The best part about being a grown-up is
having the freedom to do—and eat—whatever you want. Pizza for breakfast?
Yolo. But when the muffin tops and man boobs start to appear, it can be a rude wake-up call that many foods aren’t without consequence.
Even if you don’t
feel any different than you did in your
teens and twenties, the body changes in ways that make it harder to lose
weight and remain in good health. To help you age gracefully into a
body you’ll want to flaunt no matter how many years go by, the Eat This,
Not That! research team dug into the science of aging and nutrition to
uncover the foods that should never pass your lips after you’ve
celebrated the big 3-0.
Even if you've started slathering on the wrinkle cream, no product
changes the fact that your skin is beginning to age. After 30, collagen
production slows and elastin—the protein that keeps skin firm—begins to
break down, causing fine lines to form. Although it’s impossible to stop
the aging process, it’s possible to keep your youthful complexion later
into life by cutting back on sugar, a nutrient that’s been shown to
accelerate wrinkling and sagging. Already cutting back on candy and
cookies? Don’t assume you’re in the clear. Many sources of the sweet
stuff are hiding in less obvious places like bread, ketchup, and
flavored yogurts. Dannon’s Fruit on the Bottom flavored yogurt line, for
example, has about 24 grams—or an entire day’s worth—of sugar in each
6-ounce container. That’s more sugar than you’d find in an entire bag of
Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms!
Eat This! Tip
Calm your sugar cravings by snacking on a sweet piece of fruit. We’re
fans of all produce, but bananas are, hands down, one of our favorites.
A cutting-edge study published in 2013 found a connection between
high blood pressure and skin aging. Compared to their older-looking
counterparts, female study participants with fewer wrinkles also had
lower blood pressure. Although the connection between the two issues
remains unclear, there’s no harm in cutting back on sodium, a mineral
that’s known to raise blood pressure. Not sure how to start scaling
back? Head to your pantry and take a hard look at your shelf-stable
soups. U.S. guidelines call for less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per
day, but many popular cans carry 40 percent of the day’s recommended
salt intake in just one serving. But that’s not the only reason you
should stay away from the stuff. Many soup cans are laced with BPA, a
chemical that’s been linked to cancer, infertility, and weight gain. Our
suggestion:
3 & 4
POP-TARTS &
BREAKFAST PASTRIES
Put your hands behind your head and step away from the Pop-Tarts—and
all of those sugary muffins and scones, too. You’re a grown up now; it’s
time to start eating like one. Most sweet a.m. treats pack over a day’s
worth of sugar into a standard sized serving that spells trouble if you
want to become a parent one day and live to see your kids grow up.
Sugary diets cause a slew of health problems, including insulin
resistance, which can lead to PCOS, a condition that’s been linked to
female infertility. And if you’re lucky enough to start a family despite
your diet, your sugar habit may lower the odds you’ll live long enough
to see your little one grow up. People who consume between 17 and 21
percent of their daily calories from added sugar have a 38 percent
higher risk of dying from heart disease, compared with people who
consumed 8 percent or less of their calories from added sugar, according
to recent findings.
Fructose, dextrose, glycerin, sorbitol, zinc oxide, whey protein, palm
oil. No, that isn’t the recipe for your niece’s Silly Putty, those are
just some of the ingredients that go into Special K’s meal replacement
bar. Appetizing, right? “While younger folks can get away with skipping
breakfast or simply eating a starchy ‘weight loss’ cereal or bar,
research suggests that eating 20 to 30 grams of protein at each meal is
ideal—especially as we age,” explains Chris Mohr, former sports
nutritionist for the Cincinnati Bengals. Aside from its Frankenfood
ingredients and high sugar count, Special K’s not-so-special bar only
packs 10 grams of protein, which won’t do much in terms of keeping you
full and satisfied until lunch. If you typically reach for a bar like
this, swap it out for a homemade protein shake.
