As we age our diet needs to be adjusted to meet the ever-changing needs of our body and ensure good health. Once we turn 30 it can be difficult to give up on some of the old unhealthy habits but the truth is this is the perfect time to turn things around and start eating foods that are good for us once and for all. Today, we review some of the foods that should definitely be either eliminated or decreased in a diet of anyone who is older than 30 years of age.
1. Fruit Yogurt
Choosing your foods past the age of 30 is tricky because 30 is still definitely young and yet collagen production slows down and certain ingredients need to be eliminated or reduced in your diet to slow down the aging process.
One such ingredient is certainly sugar, as it increases the appearance of fine lines on your face more than some other nutrients that you encounter on a daily basis.
Eliminating candy, fruit juice, ice cream and other obvious culprits is easy, but what about those foods whose sugar content isn’t so apparent?
The trick is to focus on cutting back on those foods that contain hidden sugar, one such food definitely being fruit or flavoured yogurt.
Flavoured yogurt by DANONE contains 24g of sugar per package, which is basically your recommended daily dose, and if you get all of your sugar from one tiny source there is no room left for sugar that’s not refined and comes from, for instance, fruit.
So the best thing to do is to go easy on flavoured yogurt and other foods that contain added flavour because that usually means hidden fat and/or sugar, something you definitely want to eliminate after your 30th birthday.
2. Sweet Pastries
Pop tarts, muffins, and other such sweet breakfast options are not to be consumed by adults who are in their 30s. Children shouldn’t eat them either, but that’s an entirely different story.
When evaluating foods to be avoided in your 30s, sugary breakfasts are certainly at the top of the list for the most obvious reason – sugar. Or refined sugar, to be more precise.
Sweet pastries come with more that the recommended daily dose of the sweet stuff and in the morning they can cause such insulin spikes that can lead to serious health problems later on in life.
The best source of sugar after the age of 30 is definitely banana and your early 30s are the perfect time to start developing the habit of getting the nutrients you need from natural rather than processed sources. Excessive amounts of sugar can lead to insulin resistance, which can lead to female infertility, high blood pressure, excess weight, and other cardiovascular health issues.
3. Sodas
Many people in their 30s are considering starting a family and consequently should adjust their diet to make conception easier.
Sugar, one of the most dangerous elements of many foods, is definitely the enemy in this case because it hinders ovulation and reduced sperm mobility.
Given the fact that sodas are the largest sources of artificial sugar in the North American diet, Coke, Pepsi, Sprite and other similar sodas should completely be eliminated from the diet of those people who are looking to live long and healthy lives and have healthy children.
In addition to being loaded with unhealthy amounts of refined sugar, sodas are packed with chemicals and dyes that have been linked to cancer. Regardless of one’s age, cancer-causing foods should be excluded from the diet, while one’s 30s are definitely the right time to start eating healthy and ensure a healthy old age.
4. Alcohol
Not a food per se but still frequently found on various types of lists of foods to avoid, alcohol in large quantities is definitely your enemy in your 30s, and beyond.
Sleepless nights caused by hangovers and fuelled by alcohol show on one’s face in the form of fine lines significantly more in your 30s than in your 20s, and alcohol in general should be avoided, except for a glass or two on a special occasion every once in a while.
Alcohol leads to dehydration, which is fatal for healthy-looking skin as it leaves it dry, cracked and grayish. Alcohol causes unnecessary weight gain, and while maintaining a healthy weight becomes increasingly important as we age, it also becomes increasingly difficult to keep the weight in check.
That’s why drinks such as alcohol should be eliminated from one’s diet or at least reduced to insignificant levels in order to avoid making a difficult process of maintaining one’s weight even more difficult. Alcohol also leads to sugar and carb cravings the next day, which further contribute to weight gain.
5. Non-Organic Produce
Non-organic produce that is loaded with pesticides should definitely not be your food of choice past the age of 30 because it accumulates toxins in your body that, among other things, affect your fertility, which is definitely not something anyone looking to start or expand a family wants.
