If You’re Over 40 Avoid These Foods and Beverages

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If you’re over 40, you might have noticed that you’re not able to eat or drink the things you used to. This is simply because you’re body isn’t as resilient as it used to be. As you age your risk for high cholesterol, heart disease, arthritis, prostate issues, cancer and diabetes increase. In fact, adults between the ages of 35 and 55 with moderately high cholesterol levels can have an increased chance of heart disease of up to 39 percent. This is according to findings published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

These statistics are not meant to scare anyone, but to merely act as an educational tool to prevent such diseases and negative outcomes. To help further your quest for a healthy life after 40, here are some foods that you may want to avoid so that you are not lead any further down that not-so-healthy path.

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1. Bacon

Bacon has been a favorite for years. Think: bacon burger, BLT, turkey wrapped in bacon, bacon bits, candied bacon. There is even bacon flavored ice cream.

Although it may taste good in just about anything, bacon and other cured meats are not particularly healthy – like, at all.

In fact, several studies, including this one from Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, found that eating three slices of bacon a day could raise the risk of dying from heart disease by nearly a quarter. The same study also concluded that there were also dangers from consuming other processed/cured varieties like  ham, sausages, bacon, frankfurters and salami.

2. Alcohol

You may have been able to hold your own in a round of shots in your 20’s and 30’s, and even make it to the gym the next morning for a round of circuit weight training. These days, however, you’re down for the count.

The fact of the matter is, alcohol, particularly cocktails contain more sugar than most drinks, which is gonna cause you to crash hard. And alcohol alone takes vitamin A from your body, which is an antioxidant that is crucial for cell renewal. And believe us, you will want your cells to renew in order to age gracefully.

3. Soda Pop

Well, if you thought that even if you gave up alcohol, then at least you could have your carbonated beverages, you should think again.

Soda is full of caffeine, refined sugar and  fructose. Diet soda isn’t any better — in fact, it’s probably worse. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame have been said to cause symptoms including headache, dizziness, digestive issues, sleep problems, changes in mood, memory loss, Alzheimer disease, diabetes, among others. This is according to a 1995 list submitted to the FDA by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Further, if you like your carbonated beverages caffeinated, caffeine has been found to trigger gout. And along with the high amounts of sugar, insulin levels can spike so high that drinking a soda a day increases your chance of a having a heart attack by 20 percent.

4. Fried food

Fried foods like breaded fried meat, French fries and chips are full of oils heated to extremely too high of temperatures that fill your arteries with goop you don’t need. In fact, eating fried foods is tied to increased risk of diabetes, heart disease according to research published in the Harvard School of Public Health.

But it isn’t just the obvious foods mentioned above. Even frying your otherwise healthy foods like vegetables or fish can negate any healthy quality, making them nearly devoid of nutrients. Again, the bread and oils may taste good to you, but that taste is at a high cost to your health.

The best way to get the most out of your vegetables is to enjoy them in a variety of ways — raw, steamed, boiled, baked and grilled.

5. White, enriched bread products

White bread and other white flour-enriched foods like crackers, rolls, and pasta have been found to increase inflammation in the body. This inflammation may play a role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, according to research conducted by The Journal of Nutrition.

If you want your sandwiches, rolls, noodles and other bready foods, opt instead for whole-grain and high-fiber options.

6. Doughnuts

While we’re on the topic of bread, why not include doughnuts on the list? After all, even though, they are bread-like, these round, glazed, frosted and even sugar-filled pastries should be in a category all their own.

What composes a doughnut is sugar, white flour and unhealthy trans fats, which has been linked several times over to heart disease. Even worse is that these round desserts that have unfortunately been coined a breakfast food may contain acrylamide, which, a carcinogen that could lead to lung cancer.

Doughnuts are quite possibly the worst way to start your day, and will not add healthy years to your already long-lived life.