Your body goes through specific health changes as you reach a certain age. While you may know what foods to eat to manage weight, prevent specific diseases, and maintain your overall health, only a few know what foods to avoid once they reach a given age.
Although some foods are considered healthy, they may not be ideal for anyone over 50. Eating whole foods full of essential nutrients, vitamins, protein, and moderate carbohydrates can help reduce disease risk, boost the immune system, and maintain weight, among other health benefits.
These ten food are best to be avoided after a certain age.
Fried Foods
Fried chicken, fries, and burgers may be tempting to eat, but they contain a lot of unsaturated fats that can lead to digestive issues. These greasy foods increase your risk for obesity and other weight-related problems as the excess calories in the form of fats settle on your waistline. Research done on adults who ate fast foods daily revealed that they were at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Too much fatty, fried food also increases your risk of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure as the fats clog up your arteries, making it difficult for proper blood circulation.
Undercooked Meats
Your digestive system matures as you age. You may be more prone to constipation, bloating, indigestion, and flatulence. Eating raw or undercooked meat can make it challenging for seniors to absorb all the proteins. An older person’s digestive system will struggle to process the protein in rare cooked meat. It’s best to cook your meat thoroughly to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure all bacteria are destroyed.
High Sodium Foods
You should limit eating a lot of oversalted lunch meats, salty snacks, or salad dressings with a lot of salt after 50. That’s because a high sodium diet can lead to fluid retention in your body, which can lead to high blood pressure and increase your risk of heart and kidney disease. The American Heart Association recommends eating 15000mg or less of sodium daily, especially for people with hypertension.
Switching to herbs and spices instead of table salt can help reduce your sodium intake. Always read labels at the grocery store and choose foods with reduced or low sodium. Foods like bananas and avocados help curb the effects of sodium and are an excellent alternative to salted snacks.
Multigrain Bread
Although multigrain bread is essentially healthy, not every brand sells healthy multigrain bread. Some multigrain breads are only white bread with color, high fructose syrup, and preservatives. Read labels before purchasing bread to ensure you get bread made from whole wheat with no added sugars.
Clams, Oysters, and Mussels
While clams, oysters, and mussels can be excellent seafood options, you should avoid eating them once you hit 50. Raw seafood can expose you to bacteria and lead to symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting. Knowing the quality of these raw foods is challenging. Nutritional experts recommend eating other well-cooked seafood like fatty fish for all the health benefits.
Unpasteurized Products
Avoid consuming unpasteurized products like blue cheese, brie, camembert, or chevre when you reach 50. These items can be a breeding ground for bacteria. While young people can consume these products without issues, older adults with digestive problems or compromised immunity may experience adverse side effects. Eating other varieties of cheese, like Swiss and cheddar, is safe and ideal for seniors with sensitive stomachs.
Raw or Undercooked Eggs
You should avoid foods that contain raw eggs, such as mayonnaise, ice cream, or homemade eggnog, as they can increase your risk of food poisoning. Seniors over 50 should eat properly cooked eggs over high heat or boiling water.
Pre-Packaged Snacks With Hidden Sugars
Most pre-packaged snacks and foods, such as breakfast cereals, instant oatmeal packs, granola bars, yogurt, and pasta sauces, have hidden sugars that can harm older adults. The extra sugar not only triggers a blood sugar spike but also exposes you to fatty liver disease.
Too much sugar also increases your risk of diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases. A study by the University of Pittsburgh revealed that excess sugar can worsen inflammatory disease symptoms. Always read labels for added sugars and substitute packaged snacks for healthier ones like Greek yogurt sweetened with berries or a smoothie blended with a banana.
Frozen Dinners and Microwavable Lunch Kits
Although frozen dinners and packaged lunch kits are convenient, they are not ideal and healthy for anyone over 50. These meals contain inflammatory vegetable oils, excess sodium, refined sugar, artificial colors, and preservatives like nitrites and sulfites. All these ingredients increase your risk of oxidative damage, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and toxicity. Regular consumption of these foods can undermine your immunity and lead to other deficiencies. Nutritional experts recommend preparing homemade meals with a wide variety of fiber, vitamins, and other micronutrients.
High-fat Dairy
While dairy is an excellent source of calcium, full-fat dairy and dairy products are high in saturated fats, which can increase an older adult’s risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Multiple studies also link dairy to an increased risk of prostate, breast, and ovarian cancer. If you must consume dairy, opt for nonfat or low-fat milk. Alternatively, switch to almond or soy milk.
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Inflammation occurs when your body reacts to foreign substances. While certain anti-inflammatory drugs can help eliminate inflammation, a diet change can help reduce inflammation and swelling. Here are six anti-inflammatory foods to help reduce knee, hip, and back pain.
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Experts Warn People to Never Refrigerate These 15 Food Items
Refrigeration prevents spoilage and may extend the shelf life of common foods and other perishable items. While we may innocently store some foods in the refrigerator, you may be surprised that you shouldn’t store all of them, as this may affect their nutritional value, taste, and texture.
Although refrigeration can help preserve certain foods, some items shouldn’t be refrigerated to maintain flavor and freshness. Avoiding these foods can ensure your food stays nutritious, fresh, and flavorful.
Here are 15 food items experts warn people never to refrigerate for optimal flavor and freshness.
Experts Warn People to Never Refrigerate These 15 Food Items
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