They may look tempting, but they are packed with unhealthy levels of sugars, fats, and salt. Try these alternatives instead.
Published by: AARP
We’re not going to lie. Eating healthily after 50 requires effort on two fronts: boosting your intake of good-for-you foods, such as berries, leafy greens, whole grains, and lean proteins, while cutting out the foods that clog your arteries and oh-so-easily expand your waistline.
1. Fried foods that triple the calories
Get the side salad instead of restaurant fries. When you look at labels, consider that “a 200-calorie serving of food should have no more than 2 grams of saturated fat,” says Nancy Farrell Allen, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
2. Sugary drinks, including most bottled teas
A 2022 study led by the University of South Carolina 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 than those who consumed less than three servings per month.
Infuse water with fresh fruit in flavors such as orange, blueberry lemon, and kiwi watermelon, suggests Jordan Hill, a lead dietitian with Top Nutrition Coaching (topnutritioncoaching.com). “It will add both flavor and some micronutrients from the fruit.”
3. Packaged foods with sneaky sugars
“Sugars increase one’s risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, the incidence and prevalence of which increase as we age,” says Thomas Loepfe, a geriatrician at the Mayo Clinic. At a time in life when every calorie should be nutrient-dense, “added sugar really contributes to calories we don’t need.”
Check labels for added sugars — but don’t fret over natural sugars in fruits or milk.
4. Foods loaded with stealth salt
Get back into the kitchen and cook, keeping the recipes simple, using whole ingredients and using seasonings that have no added sodium. m for 1,500 to 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.
5. Ultra-processed snacks
Unless you’re picking an apple from a tree or getting your milk straight out of a cow, most of the food you eat is processed. It’s the ultra-processed foods that make the list to strike from your diet.
Make a charcuterie board with sliced lean turkey or chicken, whole wheat crackers, reduced-fat cheese, pumpkin seeds, almonds, dried apricots and cherries.
6. Alcohol
The days of triple-margarita Mexican dinners should be behind you. Why? Alcohol metabolism changes when we age, and we become more susceptible to its negative aspects.
Government guidelines recommend no more than two drinks a day for males and no more than one drink a day for females.