These 25 foods may look tempting, but they are packed with unhealthy levels of sugars, fats and salt. Try these alternatives instead.
We’re not going to lie. Being a healthy eater after 50 means two things: boosting your intake of good-for-you foods like berries, leafy greens, whole grains and lean proteins, while also cutting out the foods that clog your arteries, raise your blood pressure and risk of diabetes, affect your cognition and expand your waistline.
“The number one thing that happens with aging is [that] your physiology changes, your body composition changes, [and] everything is processed a bit differently,” says Amit Shah, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. “You literally become more fat [and] less water.” The decline in muscle fiber can lead to frailty. So it’s very important to pay attention to nutrition.
That means trying to limit or avoid three big culprits: sodium, added sugar and ultraprocessed foods. In a newly published analysis of data from more than 100,000 American health professionals over more than 30 years, those who ate the most ultraprocessed foods had a 4 percent higher risk of death from any cause and a whopping 9 percent higher risk of neurodegenerative deaths.
As for sodium, a 2023 study out of Northwestern University found that reducing your salt intake by just a teaspoon a day can lower your blood pressure as effectively as a commonly prescribed blood pressure medication.
The good news: You don’t have to totally give up your favorite foods. “It’s what you do most days that matters,” Shah says. “I always tell people, ‘Go out to eat, have a good time. But the other six days of the week, focus on finding the good [foods].”
And when possible, just say no — or at least “Whoa!” — to these 25 foods.
1. Sweetened yogurts
“Plain yogurt is actually good for you, especially Greek yogurt, which is higher in protein and lower in fat,” says Colleen Christmas, M.D., a geriatrics physician and associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins. “For women who need a little extra calcium and vitamin D, [it’s a] good way to get [both] into your bones. But when it’s sweetened, you’ve [taken] a really healthy food and made it unhealthy.”
Research backs her up. A 2023 University of Missouri study found a link between Western diets high in fat and sugar and the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which can lead to chronic liver disease. Another 2023 study, from the University of Pittsburgh, found that excess sugar may aggravate inflammatory bowel disease.
Do this instead: Do your gut biome and bones a favor by eating plain yogurt — and if your taste buds are screaming for sweetness, add a little honey and some chopped berries, banana, apples or pineapple.
2. Ramen
Put simply, it’s low in cost but super high in sodium. The problem with ramen noodles is twofold. Refined, stripped pasta means a lack of fiber, which we need as we age to keep our microbiome healthy. The second issue is sodium, says Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic.
A 2023 study out of Vanderbilt University funded by the National Institutes of Health looked at the impact of sodium intake on blood pressure and found that nearly three-quarters of the participants had lower systolic blood pressure on a low-sodium diet than on a higher-sodium one.
Do this instead: Look for whole-grain, low-sodium ramens, or make your own with whole-grain noodles and low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, tossing in a few cut-up veggies, hard-boiled egg or chicken, Kirkpatrick says.
3. Deli meats
“Sandwich meat, prepared meats, bacon, sausage, ham — all those deli meats have a huge amount of sodium in them,” Shah says. They can also be loaded with chemical preservatives, which is why processed meats have been classified as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. It found that eating even tiny amounts daily — like one small hot dog — increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent.
Do this instead: “If people want to have deli meat, they should choose a low-sodium option or get meat that is freshly cut from the deli,” says Alyssa Smolen, a registered dietitian based in New Jersey. “If they’re looking at the nutrition label, it should say less than 5 percent of the daily sodium — that’s going to be a good option.”
4. Instant oatmeal packs (and other sugary cereals)
“Oatmeal on its own is a really healthy food — high in fiber, good for preventing colon cancer,” Christmas says. But often the packaged, microwavable ones have added sugar. And older adults should be particularly vigilant about hidden sugars, as the risk for diabetes and prediabetes rises, Shah says.
“Added sugars are inflammatory to the body and, if consumed over time, can lead to unfavorable health outcomes,” says Jordan Hill, a registered dietitian with Top Nutrition Coaching. “The American Heart Association recommends women limit added sugar to 25 grams a day and men to 36 grams a day.”
Do this instead: Use plain oatmeal, adding in fruit and nuts for flavor, fiber, healthy fats and other nutrients. And look for a high-fiber cereal that “slows down your gut, aids in digestion [and] prevents constipation, which is a very common problem as people age,” Shah says. AARP’s Whole Body Reset plan recommends getting at least 5 grams of fiber at each meal.
5. French fries
Imagine the vat of oil those fries (or any fried foods) have been submerged in, and consider how the saturated fat “may have a negative impact on blood cholesterol,” says Amy Gorin, a registered dietitian and nutritionist and CEO of Plant Based With Amy and Master the Media in Stamford, Connecticut.
