Foods to avoid to maintain a healthy lifestyle as one grows older

We’re not saying you should stop eating yogurt entirely but the flavoured ones you buy at the grocery store are packed with sugar. Stick to high protein, sugar-free and plain yogurt and then add some fresh or frozen fruit to add fibre to your midday snack.

Soup is one of the easiest foods to make since all you have to do is add your favourite vegetables to a big saucepan and then some broth and spices. Store-bought soups are filled with excess salt so stick to making your own in order for you to control your sodium intake.

Filled with sugar and preservatives, these hard-to-resist breakfast pastries should be banished from your diet. They have barely any nutrients and will keep you full for a full hour. Tops.

No one should drink soft drinks in our day and age since studies have shown again and again that the dyes inside can cause cancer or other deadly diseases.

Make your own cookies! Stop buying them at the store. They are so easy to bake and only take an hour from start to finish. The best part? Your baked goods won’t contain any preservatives or unnecessary ingredients.

You might have chugged beers and cocktails when you were in college but you can’t continue doing that when you’ve reached your 30s. Drinking too much will make you tired and puffy, which is not a good look.

Branching out and trying protein alternatives is not unhealthy but you can’t switch your meat burger for store-bought veggie burgers. Just because they aren’t made with meat, it doesn’t mean they are healthy. Stick to making your own if you want to reduce your meat consumption.

Unfortunately, being in your 30s often means the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines on your face. Coffee can accelerate this process since it keeps you up at night. You’ll wake up and feel more exhausted than before.

Adding a little bit of soy sauce in Asian dishes you cook at home is ok but don’t drown your rice in this high-sodium condiment. It will probably give you high blood pressure and make you even more dehydrated.

Highly acidic, milk is not the best thing to have if you’re trying to stay healthy after you’ve hit 30. Keep your milk intake to a minimal since it’s not the healthiest beverage out there.

Stevia and Splenda are equal to or even worse than normal white sugar. They contain harmful ingredients that can be bad for your health. If you only drink coffee with sugar, try replacing it with a natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup.

Made with way too much sugar, energy drinks are bad for you at any age. Once you hit 30 though, you want to avoid unnecessary sugars. These will dehydrate you, make you jumpy and will affect your metabolism, which already slows down when you start ageing.

Fish is filled with omega-3s fatty acids and vitamins, all good things for your health but you need to choose organic or at least fish that isn’t being farmed to stay healthy. Farmed fish is filled with chemicals and bacteria.

Empty calories, tons of sugar, pasteurized, store-bought juice is a big no-no since there are no nutrients in this kind of beverage. You aren’t getting any vitamins of fibre just excess calories. Eat a fruit or add lemon or lime to your water if you want a refreshing but healthy drink.

This kind of meat is really bad for your health and the older you get, the harder it is to digest. Hot dogs are also high in sodium, making them even worse for you. Try to eat only 1-2 per year if you want to keep your body healthy.

Charcuterie is probably even worse than hot dogs. These extremely salty meats can clog arteries and can give you hypertension. Avoid these meats when you reach 30 and opt for hummus, tuna or grilled chicken sandwiches instead.

Obviously, most people know that microwave meals are not good for you. There are barely any nutrients, they are high in sodium and processed ingredients. They won’t keep you full for long, so you will be hungry after a few hours.

Your favourite breakfast carb is full of enriched flour and salt. Since your metabolism slows down when you get older, eating a bagel in the morning won’t fill you up so you’ll tend to eat more than you should.

Full of fibre, popcorn is good for you… unless you drown it in butter and if it comes from a microwaveable bag. The grocery store popcorn has tons of trans fat, which decreases hormone production and your ability to remember things.

Margarine is no better than butter. Using this ingredient when you are cooking will make your skin look tired and dull. It is also filled with polyunsaturated fats, which can create more health problems when you are older.

You are probably really busy and you don’t have time to have a proper breakfast during your busy mornings. Don’t grab a protein breakfast bar because they have a lot of calories but not a lot of nutrients. You’ll be hungry at 10 a.m. and will eat those doughnuts in the conference room instead of eating your healthy lunch a few hours later.

If you are still eating white bread at 30 years old then you really need to change your eating habits. White bread is like eating air, it has no fibre and barely any nutrients. Change your bad habits right now unless you don’t mind having health problems later on.

Let’s be honest, we’re all human and we will probably not stop eating chips tomorrow. Avoid eating too many (i.e. the whole bag) because they really harm your body with their high percentage of salt and fats. Your body won’t thank you.

Fried food is, of course, extremely bad for you. You won’t get many nutrients from these salty foods and they will make your skin look dull. Bake your fries instead of frying them for a healthy alternative.

If you already have high cholesterol, don’t eat ice cream. This delicious but harmful dessert will block our arteries if you eat too much. Once in a blue moon is ok… You’ve got to live a little!