If you and your spouse are thinking about starting a family, consider
soft drinks like Coke and Pepsi your archenemies. The reason? They're
laced with potentially cancer-causing dyes and are the primary source of
added sugar in the American diet. And not only does sugar negatively
impact ovulation, but it's also been linked to poorer sperm motility,
too. Simply put, sipping the stuff may make it more difficult for you to
conceive. Wondering which foods can make it easier?
Whether you like Red Velvet Oreos, the Birthday Cake variety or can’t
live without the Mega-Stuff, all of Nabisco’s twist n' lick cookies
have one thing in common: They're filled with empty calories and
waist-expanding fat. “When we're younger, eating healthier seemed
pointless when you could just go to the gym 24/7 to lose weight,” says
registered
dietitian and founder of The NY Nutrition Group Lisa Moskovitz.
“Unfortunately, as the body ages, exercise still has plenty of positive
benefits, but weight loss is often not one of them.” When it comes to
dropping pounds, staying away from calorie-dense, hard-to-put-down
snacks like Oreos is key.
As we age, the body doesn’t metabolize alcohol as efficiently, and
drunk junk food cravings become harder to ignore, warns registered
dietitian Martha McKittrick. “It’s also increasingly difficult to get a
good night’s rest with alcohol in your system. While you may have been
able to get away with minimal sleep in your 20’s, that’s not the case in
your 30’s and beyond. Sleepless nights lead to carb and sugar cravings
the next day, which can contribute to further weight gain,” McKittrick
explains. What’s more, alcohol sucks the moisture out of your skin,
which temporarily makes fine lines more noticeable and, over time if you
continue to booze, causes the skin to lose elasticity and form
wrinkles.
10 & 11
BAGELS &
WHITE BREAD
Unless your go-to bagel is made with whole grains, consider it a “Not
That.” Though you may not think of the popular breakfast carb as a
sweet indulgence, the body converts refined carbohydrates into sugar and
then glucose, a nutrient that damages collagen and other
wrinkle-fighting proteins. What’s more, when it comes to bread, bagels
and even pasta, picking whole grains over refined will help keep your
blood sugar levels even kneeled, aiding weight maintenance and weight loss, giving you a more youthful figure.
12 & 13
DIET MOUNTAIN DEW
& FRESCA
Drinks like Mountain Dew and Fresca may look less chemical filled
than cola because of their lighter hue, but that couldn’t be further
from the truth. Instead of caramel coloring—the chemical that makes Coke
brown—Diet Mountain Dew and Fresca are colored with brominated
vegetable oil, a chemical used in rocket fuel and flame retardants. It’s
been shown to have negative effects on thyroid hormones and fertility, a
primary health concern of people in their 30s. What’s the connection?
“Added chemicals like BVO can contribute to internal inflammation, which
has been linked to obesity, a condition that can make it harder to
conceive,” explains registered dietitian Isabel Smith. Can’t kick your
soda habit all together?
Finding your first gray hair is a day you’ll never forget. It’s one
of those pesky reminders from Mother Nature that you’re a full-blown
adult—and an unwelcome one at that. The best way to keep early graying
at bay is to ensure you’re getting enough vitamin B12, a nutrient
naturally abundantly beef. So unless you’re a vegetarian don’t cut the
cow out of your diet. Worried about the fat and calories? Go for
grass-fed. It’s naturally leaner than conventionally raised meat and
packs higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to reduce
the risk of heart disease and turbocharge fat loss.
Drinking a caffeinated beverage out of a straw—how most of us down
our daily iced coffee—is a skin-aging double-whammy. During the day,
we’re exposed to skin-stressors like UV rays, but while we sleep our
cells repair themselves. However, downing too much caffeine can
interfere with sleep quality, cutting into this rejuvenation time and
prematurely aging the skin. What’s more, researchers have found that
repetitive facial movements, like sipping through a straw, can cause
fine lines and wrinkles.
Eat This! Tip
Instead of sucking down your daily iced coffee with skim, sip on hot
green tea, which may ward off wrinkles by fighting inflammation and
improving the skin’s elasticity.
If you’ve become thicker around the middle since turning 30, it may
be a sign that your liver isn’t functioning optimally. Avoiding toxins
like artificial sweeteners will help the vital organ work more
efficiently, and in turn, slim your middle. To jump-start the detox
process, kick foods make with fake sweeteners (like sugar-free gum,
candies, and snacks) to the curb.