The American Heart Association recommends a diet in which less than 6 percent of calories come from saturated fat, so if your daily intake is 2,000 calories, no more than 120 of those should come from saturated fat.
So when you’re looking at labels, remember that “a 200-calorie serving of food should have no more than 2 grams of saturated fat,” says Nancy Farrell Allen, owner of Farrell Dietitian Services and clinical instructor at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.
Do this instead: “Break out the air fryer!” advises Christine Rosenbloom, a registered dietitian and nutritionist, coauthor of Food & Fitness After 50, and author of A to Z Blog: Simple, Practical, Science-Based Tips for a Long, Healthy Life. “Air-fried fish is great, as are ‘fried’ veggies, like new potatoes, green beans, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Spritz with olive oil and add some herbs.”
6. Canned fruit, particularly with added sugar
“You get some of the benefits, but less once it’s been processed and put in a can,” Christmas says. “The vitamin C level of canned fruits is really, really low. And there’s pretty good evidence that refined sugars promote inflammation in our bodies,” which can damage us, particularly our cognitive health.
Do this instead: Buy fresh fruit, either cut up already or whole versions you cut up yourself. Trust us, it’s worth the extra 10 minutes.
7. Frozen pizzas
Many ultraprocessed foods like “meat lovers” frozen pizzas add food coloring, sodium, preservatives and other hard-to-pronounce additives to make consumers happy. And that’s not good for you.
A study in the journal Neurology found that eating ultraprocessed foods was associated with a higher risk of dementia among more than 72,000 participants age 55 and older. And a Brazilian study of more than 10,000 middle-aged adults found that those whose daily calories were more than 20 percent from processed foods saw a faster decline in memory and organizational skills.
Finally, a study out of Tufts found that men whose diet was heavy in ultraprocessed foods had a 29 percent higher chance of developing colorectal cancer.
Do this instead: “One alternative to frozen pizza is ordering a pie from your local fresh-made pizza shop,” Hill says. Or, “if you want to get adventurous and make your own, your grocery store bakery sells fresh dough. Add your sauce and desired toppings, and bake for 18 to 25 minutes at 400 degrees.”
8. Canned soups
“People love soup, but it has a day-plus of sodium in one cup,” Shah says. “And sodium is a really important thing to pay attention to if you have congestive heart failure, prior heart attacks or have stiffening of the heart.” What’s more, as you age, “you can’t excrete as much salt through urination, so your blood pressure goes up.”
Do this instead: If you really crave a canned soup, look for a lower-sodium version, and then try to account for that sodium throughout the day, Kirkpatrick says: “So if you’ve been told by your physician not to have more than 1,500 milligrams a day and your soup knocks out 850 in one serving, then you have to be a little more cognizant the rest of the day of what other foods you’re eating.”
10. “Healthy” veggie chips
“Some folks may believe veggie chips are a healthier version of potato chips, but in reality, they are very similar,” Hill says. “After all, potatoes are a vegetable, too.” She says common veggie chip brands use similar if not the same oils as popular potato chip brands, so the fat content is usually the same.
Do this instead: Consider buying baked chips or choosing lower-fat snacks like rice cakes or homemade stovetop popcorn, Hill advises. Or exercise portion control. If you simply can’t live without the unhealthy chips, Shah says, enjoy them — in moderation: “Pour out 14 chips in a bowl, put away the bag, and eat those chips!”
11. Frozen low-calorie meals
“As many people get older, they see their social circles getting smaller,” Christmas says, “and it can get really challenging to do all the cooking for one person, so I see a lot of older adults eating ‘healthy’ frozen meals. But really those meals are only healthier than the other highly processed foods in the frozen food section. They tend to have a lot of sugars, salts, trans fats and refined carbohydrates.” And because they’re low-calorie, you may soon be hungry again, Smolen says.
Do this instead: If you’re rushed and grab a quick, low-cal instant meal, Smolen suggests adding at least a side salad or a piece of fruit, to add fiber that will keep you feeling full. Or mix healthier frozen foods, like chicken and vegetables, with low- or no-sodium canned beans, Kirkpatrick says.
12. Processed cheeses
You love cheese — we get it. But not all cheeses are created equal. “A lot of processed cheeses won’t have the same calcium content that regular cheese would have … and then the sodium would be sky high,” Kirkpatrick says. They can also include things like emulsifiers, food colorings, sugar and vegetable oils.
Do this instead: Choose a fresh, natural, unprocessed variety, like ricotta, goat cheese, mozzarella, cheddar, brie, Muenster or provolone. And watch your serving size: “For the most part, about one slice of cheese is going to be 20 percent of your calcium needs for the day, ” says Kirkpatrick, who also notes that aged cheeses have less lactose.
