… has five grams of trans fat per serving—that’s more than double the government recommended daily limit to clog your arteries. Trans Fats are particularly important to avoid as people get older because the risk for heart disease increases with age. For a healthier snack, go old school and pop your corn kernels on the stove.
6. Packaged Soy Sauce
Puffy, dark circles under the eyes tend to become more pronounced with each passing birthday—and being dehydrated makes matters even worse. To wake up looking refreshed, steer clear of moisture-sucking salty foods like soy sauce (think of all those nights you had Chinese food takeout and used soy sauce packets on it). A mere tablespoon of the stuff has a whopping 879 milligrams of sodium!
7. Coffee Creamer
Coffee creamers contain titanium dioxide, an ultraviolet radiation blocker that doubles as a whitening agent. Besides conventional creamers, it’s also found in so-called ‘healthy’ bottles like So Delicious’ coconut milk-based varieties. The additive has been proven to cause liver and tissue damage in mice, and may also have health implications in humans, according to a recent review of the chemical. Coffee creamer is also typically packed with trans fats, often hiding under its lesser-known name: hydrogenated oil. Many of Coffee Mate’s and other coffee creamer products have this ingredient that has been shown to diminish memory in adults under 45 years old.
8. Protein Bars
While younger folks might be able get away with skipping breakfast or simply eating a starchy ‘weight loss’ cereal or bar, research suggests that eating 20 to 30 grams of protein at each meal is ideal—especially as we age. Aside from its high sugar count, many protein bars only pack 10 grams of protein, which won’t do much in terms of keeping you full and satisfied until lunch. If you typically reach for a bar like this, swap it out for a quick homemade meal of boiled or scrambled eggs in light butter or olive oil and whole wheat toast. You can try homemade protein shake or real (not ‘non-fat’) yogurt with granola.
9. Margarine
I’ve been saying this for years. Remember those cheap brown tubs of butter-like substances growing up? Butter alternatives like margarine are often made with partially-hydrogenated oils, one of the most common trans-fats. You may have heard that this type of fat is linked to heart disease, but what most people don’t know is that it may also accelerate the skin’s aging process by making the skin more vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation. When the skin gets damaged by the sun, it breaks down the skin’s elastin and collagen.
But now there are some butter substitutes that are advertising non-transfat products. But that’s not all, studies have also found that eating margarine can cause chronic inflammation, which may also accelerate wrinkle formation. Still to the real thing–just don’t eat a lot of it.
9 Foods You Should Never Eat After Age 30 was originally published on blackdoctor.org
