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As we get older, we discover more and more foods that no longer agree with us. It happens to everyone – our metabolisms catch up with us or maturity makes us feel the effects of sugar more stringently. Most of us have already realized that our bodies can’t handle eating copious quantities of cookies like we remember doing as children, or filling up on pizza every night as we did in college.
Now, many foods that used to have no effect on us when we were younger tend to make our bodies react differently from how we remember. Once you reach 30, there are certain foods that you should eliminate from your diet entirely because artificial sweeteners, certain fats, processed or added sugars and high levels of sodium can affect your health and cause you to gain weight.
5 Foods No One Over 30 Should Ever Eat
1. Flavored Yogurt
Yogurt is one of the ultimate healthiest snack foods because it is rich in calcium and potassium and can therefore help fight fat. However, if you are eating flavored yogurt, you are actually doing your body much more harm than good - especially if you are over 30. Flavored yogurt tastes so much better than plain varieties because it has so much sugar. And sugar not only causes weight gain, but it also causes many more issues as we get older. Sugar can wreak havoc on your complexion and cause your skin to age more quickly, increasing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
2. Soda
No matter your age, you should stay away from soda, even diet soda. All types of soda can lead to weight gain and newfound cravings of sweet and sugary foods. It is especially imperative to avoid soda as you get older because it can slow your metabolism and decrease your skin elasticity.
3. Pop Tarts
As adults, we now have the freedom to eat the delicious breakfast foods we weren’t allowed as children - like Pop Tarts and other toaster pastries. But unfortunately, this is not a freedom we should indulge in. A single Pop-Tart can have as much as 20 grams of sugar, while the American Heart Association recommends you limit your intake to six teaspoons, or 30 grams, each day. Plus, the morning is the worst time of day to eat sugar, especially in large quantities, because it can spike your blood pressure and cause you to feel hungrier sooner.
4. Canned Soup
Even though soup always seems like a healthy alternative to a carb-dense club sandwich, eating soup from a can is bad for your health due to the high amounts of sodium added as a means to preserve the soup. These high levels of sodium can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. The American Heart Association recommends limiting your daily sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day. This means that a single can of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup, which contains 1,068 mg of sodium, takes up over 70% of your daily intake.
5. Margarine
Many people see margarine as a lower-fat alternative to butter, but the truth is that butter is better for you because it is made with more natural ingredients. Margarine, on the other hand, is rich in polyunsaturated fats that can dehydrate your body and your skin. This can cause inflammation and even wrinkles on the skin when you continue eating margarine over age 30.
