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Certain breakfast drinks can have a really negative impact on your health, especially for people over 50. As you grow older, it is best to watch out for these morning drinks to avoid unnecessary calories, sugar, and saturated fats, which can lead to wait gain and other health problems. Specifically, sugar and saturated fats have been linked to high cholesterol and an increased risk of heart disease (which already increases as you grow older).
To make it easier to decide what morning drinks to order, we spoke to experts about the drinks they recommend avoiding. Read on for the 4 morning drinks experts say no one over 50 should be ordering anymore.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Although a seasonal favorite, these pumpkin-flavored lattes are not the healthiest option for a morning drink. Lynell Ross, certified health & wellness coach, nutritionist, and founder of Zivadream, warns against drinking them: "A large pumpkin spice latte contains 470 calories, 10 grams of saturated fat, and 64 grams of sugar (the equivalent of 16 teaspoons)."
Citing these nutrition facts, Ross warns that the pumpkin spice latte is both bad for your heart and can lead to type 2 diabetes.
Iced Frappuccino
Ross also warns against ordering an iced frappuccino. She explains, "Every flavor (vanilla, chocolate or caramel) is loaded with sugar, saturated fat, and calories. Ingesting that much caffeine, calories, sugar, and saturated fat all at once puts stress on your pancreas and adrenal glands."
Staying away from iced frappuccinos is especially important as you grow older. Ross explains, "Middle aged people and seniors need to pay special attention to making sure they limit added sugar and saturated fat to keep their heart healthy and their weight down."
Soda
Although it might be tempting to turn to Pepsi for a morning caffeine fix, Ross also recommends steering clear of soda during your morning routine. As you grow older, this is especially important. Ross explains, "Soda can leach calcium out of your bones, a mineral people over 50 need to build up to avoid osteoporosis (bone loss)."
Plus, soda won't actually help you stay awake. Ross says, "Soda with real sugar will raise your blood sugar levels, then cause your blood sugar to crash, leaving you feeling lethargic."
Premade Fruit Smoothie
Premade fruit smoothies seem like a healthy option, but they are often surprisingly high in calories from sugar and fat. Instead, make your smoothie at home and pay special attention to your ingredients. Lisa Richards, nutritionist and author of The Candida Diet, explains her rules for homemade smoothies: "Replace inflammatory dairy products with coconut or almond milk and yogurts. Also, make sure you are measuring your fruit ingredients to prevent taking in more servings than necessary and thereby increasing the sugar content."