The biggest culprits when it comes to produce packed with pesticides include apples, celery, cherry tomatoes, grapes, strawberries, cucumber, peaches, spinach, and bell peppers.
Turning 30 also means you’ve had plenty of time to eat non-organic produce and store toxins in your body, which means it’s definitely time to change your dietary habits and start purchasing organic foods and veggies that will help your liver get rid of the accumulated toxins while you’re only feeding your body the good stuff.
6. Sugar-Free Cookies
Products that claim to be sugar-free, such as cookies, gum, candy, and so own, contain artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, which is equally unhealthy, and which can augment your mid-section to the point where it looks like you’re gaining weight, but in reality you are just skinny fat with a Buddha belly sticking out of your clothes.
Extra fat around your belly can also mean your liver isn’t functioning properly after the age of 30, and toxins such as artificial sweeteners are definitely not helping.
Eating healthy foods that contain neither sugar nor artificial sweeteners will aid your liver in working more efficiently, and all the crunches that you have been doing will actually start to produce visible results once all the fat is gone.
Adding sugar or any type of artificial sweetener to your coffee or tea will also slow down the process of losing belly fat, so it’s best to kick any types of sweeteners to the curb for good once you turn 30.
7. Veggie Burgers
Unless you are a vegetarian, cutting beef out of your diet is usually not advisable because cow meat contains vitamin B12, which is known to slow down the aging process.
Veggie burgers are thus not necessarily unhealthy, but they may be robbing you out of vitamin B12 and causing more gray hairs and more wrinkles as a result.
Beef as we all know can be full of antibiotics and other additives which are anything but healthy, so the best way to ensure you’re getting your B12 from beef is to go for organic, grass-fed cow meat to reap all the benefits while avoiding all the adverse effects.
Aging can be difficult as it is, so doing what you can to help your body transition as smoothly as possible will pay off in the long run when a few decades from now your skin is smooth and your body is free of toxins.
8. White Flour
White flour is generally considered unhealthy at any age and avoiding it altogether is a good idea regardless of how old a person is.
As we age, processed foods, such as white flour, should not be consumed as they increase the risk of a host of various health problems, from different sorts of cancer to cardiovascular illnesses.
Although dough is a fairly popular food choice, definitely opt for whole wheat, buckwheat, and other sorts of healthy flour, which are not only unhealthy, but have been proven to lead to weight loss, decreased blood pressure, and lower cholesterol.
Bread, bagels, muffins and other pastries made of white flour lead to a carb-to-sugar conversion in the body that results in creating glucose. Glucose is one of collagen’s biggest enemies, and we all need collagen to maintain a wrinkle-free face and that youthful glow.
9. Margarine
It’s sometimes hard to keep up with all the information coming from scientific sources regarding which foods are healthy and which need to be completely abandoned.
A few decades ago butter was the usual suspect while margarine was considered healthy, whereas today it’s the other way around.
You probably already know that margarine is made in part with hydrogenated oils, which have been linked to various types of heart disease and cancer.
In addition to being unhealthy when it comes to serious illnesses, margarine is also bad for your skin as it exposes it to numerous free radicals, including ultraviolet radiation. Eating margarine on a regular basis can also lead to inflammation, and in turn increased wrinkle formation. Your best bet is to get rid of margarine for good and eat butter when craving such spreads.
10. Bacon
Sad, but true. Bacon is one of those foods that should be phased out after the age of 30 because it is loaded with saturated fat and it’s unhealthy in larger quantities.
Fat found in bacon increases the risk of heart disease and all sorts of cardiovascular problems, in addition to causing premature skin sagging.
Bacon is one of the most popular processed meats, but unfortunately it contains sodium nitrate, which can cause permanent changes in collagen and elastin production, proteins we all need to keep our skin looking young and fresh.
To be on the safe side of things bacon should be eliminated from your diet, but if you’re a notorious bacon lover opt for kinds that are nitrate-free with less than 2 grams of fat and no more than 1 gram of saturated fat.
