Foods to avoid to maintain a healthy lifestyle as one grows older

Discover 25 foods you should avoid eating if you're 30 years old or older.

6289

Thirty is not old but you also are not getting any younger if you’ve officially left your 20s behind. You can’t eat everything you crave, as you used to when you were a growing teen, especially not foods that tend to take longer to digest once you get a little bit older. Here are 25 foods you should definitely avoid when you’re 30 years old or older if you want to stay healthy and lean for the rest of your life.

1. Flavoured yogurt

educatout.com

We’re not saying you should stop eating yogurt entirely but the flavoured ones you buy at the grocery store are packed with sugar. Stick to high protein, sugar-free and plain yogurt and then add some fresh or frozen fruit to add fibre to your midday snack.

2. Soup from a can

michelle-maclean.com

Soup is one of the easiest foods to make since all you have to do is add your favourite vegetables to a big saucepan and then some broth and spices. Store-bought soups are filled with excess salt so stick to making your own in order for you to control your sodium intake.

3. Packaged breakfast pastries

Filled with sugar and preservatives, these hard-to-resist breakfast pastries should be banished from your diet. They have barely any nutrients and will keep you full for a full hour. Tops.

4. Soft drinks

ITV

No one should drink soft drinks in our day and age since studies have shown again and again that the dyes inside can cause cancer or other deadly diseases.

5. Store-bought cookies

Make your own cookies! Stop buying them at the store. They are so easy to bake and only take an hour from start to finish. The best part? Your baked goods won’t contain any preservatives or unnecessary ingredients.

6. Alcohol

Rebel Circus

You might have chugged beers and cocktails when you were in college but you can’t continue doing that when you’ve reached your 30s. Drinking too much will make you tired and puffy, which is not a good look.

7. Grocery store veggie burgers

rouxbe.com

Branching out and trying protein alternatives is not unhealthy but you can’t switch your meat burger for store-bought veggie burgers. Just because they aren’t made with meat, it doesn’t mean they are healthy. Stick to making your own if you want to reduce your meat consumption.

8. Coffee

Shutterstock

Unfortunately, being in your 30s often means the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines on your face. Coffee can accelerate this process since it keeps you up at night. You’ll wake up and feel more exhausted than before.

9. Soy sauce

Adding a little bit of soy sauce in Asian dishes you cook at home is ok but don’t drown your rice in this high-sodium condiment. It will probably give you high blood pressure and make you even more dehydrated.

10. Milk

Highly acidic, milk is not the best thing to have if you’re trying to stay healthy after you’ve hit 30. Keep your milk intake to a minimal since it’s not the healthiest beverage out there.

11. Artificial sweeteners

Stevia and Splenda are equal to or even worse than normal white sugar. They contain harmful ingredients that can be bad for your health. If you only drink coffee with sugar, try replacing it with a natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup.

12. Energy drinks

Made with way too much sugar, energy drinks are bad for you at any age. Once you hit 30 though, you want to avoid unnecessary sugars. These will dehydrate you, make you jumpy and will affect your metabolism, which already slows down when you start ageing.

13. Farmed fish

Fish is filled with omega-3s fatty acids and vitamins, all good things for your health but you need to choose organic or at least fish that isn’t being farmed to stay healthy. Farmed fish is filled with chemicals and bacteria.

14. Store-bought juice

GETTY IMAGES

Empty calories, tons of sugar, pasteurized, store-bought juice is a big no-no since there are no nutrients in this kind of beverage. You aren’t getting any vitamins of fibre just excess calories. Eat a fruit or add lemon or lime to your water if you want a refreshing but healthy drink.

15. Hot dogs

Bigstock/LightField Studios

This kind of meat is really bad for your health and the older you get, the harder it is to digest. Hot dogs are also high in sodium, making them even worse for you. Try to eat only 1-2 per year if you want to keep your body healthy.

16. Charcuterie

tablespoon.com

Charcuterie is probably even worse than hot dogs. These extremely salty meats can clog arteries and can give you hypertension. Avoid these meats when you reach 30 and opt for hummus, tuna or grilled chicken sandwiches instead.

17. Microwave dinners

Obviously, most people know that microwave meals are not good for you. There are barely any nutrients, they are high in sodium and processed ingredients. They won’t keep you full for long, so you will be hungry after a few hours.

18. Bagels

Your favourite breakfast carb is full of enriched flour and salt. Since your metabolism slows down when you get older, eating a bagel in the morning won’t fill you up so you’ll tend to eat more than you should.

19. Microwave popcorn

goodlifeeats.com

Full of fibre, popcorn is good for you… unless you drown it in butter and if it comes from a microwaveable bag. The grocery store popcorn has tons of trans fat, which decreases hormone production and your ability to remember things.

20. Margarine

health.com

Margarine is no better than butter. Using this ingredient when you are cooking will make your skin look tired and dull. It is also filled with polyunsaturated fats, which can create more health problems when you are older.

21. Breakfast bars

You are probably really busy and you don’t have time to have a proper breakfast during your busy mornings. Don’t grab a protein breakfast bar because they have a lot of calories but not a lot of nutrients. You’ll be hungry at 10 a.m. and will eat those doughnuts in the conference room instead of eating your healthy lunch a few hours later.

22. White bread

If you are still eating white bread at 30 years old then you really need to change your eating habits. White bread is like eating air, it has no fibre and barely any nutrients. Change your bad habits right now unless you don’t mind having health problems later on.

23. Chips

Let’s be honest, we’re all human and we will probably not stop eating chips tomorrow. Avoid eating too many (i.e. the whole bag) because they really harm your body with their high percentage of salt and fats. Your body won’t thank you.

24. Fried foods

elle.fr

Fried food is, of course, extremely bad for you. You won’t get many nutrients from these salty foods and they will make your skin look dull. Bake your fries instead of frying them for a healthy alternative.

25. Ice cream

Serious Eats

If you already have high cholesterol, don’t eat ice cream. This delicious but harmful dessert will block our arteries if you eat too much. Once in a blue moon is ok… You’ve got to live a little!