17
Produce Loaded
With Pesticides
Reaching 30 means that you’ve had three decades to accumulate toxins
from food, which can negatively affect metabolism and hormone balance,
explains Smith. Researchers have also found that men who consume the
most pesticides through produce have far fewer motile sperm than guys
who’ve eaten the least—not good news if you’re trying to start or expand
your family. The most popular produce that has the highest amounts of
pesticides and should be organic whenever possible include: apples,
strawberries, grapes, celery, peaches, spinach, bell peppers, cucumbers
and cherry tomatoes.
Butter alternatives like margarine are often made with
partially-hydrogenated oils, one of the most common trans-fats. You may
have heard that this type of fat is linked to heart disease, but what
most people don’t know is that it may also accelerate the skin’s aging
process by making the skin more vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation.
When the skin gets damaged by the sun, it breaks down the skin’s elastin
and collagen. But that’s not all, studies have also found that eating
margarine can cause chronic inflammation, which may also accelerate
wrinkle formation.
19
HEALTHY CHOICE
PINEAPPLE CHICKEN
“When you were younger, you may have been able to starve yourself to
drop a quick ten pounds before bikini season, but this is almost
impossible once the age ‘odometer’ turns to 30. Not to mention, it’s
really unhealthy, ” warns Chicago-area registered dietitian Christine M.
Palumbo. Skip the unappetizing microwave diet meals—they tend to lack
satiating nutrients like fiber and pack excess salt, sugar (this meal
has almost an entire day’s worth of the stuff) and chemical additives
your body simply doesn't need.
Bad news, bacon lovers: This beloved breakfast food may make your
skin start to sag well before your AARP card arrives. The reason:
Sixty-eight percent of bacon's calories come from fat, with almost half
of that being the saturated variety. Besides contributing to weight gain
and increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke, saturated fats can
cause inflammation that accelerates skin aging. Bacon and other
processed meats also contain sodium nitrate which, according to a 2013
study published in the journal
European Cytokine Network,
enhances oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can cause structural changes
in collagen and elastin (the proteins that keep skin looking young),
resulting in premature wrinkles, explains St. Petersburg Institute of
Bioregulation and Gerontology researchers. Luckily, you don’t have to
give up bacon altogether to keep your skin smooth. Just switch to a
nitrate-free variety with less than 2 grams of fat and no more than 1
gram of artery-clogging saturated fat (like Applegate Natural Good
Morning Bacon) and cut yourself off after two slices.
When it comes to drinks laced with artificial sweeteners, just say
no! Researchers say these Frankenfoods confuse our bodies by making us
expect calories that aren’t there which interferes with our body’s
ability to regulate what we eat. The result is what they call “metabolic
derangements” like poor insulin response and elevated glucose levels,
which can lead to fat storage and a host of illnesses like metabolic
syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. “If drinks with
artificial sweeteners are a staple of your diet, it’s best to kick the
habit to maintain health and prevent diseases throughout the aging
process,” says Moskovitz.
22
POP SECRET
BUTTER POPCORN
In it’s purest form, popcorn is a healthy snack filled with
energizing whole grains. But like many things, the food industry has
managed transformed something wholesome into something harmful to our
health. Pop Secret’s Butter Popcorn, for example, has five grams of
artery-clogging trans fat per serving—that’s more than double the
government recommended daily limit. “Trans Fats are particularly
important to avoid as people get older because the risk for heart
disease increases with age,” explains Smith.
23
MARIE CALLENDER'S
LATTICE APPLE PIE
Marie Callender’s not-so-wholesome apple pie is another food packed
with dangerous hydrogenated oils. One slice of the stuff packs a
whopping three grams—or a day a half worth—of trans fats. Not only are
trans-fats bad for your ticker, according to a
Fertility and Sterility study, they can also lower sperm counts, which is bad news if you’re trying to make a baby.
