Full-Fat Dairy
Full-fat dairy has fat in its name, which should give you a clue where we’re going with this! Unfortunately, it's not the kind you want in your body. Instead, dairy products such as cheese and cream have saturated fats, which elevate your cholesterol levels and put extra stress on your heart.
Refined Carbs
Anything with refined carbs, such as white bread, are bad for your heart - they increase the risk of heart disease - and blood sugar levels. The changes they promote can stop your body responding to insulin, and leave you more vulnerable to type 2 diabetes.
Sugary Sweets
Many of us have a sweet tooth, but there are health risks associated with large amounts of sugar that increase as you get older. The largest of these is the inflammation it can cause, which exacerbates health conditions. Then there's the obvious risk of diabetes.
Fries
The lure of a good fry can be hard to resist, but fair warning: the cooking process increases a food’s fat content - and not the good kind! The added calories will put extra pounds on you, which is bad news for your heart and digestion.
Processed Meats
The preservatives used in processed meat such as sausages and bacon, combined with their high sodium content, can elevate your blood pressure. Cancer is arguably a larger concern though, and they can expose you to colorectal cancer.
Canned Soups
You’d think that soups are healthy - they’re mostly liquid, after all - but the canned versions have elevated preservatives and sodium content. All the extra additives aren’t good for your kidneys; they can cause damage over time if you eat - or drink - too many of them.
Fast Food
It’s no secret that fast food is bad for you, but your body’s metabolism slows down as you age, so it only gets worse. They’re filled with lots of unwanted ingredients (including extra salt, sugar and saturated or trans fats) which increase your cholesterol, ultimately leading to heart disease.
Pre-Packaged Sandwiches
As convenient as pre-packaged sandwiches are to grab on the go for a quick lunch, they also contain some unhealthy surprises. The meat is often processed, the bread refined and the spread in them is high in fat, so eating too many can promote weight gain.
Potato Chips
Chips are more-ish and it’s easy to lose track of how many you’re eating - maybe it’s something to do with the salt? That’s actually the problem, though! Too much salt in your system adds a bunch of problems, from affecting your kidneys to raising your risk of strokes.
Margarine
Hydrogenated oils are most often found in margarine, though certain cooking oils have it as well. It contains ingredients often associated with heart disease. However, these oils can also cause inflammation and raise your risk of brain decline.
Granola Bars
Granola bars are something you should avoid as you age, especially if you have problems controlling your weight or regulating your blood sugar. That’s because they often contain a lot of added fats and sugar, so they can exacerbate illnesses such as diabetes.
Cakes
If you’ve ever baked a cake you’ll know how much sugar and refined flour go into them. And if you haven’t baked one, it’s a lot! You don’t notice all these extra ingredients in the final product - how could you? - but they don’t do your weight or teeth any favors!
High-Sugar Breakfast Cereals
There are a lot of cereals out there (generally the ones marketed towards children) that have a lot of refined grains or sugars in them, and they can cause all kinds of problems with your metabolism - especially if you eat them with whole milk! Opt for healthier alternatives.
Microwavable Popcorn
Sure, it’s convenient and easy to prepare, but microwave popcorn has additives in it that you should avoid as you get older. The chemicals, the saturated fats and the extra salt that comes from the artificial butter… it can all contribute to heart disease and negatively impact your digestion.
Deli Meats
Deli meats are often prepared with salt and artificial preservatives, which can wreak havoc on your blood pressure. They also raise the risk of contracting some cancers, so try and avoid them. The lower those risks are, the better!
Frozen Dinners
When you think of preserved meals, frozen dinners are often what springs to mind. It’s those very preserving methods that are the issue here - that, and the trans fats - and they’re not healthy for your organs. Both your heart and kidneys are worse off for eating them.
Artificially Flavored Yogurts
Yogurts are famously good for you with their high probiotics. Unfortunately, that doesn’t count the artificially flavored ones. However good they might taste, all those artificial flavors are doing the opposite to probiotics; they’re detrimental to your gut.
Instant Noodles
When it comes to food you often pay the price for convenience by taking a health hit. Instant noodles are no exception. Their artificial flavors and high sodium content make you feel bloated, raise your blood pressure and aren’t good for your kidneys, either.
Battered Fish
Despite how good for you a lot of fish is, battering and frying it produces more fat that outbalances the nutrients - that’s what is known as empty calories. It can increase weight gain and has a knock-on effect on your heart, raising your vulnerability to disease.
Canned Vegetables
Vegetables have to be good for you, right? They are, but when you get the canned type from the store that changes. There’s extra salt content in them which puts a strain on your heart and, as a result, your blood pressure.
Pastries
It’s probably a given that donuts are bad for you, but even pastries such as croissants have a negative effect on your body. It’s the high sugar content and the unhealthy fats can weaken your heart and increase your resistance to insulin.
Ice Cream
There’s nothing like enjoying a nice cold ice cream on a hot day. Unfortunately, your body might think otherwise. They contain high levels of fat and sugar, which causes tooth decay, obesity and heart disease. And definitely leave out the sugary sprinkles!
Corn Syrup
Although it’s made from corn and maize - both healthy vegetables - after they’ve been turned into corn syrup those foods create a high level of natural sugar called fructose. That means it puts you at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and can result in liver disease.
Fried White Potatoes
White potatoes have a lot of vitamins and dietary fibers, but frying them changes all that. Have you heard of acrylamides? Apparently they increase your risk of cancer, and fried potatoes have a concentration of them. Roasting potatoes is much healthier.
Pasta With Creamy Sauces
Pasta can be part of a healthy diet. When you add in the creamy sauces, though, you’re adding unnecessary (not to mention unhealthy) fats into the equation. It can fill your organs with cholesterol and make your heart work harder, increasing the risk of heart disease.
Snacks With MSG
MSG stands for monosodium glutamate, and it’s a kind of flavor enhancer. Some snacks contain it - jerky, for example - but you should try and avoid it whenever possible. If you have problems it can exacerbate them and it causes headaches in some individuals, too.
Processed Cheese
As you probably know by now, processing food makes it worse for you by stacking on the preservatives. Eating too much cheese after processing can cause hypertension and make your heart work too hard.
Chocolates With High Sugar Content
Who’d have thought that something as tasty as chocolate would be bad for you? But seriously, it works against you on many levels. It can rot your teeth, and the threat of diabetes is very real.
Condiments
Think twice before reaching for that ketchup bottle! A lot of condiments have very high levels of salt and sugar which doesn’t just make your blood pressure rise but can also raise your insulin resistance.
White Chocolate
High quality white chocolate can be fine as part of a balanced diet, but there are many that aren’t so good. They don’t have the benefits of dark chocolate and have higher levels of sugar and fat.
Highly Processed Meat Substitutes
You’d think that swearing off meat would be healthier, but it depends on what you replace it with. If you eat meat substitutes made from plants, they also have high levels of trans fats and salt.
Processed Snack Foods
A healthy diet is a fine line to walk, and certain snack foods tow that line. Most processed snacks are bad for you, as are crackers in large doses. It’s the sugars and refined flour.
Canned Fruit
Another food that should be good for you, fruit is the go-to health food, but that all changes when it’s canned. The process can lower its nutrients or remove them entirely, so stick to fresh fruit.
Store-Bought Smoothies
It’s true that most smoothies contain fruit, but the ones you get at the store contain so many preservatives and artificial sugars that they simply outbalance the fruit’s goodness so you don’t get nutritional value.
Tater Tots
Tater tots are very popular, but they’re also very unhealthy! They contain a lot of fat and salt, not to mention all the negatives that come from the deep frying process. They’re quite bad for your heart.
