The Worst Foods for Aging

Last week we shared an article about ways to slow down aging. This time health expert JJ Virgin shares the worst foods for aging. Here are the worst offenders:

1. Sugar
I’m sure I’m not the first person to break this news—there just isn’t anything redeeming about a diet high in sugar, especially as you age. There are a few different ways sugar works against your body to exacerbate the symptoms and physical signs of aging.

• It can create insulin resistance. After your body breaks down sugar into glucose and fructose, insulin delivers glucose to your cells to give you energy. But with a diet too high in sugar, your body starts to become resistant to the onslaught of insulin, or a condition known as insulin resistance. It will try to make enough insulin to overcome your body’s resistant response to the insulin it already has, which can lead to conditions like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease—neither of which help the aging process.

• It can cause inflammation. Eating excess sugar can cause or exacerbate inflammation so much so that the researchers of one study called sugar inflammation’s “accomplice.” And inflammation and aging are so tied together that researcher Claudio Franceschi coined the term “inflammaging,” referring to the low-grade inflammation that contributes to the negative effects of aging you might feel. Over time, inflammation can lead to conditions that prematurely age you, including Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancers, and cardiovascular disease.

• It makes your skin worse. Along with causing internal chronic conditions, both inflammation and insulin resistance can lead to signs of aging in the skin. Insulin resistance can increase sebum production in your skin, which can lead to clogged pores, adult acne, and other skin damage. And inflammation is guilty, too. In one study, scientists determined that the common denominator in external signs of aging was inflammation. In fact, they were so convinced, instead of recommending expensive skincare to treat wrinkles, they instead suggested treating the root cause: chronic inflammation!

• It really AGEs you. Eating a diet high in sugar is a fast way for your body to form advanced glycation end products, otherwise very appropriately known as AGEs. Along with increasing inflammation, these harmful compounds can maximize oxidative stress, which is what happens when damaging free radicals overpower your body’s defense system. Over time, that oxidative stress puts too much pressure on your cells, breaking them down to the point where they’re losing collagen and elastin (hello, wrinkles!). Oxidative stress has even been found to contribute to more serious premature aging conditions, including neurogenerative disease and diabetes.

And remember—just because you’re not washing down donuts with milkshakes doesn’t mean you’re not taking in a lot of sugar. Sugar is sneaky, lurking in products where you least expect it or that have been sold to you as healthy alternatives. You might be surprised to learn foods like packaged green juice, non-fat plain yogurt, baked beans, balsamic vinegar, whole-grain cereal, and tortillas all make the list.

2. Inflammatory Foods
The gut is the epicenter of aging. Keep it healthy, and you can live longer, improve cognitive function, and better absorb the nutrients that keep you feeling young. But fuel it with inflammatory foods, and you’re practically begging the hands of time to leave their mark.

Inflammatory foods can look a little different for everyone, but I’ve identified the seven ingredients that most commonly disrupt your gut. They are:

• Gluten
• Dairy
• Soy
• Eggs
• Corn
• Peanuts
• Sugar & artificial sweeteners

These can all lead to increased inflammation, bringing on the negative effects of aging. Finding simple healthy swaps is the smartest way to start turning back the clock.

3. Foods Cooked on High Heat
Remember AGEs, the compounds that lead to prematurely-aging oxidative stress? They’re not only found in sugar. They also occur when you cook meat at high temperatures. For example: a broiled steak has 7,479 ku of AGEs, but that number jumps to 10,058 if you pan-fry it. I’m not saying you have to ditch your grill or only eat raw foods. But it’s a good thing to be mindful of, especially if you’re following a diet like the Keto diet that’s heavy on grilled or fried proteins.

There are a few ways to get AGEs content down even if you do use high heat occasionally. Try using acidic marinades like lemon juice or vinegar, as they help lower AGEs (and can add great flavor, too!). For example, ground beef browned in a pan has 4,928 ku of AGEs, but if you marinate that same meat and cook it the same way, the AGEs drop to 3,833.

4. Refined Carbs
When you eat tons of refined carbs like white bread and pasta, french fries, bagels, or waffles, you’re getting ingredients with a high glycemic load, which is linked to inflammation and all the aging issues that come with it.

Plus, when refined carbs mix with protein, they can form—you guessed it—AGEs. Not to mention, these are foods typically high in gluten, another big gut no-no from me. Thankfully, there are tons of healthy swaps available for these refined carbs. Some of my favorites are:

• Zucchini noodles
• Cassava flour tortillas
• Organic quinoa pasta
• Sweet potatoes or portobello mushrooms as toast
• Seed crackers
• Gluten-free pancakes or waffles

I know what you might be thinking. “Is there anything I can eat without making this whole aging thing worse?” I’ve got good news. There are tons of foods that make the aging process smoother and easier for your body, helping you step powerfully into the prime of your life. Let’s look at a couple of my favorite ingredients for aging powerfully:

B vitamins: There are several different types of B vitamins, all of which can be beneficial for you as you age. The vitamin biotin, for example, supports your skin, hair, and nail health as they become drier, more brittle, or dull as you age. Vitamin B6 is another multi-tasking nutrient, working to improve both brain health and mood. Other B vitamins work to stabilize your blood-sugar levels, lowering your risk of chronic inflammation and cravings.

Protein: This is a multi-tasker that attacks aging in different ways. It helps you rebuild the muscle mass you lose every decade starting in your 30s and stabilizes blood-sugar levels to stave off premature aging conditions like type 2 diabetes. I recommend getting 100 grams per day, or more if you’re recovering from an illness or injury.

Aging happens to us all, but there are easy steps we can take to mitigate the negative effects of it. Now that you know more about the foods that accelerate the aging process, you’ll be better equipped to make the smart decisions that make you feel young. There is beauty and power in every age we’re lucky enough to live! And the more you pay attention to your diet choices, the more you can embrace that power, elevate your quality of life, and enjoy everything that age has to offer.

We hope you learned from this article and are able to spot these foods before they unknowingly cause you harm. Growing older is a part of life and we can do so without experiencing the negative effects brought about by our lifestyle choices. There is power in our choices after all.