13. Canned veggies
Prepared vegetables, like black beans in a can, have lots of sodium, Shah says. They might advertise themselves as “low salt,” but that just means the salt is lower than in the regular version of the product, he says. Shah also cautions that another label to watch out for is “no added salt.” The food itself could naturally have a ton of salt in it: “Every vegetable has sodium in it; it’s a normal part of every living cell.”
Low sodium means you get less than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving, Shah says. “Many Americans get 20 times more sodium than [they] need.”
Do this instead: Look for canned veggies that are low in sodium — or rinse your canned veggies in water.
14. High-FODMAP foods
FODMAP — say what? It stands for “fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and poyols,” big words for sugars that many of us have trouble digesting. The problem can worsen with age, leading to cramping, diarrhea, bloating and, ahem, excessive flatulence.
“People make jokes about older people having gas,” Shah says. “It’s because of the gut slowing down.”
The dietary culprits: fructose (found in fruits, honey and high-fructose corn syrup), lactose (dairy products), fructans (wheat, onion and garlic), galactans (beans and lentils) and polyols (found in sugar-free sweeteners, cauliflower, corn, avocados, apples, apricots and other stone fruits).
Do this instead: If you’re having intestinal problems, stop eating any high FODMAP foods you think might be the cause, then slowly reintroduce them one by one to identify those triggering your sensitivities.
15. Bottled pasta sauces
“Jarred and shelf-stable products typically contain higher sodium to keep them preserved and prevent bacterial growth,” Hill says, “and many [bottled pasta sauces] contain 300 to 400 milligrams of sodium per serving.”
Do this instead: Although it takes some time, Hill recommends making your own sauce at home. You’ll likely reduce total sodium content and still enjoy a delicious pasta sauce.
“If you do choose to use bottled pasta sauce, get a red sauce vs. a white sauce to cut back on the saturated fat, [which] over time can increase risk for high cholesterol.”
Look for a low-sodium tomato sauce, and don’t drown the pasta; instead, add in veggies, chicken or shrimp to up the flavor and nutrition.
16. Granola and protein bars
Like the beds Goldilocks found in the house of the three bears, bars can be bad for you, not as bad or just right — so read the labels and avoid the ones that are just glorified candy bars. Christmas’ rule of thumb: “You should be able to identify all of the ingredients on the label. They should all sound like foods to you and not chemicals.” (Some brands even tout the short list of “real” ingredients on the front of their packages.)
Do this instead: If you’re looking for convenient, run-out-the-door, portable foods, nothing beats Mother Nature’s: apples, bananas or oranges. They even come in their own packages.
17. Bottled salad dressing
“These dressings have more additives and sugar, but the big point I try to make to patients is when you buy something bottled that is really easy to make, you lose control of the ingredients,” Kirkpatrick says.
One of those important ingredients: olive oil, consistently shown to be good for you. In one recent study, a 28-year look at more than 92,000 adults published in JAMA Network Open, the consumption of more than 7 grams of olive oil a day was linked to a 28 percent lower risk of dementia-related death compared with never or rarely eating olive oil.
Do this instead: Make your own dressing! Just keep bottles of olive oil and vinegar (balsamic or apple cider) or lemon juice handy, adding in mustard or herbs if you want more flavor. “The fat helps you absorb the vitamins and minerals from the greens … and the vitamin C in lemon juice helps you absorb important minerals like iron,” Smolen says.
18. Premade marinades for meat/fish/other proteins
“You definitely need to marinate your meat, chicken and fish because the acids help break down the protein so it cooks faster and better, and marinades give your food flavor,” Smolen says. “But they have more sugar, more fat, more salt … and you really don’t get a lot of bang for your buck.”
Do this instead: “A healthier option would be to make your own marinade using oil, vinegar, spices and herbs,” Hill says. “If you’re marinating meat or fish in a gallon plastic bag or container, just mix the marinade ingredients in it first and then add your protein of choice.”
19. Cookie and cake mixes
“Likely to no one’s surprise, these are high in added sugar and have little nutritional value,” Hill says. “With excessive added sugar intake increasing the risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes, you should find healthier alternatives.”
Do this instead: To curb your sweet tooth, Hill suggests baking with a natural alternative sweetener, such as stevia, in place of sugar.
Allen suggests making healthier mini-muffins — blueberry, zucchini, banana, pumpkin or cranberry-orange — using whole-wheat flour.
Gorin advises making a healthy fruit smoothie with frozen wild blueberries: “They offer two times the health-helping antioxidants of conventional berries, benefiting your memory and brain health. Blend them with unsweetened almond milk, peanut butter, Greek yogurt and banana.”
