Oftentimes, the motivation behind making healthy choices is to live a longer, more vibrant life—and reaching for nourishing foods is a big part of this equation. “Maintaining healthy eating and lifestyle habits is prudent to support healthy aging and quality of life across the lifespan,” says Jessie Anderson MS, RD, registered dietitian.
When it comes to eating for longevity, we can’t necessarily rely on marketing schemes or food packaging claims. In fact, many purported “healthy” foods may actually be working against our goal of living longer. To identify some of the top culprits, we’ve spoken with two registered dietitians to gather all the need-to-know information on this topic and highlight eight foods that could actually be sabotaging your longevity efforts.
- Jessie Anderson, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, ACSM EP-C, registered dietitian at Top Nutrition Coaching
- Meggie Connelly, MS, RDN, LDN, registered dietitian, culinary nutritionist, and owner of Be Balanced Nutrition Services
8 “Healthy” Foods That Could Be Sabotaging Your Longevity Goals
With this information in mind, we’ve rounded up a list of eight foods that, while seemingly healthy, could actually be endangering your longevity goals—but this doesn’t mean they have to be taken off the table all together. “I am a big advocate that food and eating should be enjoyable in order to be sustainable,” Anderson says. The best path is to enjoy the following foods in greater moderation, and in combination with nutrient-dense foods.
Flavored Yogurt
Though full of gut-healthy probiotics, flavored yogurt is not as healthy of a choice as advertised. “Flavored yogurts usually contain a lot of added sugars or artificial sweeteners,” says Meggie Connelly MS, RDN, LDN, registered dietitian. As it turns out, both types of sweeteners are problematic for our long-term health. “When consumed beyond recommendations, added sugars greatly impact our health through outcomes like undesired weight gain, obesity, heart disease, kidney disease, and liver diseases,” Anderson says. “Additionally, excessive added sugar intake has been linked to neurodegeneration resulting in cognitive decline.”
According to the American Heart Association, the daily limit for added sugar is no more than 6% of total calories, which shakes out to around 25 grams for many women and 36 grams for many men. “Sometimes these flavored yogurts almost meet these limits,” Connelly says.
Plain yogurt sweetened with fruit or a touch of honey is a better option.
Diet Soda
The initial aim of diet soda may have been well-intended as a viable way for people to consume less added sugar from soft drinks. However, what soda producers came up with may be just as detrimental. Though technically deemed safe for consumption, a 2022 study found artificial sweeteners to be associated with increased risk for heart disease. “Additionally, sugar alcohols (a type of alternative sweetener), such as sorbitol, lactitol, and mannitol, can cause poor absorption and result in gastrointestinal distress like bloat, abdominal cramping, diarrhea,” Anderson says.
Further, research has linked these many artificial sweeteners to negative impacts on the gut microbiome, a key player in a healthy immune system needed to fight off acute illness and life-threatening chronic disease.
Sparkling water infused with fruit and fresh herbs (like mint), or a low-sugar homemade lemonade are delicious alternatives.
Sports Drinks
Sports drinks have amazing built-in advertising as they’re commonly seen in the hands of elite athletes. However, these sugar and electrolyte-rich drinks are really only beneficial for this select (and very small) population. “These highly sweetened beverages are not really necessary for the average person, who may be working out for 30 minutes a day,” Connelly says. “They can be really tasty and easy to consume, but a diet high in sugar-sweetened beverages has been linked to increased mortality.”
And even sugar-free or artificially-sweetened sports drinks aren’t ideal alternatives for the everyday exerciser. “These are considered ultra processed foods, and a diet high in ultra processed foods has been linked to early death,” Connelly adds.
Coconut water is an electrolyte-rich alternative that offers all the hydrating benefits of sports drinks without the unwanted sweeteners, dyes, and other mystery additives (which lack long-term health impact research).
Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter
While research has now found the high unsaturated fat content of nuts to be very beneficial for heart (and overall) health, the low-fat diet mentality of decades past still lingers, keeping items like reduced-fat peanut butter on grocery store shelves. “Reduced-fat peanut butter may seem appealing to some consumers; however, those healthy fats are commonly replaced with simple or refined sugars, including high-fructose corn syrup to improve palatability and stability of the product,” Anderson says. Instead, opt for a low-ingredient natural nut butter to reap the heart, gut, immune, and metabolic health benefits of its unsaturated fat, protein, and fiber content.
Beef Jerky
Jerky and beef sticks have had a recent resurgence in popularity, with so many Americans trying to consume sky-high amounts of protein everyday. However, this seemingly healthy option may not help you make it into the centenarian club. “Beef sticks are considered red and processed meat options, and a diet high in red meats and processed meats has been linked to increased mortality,” Connelly says. Turkey jerky, plant-based jerky, nuts, seeds, or hard boiled eggs are all better on-the-go, high-protein snacks that skirt these concerns.
Energy or Protein Bars
Energy or protein bars are another type of quick convenience food that’s deceptively unhealthy. “Protein bars are notorious for sneaking in high loads of saturated fats, sodium, and artificial sweeteners,” Anderson says. Though at the center of some health-related debate, saturated fat has been found to increase cholesterol levels, while long-term excessive sodium intake can result in high blood pressure. Both of these conditions increase heart disease risk, a chronic illness that commonly cuts life short. Added sugars are also found in these bars, as their ultimate aim is to give you a boost of quick energy. “The best choice is to seek out protein bars with minimal ingredients,” Anderson says.
‘Skinny’ Alcoholic Beverages
Whether it be spiked seltzers, “skinny” boozes, or light beer, all of these better-for-you alcoholic beverages aren’t helping you live longer—in fact, they’re doing the opposite. “Even when consumed in moderate amounts, alcohol increases the risk of heart disease, liver disease, memory, and learning problems, as well as engagement in risky behaviors.” All of these effects can equate to a shorter lifespan; instead, a low-sugar mocktail is the most ideal alternative to these drinks.
Flavored Plant-Based Milk
While plant-based milks have gained popularity amongst health conscious consumers, the flavored options aren’t necessarily helping you to live a longer life. “While [fortified] plant-based milks can be a good source of nutrients like calcium, you need to watch out for added sugars in sweetened and flavored options, as they can become a sneaky way of adding sugar to your diet,” Connelly says. Unsweetened and fortified plant-based milks are much healthier options—thankfully, there are plenty to choose from in most grocery stores nationwide.
Nutrients That Could Be Sabotaging Your Longevity Goals
There are a handful of foods and nutrients to look out for when longevity is the aim. “We have good research that shows a diet high in ultra processed foods, artificial sweeteners, red meat, processed meats, excessive sodium intake, added sugar, saturated fats, hydrogenated (trans) fats, and alcohol are linked to increased mortality,” Connelly says.
This is primarily due to the inflammatory response these ingredients spark in the body—though other links do exist between them and specific diseases. “This chronic inflammation significantly increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes,” Connelly says. Many of these chronic diseases shorten lifespan and are leading causes of death in the U.S.
A diet high in these nutrients and foods also leaves little room for healthful counterparts that encourage longevity. “When a diet is high in ultra processed foods, red meat, processed meats, added sugar, saturated fats, trans fats, or alcohol, it generally lacks more of the health-promoting foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes,” Connelly says. “This means a person may not be getting enough fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals for optimal health and disease prevention.”
