Foods to Forget After Fifty

If you are over 50 years old, you have probably taken notice that you cannot digest foods as well as you did when you were "gnoshing" down all that pepperoni pizza during the college years. Here is my top ten list of foods to forget about when you are over fifty.

l. Caramel: This includes caramel apples, caramel corn like Cracker Jacks or any thing which may otherwise be hard, sticky and jellylike. There is one simple reason for this, your old teeth and 30-year-old filings, crowns and veneers simply cannot handle it, unless your teeth are all capped with gold. Chewing gum, especially those with whiteners are OK, and soft caramel that comes inside assorted chocolate might be OK too, but the hard-candy caramel will simply make quick work of all that expensive dental work you had done over the last 30 years.

2. Corn on the Cob: First, no one can look gracious chomping down on it. Second, you stand a good chance of it taking out your dentures or dental work. Even if you do get it past the entryway, odds are that there is a good possibility you will not be happy with the digestive tract results for this food as it makes it way out.

3. Dairy Milk: Yogurt, cheese, chocolate and other milk products seem to stand the test of time, but a lot of over 50 folks become lactose intolerant. There is a reason for this - dairy milk contains a natural bacteria that some compromised immune systems and digestive systems cannot handle. I have found that soy milk and even evaporated milk work fine, however.

4. Seeds: Sesame seeds like on hamburger buns and poppy seeds are especially bad. The little seeds have a tough time making through the winding obstacle course of an older stomach and are particularly painful if you suffer from any form of colon problems like colitis. Poppy seeds contain a natural "cocaine" and do not mix well with certain perscription medications older folks normally take for pain and arthritis.

5. Peanuts: Like the seeds above, peanuts do not break down very well. Almonds and other nuts grind down pretty fine, but peanuts usually do not. Therefore, Chunky Peanut Butter and the like should be avoided. Also, peanut allergies might appear in older years even though you never had these before.

6. Eggs: I love eggs, but too many are just too high in the artery clogging bad cholestoral. Hard boiled eggs can cause flatulence (gas) in older folks, not pretty, and the same can be said for egg salad sandwiches. Cut up alongside some salad greens might be OK, but fried in butter is a heart attack waiting to happen.

7. Salt: You can live without salt, so long as you keep your Iodine intake up and use other seasonings - which taste better anyway. Salt causes high blood pressure. Going by its other sinister name: Sodium, you should check any soups or prepackaged meals for contents that contain high amounts of sodium. The worst offenders are those boxed dry or prepacked meat dinners since Sodium is what makes it possible to keep Beef Stew in a box on a shelf so long.

8. Beer and other alcohol. Have you ever heard the expression, at 20 we have the face God gave us, at 50 we have the face we gave ourselves? Well, if you drink or smoke to excess, you will see every fine line, laugh crack, watery bag under the eye, or broken blood capillary you have earned faithfully over 50 plus years. Beer is notorious for adding pounds of spare-tire flab and many wines are high in natural toxins - good to cleanse the system in moderation, but bad if you are drinking so much it is killing off brain cells.

9. Bacon: What is there not to love about this horrible product? The excess fat, the nitrates, the smoking process, the hidden parasites or ecoli if undercooked. Avoid anything the even remotely resembles it like bacon bits in salad, bacon strips on your burger, or even the tasty BLT sandwich. Hotdogs and other sausages, come in a close second. If you buy any breakfast meats, make sure they contain real beef or chicken and avoid seasoned and smoked pork products.

10. Baked Beans: Everyone loves them - especially at Fourth of July picnics with grandma's added onion, brown sugar and pork chunks, but most folks are just asking for trouble later with the gas beans produce in the body. Bloating, stomach pains, cramping and social embarrassment are just a few of the experiences you will enjoy if you permit yourself more than just a taste.

You will notice that I did not add pizza to the list since you can have these made to order with the toppings you, and your body, like best. Hot and spicey foods are not only tasty, but those peppers may be good for you and help clean out the colon. Everyone is an individual, but I chose those foods most likely to not be advantageous to those with aging bodies.