Drinks to (mostly) avoid
20. Alcoholic beverages
The days of triple-margarita Mexican dinners should be behind you.
“Increasingly, we have data that alcohol is particularly toxic to our brain cells, and we become very sensitive to its effects as we get older, so it’s even more important to avoid it or minimize its use,” Christmas says.
Because alcohol metabolism changes as we age, it can increase the risk of falls, interact with medications, interfere with sleep and risk dehydration (because our ability to detect thirst declines as we age). Alcohol also contributes to liver disease, heart disease, kidney disease, immune system dysfunction and neurological diseases like dementia.
A University of Pennsylvania study of 36,000 adults found that even moderate alcohol consumption — a few beers or glasses of wine per week — are linked to harm to the brain, no matter what your age.
Government guidelines recommend no more than two drinks a day for older men and no more than one drink a day for older women.
Do this instead: Try a low- or no-calorie mocktail. “Or, if you do consume alcohol, dilute it with sparkling water, club soda or low-calorie cranberry juice,” Rosenbloom says.
21. Sweetened bottled teas
“It’s not the caffeine that is bad for people,” Shah says. “It’s all the sugar added in.” And watch out for misleading labels. “Just because a drink says ‘pure’ or ‘green tea’ or ‘honey’ doesn’t mean it has less sugar,” Rosenbloom says. Teas touting their organic cane sugar, coconut sugar or raw sugar? “Sugar is sugar,” she says.
Sugary drinks aren’t just bad for the waistline. A 2022 University of South Carolina study of more than 90,000 women found that those who drank at least one sugary beverage a day had a 78 percent higher risk of developing liver cancer.
Do this instead: Sip a cup of prune juice — yes, prune juice. Gorin says she loves recommending prune juice in 7.5-ounce cans, which generally offers about 4 grams of fiber and no added sugar.
Or infuse water with fresh fruit, Hill says: “It will add both flavor and some micronutrients.” Crave a savory beverage? Sip a reduced-sodium bouillon or bone broth.
22. Sodas, both sugary and artificially sweetened
“They have no health benefit whatsoever,” Christmas says. “They tend to have lots of sugar.” He notes that even though the artificial sweeteners are lower in calories, some research finds that aspartame may work in the body to promote diabetes the same way sugary sodas do.
“I love diet sodas myself,” Shah says, “but there is no evidence that they help with weight loss, and actually they may cause weight gain because they give people a sweet tooth…. I never tell anyone to switch from any liquid thing to a diet liquid thing.”
Do this instead: If you love them, make them a (very) occasional treat — like in the stands during the NBA playoffs. Hill’s suggestion: Try low- to no-sugar kombucha. “It has live bacteria to support gut health, and it’s healthier than your typical soda.”
23. Fruit juice, particularly sweetened
“There’s no reason why anyone should be drinking fruit juice, ever,” Christmas says. When someone drinks a glass of orange juice, Shah says, blood sugar spikes. Remember that “if somebody is crashing from diabetes and has too much insulin, we give them juice! It’s an instant — boom! — hit of glucose into your bloodstream.”
And if you think you need the vitamin C, think again. Shah says most people in the United States are not vitamin C-deficient.
Do this instead: Rather than OJ, eat an orange — it has more fiber (which slows your digestion and helps manage blood sugar) and is more filling. If you absolutely love orange juice, Shah recommends just pouring yourself a shot glass full.
An exception to this recommendation could be prune juice, which some nutritionists recommend, as mentioned earlier.
24. Fancy coffee drinks
It’s just coffee, right? Wrong. Though studies show that the caffeine in coffee has a powerful antioxidant effect, store-bought coffee drinks are also often loaded with the sweet stuff. “For example, the 16-ounce chai latte at Starbucks, one of its most popular drinks, has 42 grams of sugar,” Rosenbloom says.
Do this instead: If you want caffeine, go with straight coffee, adding a small amount of oat or soy milk. “It can take a couple of weeks for your taste buds to change,” Christmas says, “but eventually you’ll adjust and begin enjoying the new coffee. Then, when you take a swig of the sugary stuff, you’ll find it sickly.”
25. Sports drinks
“If you’re running a marathon and you need that high concentration of electrolytes and sugar in the middle of the race, that’s fine, but the average person living their day-to-day life doesn’t need to drink these,” Christmas says.
Do this instead: “If you want a natural electrolyte, drink coconut water,” Smolen advises. “But still look at the sugar content and make sure it actually has potassium and sodium in it.” Or try ice water with a squeeze of lime.??
Source: AARP. Alison Gwinn is a contributing writer and health reporter and a longtime editor at such publications as The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Women’s Health, InStyle and Entertainment Weekly.
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