Foods to avoid after you are thirty
You may think that being a grown-up is having the freedom to do and eat whatever you want. However, if you continue with this mindset you may end up with muffin tops and other unsightly features where fat decides to take up lodging.
You may not feel that different, but physiological changes take place in your body which make it harder to lose weight and remain in shape when you are above thirty. To evade these changes and age gracefully, read on for some foods that you should stay away from.
Flavoured yoghurt
Cut down on sugar to hinder the aging process and preserve your youthful complexion. Sugar has been shown to accelerate wrinkling and sagging. Even if you are cutting back on candy and cookies, sugar can be hiding in less obvious places like bread, ketchup and flavoured yogurts. Satisfy your sugar cravings with a sweet fruit, such as banana, instead.
Soft drinks
Soft drinks should be your archenemies. They contain potentially cancer-causing dyes and are packed with added sugar. Sugar, along with causing aging, can negatively impact ovulation and sperm motility. So before you sip your next bottle of soda, remember that it may make it more difficult for you to conceive.
Cookies
Yes, we all know how delicious and heavenly cookies are. However, if you are keen on dropping pounds, stay away from these addictive and calorie-dense snacks. As the body ages, it becomes more difficult to lose weight and cookies are packed with empty calories and waist-expanding fat which can make the process even more difficult.
White Bread
Pick whole grains over refined white bread to keep your blood sugar levels and weight balanced. You may not think of your daily breakfast staple as a sweet indulgence, but your body converts carbohydrates (especially refined ones) into sugar and eventually glucose which damages collagen and other wrinkle-fighting proteins. So watch out!
Iced coffee
The simple act of downing your iced coffee with a straw can accelerate aging in many ways. Consuming too much caffeine can interfere with sleep patterns, cutting down time that your body uses to rejuvenate and thus, causing premature aging. Research has also found that repetitive facial movements, like sipping with a straw, can cause fine lines and wrinkles.
Tip! Ditch the unhealthy iced coffee and skimmed milk and sip on hot green tea which helps ward off wrinkles by fighting inflammation and improving the skin's elasticity.
Sugar-free snacks
This may seem counter-intuitive – but if you have become a tad bit fatter around the middle since turning 30, it may be a sign that your liver is not functioning optimally. Sugar-free snacks are filled with toxic artificial sweeteners which hamper the operations of the vital organ.
Pesticide-ridden vegetables
Reaching 30 means three decades of accumulating toxins from food, which can negatively affect metabolism and hormone balance. Men who consume the most pesticides have been shown to produce far fewer motile sperm.
The amount of pesticide used in farmed produce is out of our hands. However, a precaution may be to soak fruits and vegetables in clean water for a while to wash of substances such as formalin up to an extent. The foods with the highest amounts of pesticides include: apples, strawberries, grapes, celery, peaches, spinach, bell peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes.
Margarine
Butter alternatives such as margarine are usually made with partially-hydrogenated oils, one of the most common trans-fats. This type of fat is linked to heart disease and can accelerate the skin's aging process by making the skin more vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation. So when the sun rays strike, they break down the skin's elastin and collagen easily. That's not all! Margarine can also contribute to chronic inflammation, which may also accelerate wrinkle formation.
Soy Sauce
Those puffy, dark circles under the eyes tend to become more pronounced with each passing birthday. Being dehydrated makes matters worse. To prevent the curse of the purple under-eye bags, steer clear of sodium-rich food like soy sauce (a mere tablespoon of soy sauce has a whopping 879 mg of sodium) and keep yourself hydrated with plenty of H20.
Processed Meats: Salami and sausages
A 2014 study published in the journal Epidemiology found a link between eating processed meats and lower sperm count. Interestingly, the meat's saturated fat content wasn't to blame. Scientists have not been able to grasp what exactly is detrimental to sperm quality in processed meat, but they are convinced that there is a link.
Sports Drinks
Sports drinks may provide critical post-workout electrolytes like sodium and potassium, but they also serve up a heft helping of unnecessary calories and sugar. As we age, our metabolism slows and we become less active and more stressed. This changes the way that the body deals with calories and sugar. So, the less sugar you have in your system, the better it is for your abs and overall health. Don't be fooled into thinking you need all those calories for your workouts!
Coffee Creamer
What do coffee creamers and sunblock have in common? They both contain titanium dioxide, which shields your skin from UV rays and also doubles as a whitening agent. Even some of the so-called 'healthy' companies add it in their bottles. According to a recent review of the chemical, the additive has been proven to cause liver and tissue damage in mice and may cause health implications in humans.
Coffee creamer is also usually packed with trans fats hiding under a seemingly harmless name: hydrogenated oil. Found in almost all coffee creamers, thisingredient has been shown to diminish memory in adults under 45 years of age. If you don't want to contract Alzheimer's, I suggest you steer clear of coffee creamers. Yet another reason to avoid coffee creamers is that trans fats may cause inflammation, which can worsen aches and pains brought on by aging and injury.
Artificial Sweeteners
Say no to these things! You are doing good to your body be avoiding calories, but artificial sweeteners are not the solution. Research says that these confuse our bodies by making us expect calories are not there which in turn interferes with our body's ability to regulate what we eat. This results in "metabolic derangements" such as poor insulin response and elevated glucose levels. This can lead to fat storage, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and the dreaded cardiovascular diseases.
By Maisha Rumelia Rahman
Photo: Collected
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