Foods To Avoid

As you get older, some days you realize that you can not do the things that you used to. However, even the exercise that you used to do keep in shape seems useless. All your life you are used to a certain diet, and it never seemed to affect you. It was not that the food was not doing anything to your body, but rather your body recovered quicker than you could experience the adverse effects of the food. Habits are hard to break, especially when you do not that blindsides you is your diet. Your metabolism slows down, and even the exercise that you used to do to keep in see anything morally wrong with you. However, if you want to get in the habit sooner rather than later, here are certain foods you need to avoid when you are over 40.

1 Margarine- It has come under heavy fire of late and with good reason. It looks like butter, in some cases even tastes like butter, but it is nothing – like butter. It is an artificial lubricant with artery- clogging saturated fats and loads of processed oil. It is found to generate cholesterol. You could substitute with butter or heavy oils like coconut or extra virgin olive oil.

2 Artificial Sweeteners- In modern times sugar has been labeled as a poison, but most of us have a sweet tooth. This has given rise to the use of artificial sweeteners. The problem is that some of these sweeteners are worse than sugar. They have known to boost sugar cravings. Studies have shown that they increase a person’s risk of developing diabetes and other health issues. Currently, Stevia is considered  a safe artificial sweetener, as it is obtained from natural sources.

3 Soft Drinks- Apart from the sugar content of fizzy drinks, which is already more than the recommended daily allowance. Colas have other toxic chemicals as well, and the main culprit is caramel colorant used in most colas, studies have proven that it is connected with a higher risk of developing cancer. One more study has shown that the people who drink fizzy drinks have a much lower fertility rate rather than those who abstain.

4 Packaged Fruit Juice- Just because the package says 100% juice, does not make it a healthy drink. If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, why can’t a glass of apple juice a day do the same thing? The answer lies in  eating. When you eat fruit, you take in the juice as well as the fibre. When you drink pure fruit juice, you ingest more fruit, which means you take more sugar and none of the fibre. This results in a spike of energy, and if you do not use it, it turns to fat.

5 Muffins & Cupcakes- These are the worst sweet treats, one could get. Both are full of sugar and fat. Apart from the extra weight, you will gradually gain,  sugar can speed up ageing process.

6 Chinese Takeouts- These dishes are loaded with sodium and sugar. Foods like chicken and chow mein are some of nasties Chinese foods you should avoid. The main culprit is the flavor-enhancing substance Monosodium Gluconate (MSG), which has been linked to many side effects, including headache, nausea and  weakness.

7 White Pasta & White Bread- They are made from refined grains, which means that they have been stripped of all their fibre and nutrients and become high-glycemic. This can lead to your blood pressure spikes and falls quickly. Overeating them can lead to diabetes, and also become obese because your body can not process the carbs quickly enough. Still, if you want to eat them please switch over to brown, whole wheat and, fibre- based bread and, pasta.

8 Fat Free Dairy Products- The problem with fat free is that they are generally tasteless and people end up eating more due to satisfying cravings. To make the foods flavorsome, sugar and salt are added, which is counterproductive, as sugar is linked to more diseases than fat. Go for full-cream milk, it has more calories, but it is also more filling. There is also no concrete evidence to suggest that it increases your risk of heart disease or diabetes.

9 Fast Foods- When you eat fast food, you tend to want more of it, so it is better to avoid them. Fast food has also been linked to Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. A recent study revealed that individuals who ate fast food more than twice a week are twice as likely to develop insulin resistance and subsequently diabetes. Plus they tend to add weight in your body. Most of the fast foods come premade and have gone through some preservative process.

10 French Fries- A burger and fries is out of the question when you reach your 40s. After all what is French fry but a potato cooked in oil? They might be made from potatoes, but once you fry them up, they are very far removed from potatoes in a nutritional sense. French fries do not potato skin anymore and that is where most of the fibre and nutrients lie. Instead, you get some nasty fats and sodium. French fries are usually eaten  with burgers and that is  another source for sugar saturated sauces and salt. Not to mention the refined wheat of the burger bun. If you want to have fries, make homemade ones with the skin intact, and grill them in oven.

Above are some of the foods which are available in urban India, should be avoided by people of 40+ age.

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Anil Malik

Mumbai, India

23^rd February 2022