Unhealthy food is called ‘junk’ food for a reason, it inflicts not-so-good effects on the body. However, as we age, our bodies become less bearable to these harmful effects of junk food. You may have noticed yourself that the foods that you once enjoyed without any problem, are now upsetting the body health Thus, after 30, you should be extra cautious about what goes into your mouth.

The risk of developing diseases is directly related to your age. As you age, the risk grows. So you should gear up from now and eliminate such food from your diet as early as possible because diet plays an immense role in inducing chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart diseases and high blood pressure. Following are the 8 foods you should avoid after middle age.

Flavored yogurt

Yogurt, no doubt, is considered as a healthy food. Nevertheless, the flavored varieties have large amount of added sugar( up to 47 grams) in them. This much sugar is more than the daily calorie intake from carbohydrates. According to AHA, American heart association, 38 g/day and 25g/day are the cutoff values for men and women respectively.

The healthy alternative is to buy plain/Greek yogurt which is greatly beneficial for your digestive system. Fresh and dried foods can be added for the additional nutritional benefits.

Soy Products

Soy is considered to be a healthy alternative for meat but it comes with it’s own cons. Firstly, it is genetically altered and we don’t know the long term effects of it. Secondly, soy induces inflammation and causes distorted thyroid function.Thirdly, soy contain phytoestrogen which mimics the effects of estrogen in the body.

Therefore, it should be avoided especially by children as their bodies are still developing. If you’re trying to avoid animal protein, try some vegetable based meat substitutes.

Farmed fish

Fish, because of the high omega 3 fats, poses a healthy effect on body. But this fish should come from the fresh fish market. Sadly, most of the fish available is farmed fish. But you really need to avoid this type because of a number of reasons. These fish live in overcrowded ponds and end up eating each other’s feces. They are bred with artificial diets containing antibiotics for compensation and dye to tint their meat to make it look healthy.

White bread

As a kid, white bread was the food you preferred for a wonderful Sunday breakfast. But you’d be surprised to know that this bread is nutritionally blank. It contains no minerals and vitamins whatsoever and only ends up raising your blood sugar levels. It also contains minute fibers, something you definitely need in abundance to keep your digestive tract churning on.

Bagels cause the same issue, no nutrients nor any fiber, but excess of sodium that can reach up to 565 mg, even with  a whole wheat bagel. This much sodium is more than 25% of your daily salt intake.

Fruit juices

Each one of us has had a juice box in our lunch box while we were young, and were silly enough to think that it had the same benefits as that of a fruit. Some adults continue to believe in their life long assumption. So let us clarify it right here right now. Fruit juice is extracted from the fruit leaving behind the fibers- the good part. Fibers help in mediating the sugar that eventually gets absorbed into the blood. Fruit juice thus spikes up the sugar level immensely.

The commercial juices are even more devastating- they have added sugars and are often pasteurized so the heat sensitive nutrients are destroyed ,further lowering the nutrient component of the juice.  

Baked goodies from the bakery

All of us were pleasantly surprised by our grandparents or parents with some home baked goods at some point of life! Now, we are not saying that these baked items are super healthy but we know one thing for sure – they are definitely better than the bakery stuff. The commercial  products are baked using hydrogenated oils for the product to last longer. The trans-fats in the oil are not listed on the label unless they exceed 0.5% of the product so the companies get away with it. Accordingly, try making these at home where you can use less sugar and butter and get oven fresh, yummy product and of course, memories to cherish forever.

Microwave popcorn and butter

The microwave popcorn effect  your whole body but has specific adverse effects on the brain. The so-called butter destroys the neurons producing inflammation and causing dementia. Omega-3 fatty acids production is also jeopardized. In addition, the diacetyl in the butter is a known carcinogen. The plastic coating  on the inside of the bag, that prevents the fake butter from emitting out, also results in cancer

This list represents a portion of the bad food choices available for all of us. Food manufacturers go all out to produce cheap foods and add large amount of salt, sugar and taste enhancing agents to make you crave for more. Although buying whole foods and making everything at home is time consuming, it certainly adds more years to your life at the end and that’s what matters the most. With time, we are sure you’ll develop the taste buds for the healthy home cooked food.

Excessive straw usage

I bet you didn’t see this coming. If you are in habit of using straws, you pout a lot and so you will develop fine lines and wrinkles around your mouth, something you definitely don’t want in your thirties. This occurs because of the breakdown of collagen in your skin after 25 years of age. This will make you look older than your actual age.

An additional harmful effect of plastic straws is on the natural habitat.