other things, the nutritional value of peanut butter is thrown out the window when they start to add hydrogenated and processed vegetable oils. The protein-packed spread changes to a cholesterol-enhancing one.
Pure peanut butter can be considered a super food. Not only is it high in protein, but it has a host of other benefits. It is linked to lower levels of cholesterol and also the prevention of diabetes.
It is also packed with antioxidants and dietary fiber, which works wonders for your metabolism. Something that a person over 40 would appreciate. So the next time you go to the shops, don’t jump for the commercial Skippy. Find a natural alternative.