Puffy, dark circles under the eyes tend to become more pronounced
with each passing birthday—and being dehydrated makes matters even
worse. To wake up looking refreshed, steer clear of moisture-sucking
salty foods like soy sauce (a mere tablespoon of the stuff has a
whopping 879 milligrams of sodium) and drink plenty of water. Sick of
basic H20?
25 & 26
SALAMI
& HOT DOGS
Meat may be considered the ultimate man food but if you gobble down
the wrong kinds, your sperm may pay the price. A 2014 study published in
the journal
Epidemiology found an association between eating
processed meats like salami and hot dogs and lower sperm count. And
interestingly enough, the meat’s saturated fat content—a nutrient
previous associated with poor sperm quality—wasn’t to blame. The study
authors hypothesize that there’s something that happens during
processing that's detrimental to sperm quality—they’re just not quite
sure yet what
that is.
An after-dinner scoop of coffee ice cream—which has the caffeine
equivalent to a half-shot of espresso—may have never messed with your
sleep before, but once you’re in your 30s, caffeine can take more of a
toll on the body. “As we age, our circadian rhythms change, as do our
hormones, which can make us more sensitive to caffeine and affect our
ability to sleep soundly,” says Smith. What’s wrong with getting a
little less sleep? In a recent study of more than 500 participants,
researchers found that losing a mere 30 minutes of shut-eye increased
their risk of obesity by 17 percent! Yikes! Metabolism slows down as we
age, so slacking on shut-eye will only add fuel to the waist-expanding
fire.
With each passing year, the body requires and burns fewer calories.
This makes it all the more important to eat reasonable portions as you
journey further into adulthood. Sounds easy enough, right? Sure. Until
you pick up a bag of Doritos. Everyone knows that when you open a bag,
you're bound to polish it off—and it’s no surprise, really. The recipe
for the popular chip was specially designed so that no single flavor
overpowers another. When foods lack a dominant flavor, people are less
apt to feel full and, in turn, consume more, say researchers. What’s
more, one of the first ingredients on the food’s label is monosodium
glutamate (MSG), an additive that’s been known to increase appetite and
make foods taste more appetizing. With all of these factors working
against you, it’s really no wonder you're defenseless when Doritos come
around.
Whoever invented the Gatorade Dunk—the tradition in which winning
sports teams dump coolers of the stuff on their coaches—was really on to
something. One scan of the nutrition label and it’s clear: The sports
drink is better off seeping into the sidelines than your stomach. Sure,
it provides critical post-workout electrolytes, like sodium and
potassium, but it also serves up a hearty helping of calories and sugar.
And the fact is, you likely don’t need the extra calories and sugar
found in the sports drinks—no matter how hardcore your Crossfit or barre
class may be, says Smith. “As we age, our metabolism slows, we’re also
less active and more stressed which can change the way that the body
metabolizes calories and sugar.” The less sugar you have in your system,
the better it is for your abs and overall health.
Coffee creamer and sunblock have more in common than you might think.
They both contain titanium dioxide, an ultraviolet radiation blocker
that doubles as a whitening agent. Besides lurking in many conventional
creamers, it’s also found in seemingly ‘healthy’ bottles like So
Delicious’ coconut milk-based varieties. The additive has been proven to
cause liver and tissue damage in mice, and may also have health
implications in humans, according to a recent review of the chemical.
Coffee creamer is also typically packed with trans fats, often hiding
under its lesser-known name: hydrogenated oil. Pretty much all of Coffee
Mate’s products have this scary ingredient that has been shown to
diminish memory in adults under 45 years old. If you’re working hard or
don’t want to forget where you parked your car, this is one ingredient
you should steer clear of. Need another reason to stay away? Moskovitz
says trans fats can cause inflammation, which can exacerbate aches and
pains, brought on as the result of a sports injury and aging.
Finally Thoughts
Tough
list I know, and no one is expected to go cold turkey once they hit the
big 3-0. This is indeed something that you should be consciously aware
off so when you do start to see the changes in your body, you will not
freak out. Which of these 30 you
go without? Bacon and coffee creamer are my Achilles Heel, Let me know your.............
