We like to analyze a lot of what we eat here at The Greenest. There’s a good chance that you’re like us and like to eat healthy when you can (while also splurging when you want…or when you’ve earned it.) But sometimes there’s so much data out there that we just want to know what are the best and worst things for us to eat.
Our first healthy-unhealthy guide was focused on the whole store across all the major food groups. This one, however, is focused on women 50+. Why? Well, women can lose up to 20 percent of their bone mass within the five to seven years following menopause, as estrogen levels drop. Muscle requires more care, too. LDL cholesterol can increase by about 10% in the year around your last menstrual period, regardless of your diet or activity. Blood pressure and blood sugar are also likely to be more difficult to control.
Which brings us to the five things that matter most when it comes to these foods: bone, muscle, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. Once again, we’re looking at the extremes. Some of the less-healthy options should be limited, while others just aren’t as nutritious as their supermarket competitors. It’s a subtle difference, but it’s important.
And as always we are not saying NEVER eat the worst ones. Sometimes you just want a glazed donut. And that’s OK! Life is about moderation, but we just hope we can give you some guardrails on your next dining decisions.
Protein
Healthiest: Canned Sardines
Unhealthiest: Packaged Deli Meat
Canned Sardines: Some people might need to be convinced of this option, but sardines are actually pretty nutritious. A drained can has roughly 23 grams of protein and nearly 350 mg of calcium (much of it from the soft, edible bones). That’s nearly a third of the 1,200 mg recommended daily for women 51 and older. You’ll also get nearly a gram of omega-3s and some vitamin D. They’re also low in mercury. Try them packed in olive oil atop some toast with mustard. No big deal for lunch.
Packaged Deli Meat: It’s not the turkey that’s the problem here. It’s the sodium that gets added during processing. Two ounces of prepackaged turkey breast can contain around 500 mg, and a hearty sandwich can easily have much more. High blood pressure is more common as women age through menopause, which is another reason why sodium content matters. Processed meat is also listed as a Group 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization, though that refers to the strength of the evidence, not a degree of risk equivalent to smoking. Making a sandwich yourself, using roast turkey breast you prepared at home, gives you better control of the contents.
- Wild Planet Wild Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil — the pantry version of the healthiest protein here
Dairy
Healthiest: Plain Greek Yogurt
Unhealthiest: Flavored Coffee Creamer
Plain Greek Yogurt: You want to eat plenty of protein throughout the day, and breaking it down into roughly equal servings can help older adults maintain muscle. Studies suggest around 25 to 30 g per meal is a reasonable goal, not a magic threshold that will automatically result in gains or losses. A cup of plain Greek yogurt delivers around 15 to 18 grams of protein, depending on the brand. Note the emphasis on plain. Many flavored varieties contain so much added sugar that they shift the nutritional balance significantly. Opt for unsweetened yogurt and sweeten it with your own berries.
Flavored Coffee Creamer: Creamer can be easy to forget about, since it doesn’t seem like you’re “eating” anything when you pour it in your coffee. However, a single tablespoon of French vanilla creamer contains about 5 g of sugar. Water, sugar and vegetable oil are the first three ingredients on the label. If you put two tablespoons in each of your three cups of coffee, you’ll have already consumed 30 g of sugar before your noon meal. For women, the American Heart Association suggests no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day. A bit of whole milk or half-and-half will add some creaminess without nearly as much sugar.
Breakfast
Healthiest: Eggs
Unhealthiest: Toaster Pastries
Eggs: For years, eggs have been unfairly maligned. While the Dietary Guidelines lifted the 300 mg limit on dietary cholesterol back in 2015, it doesn’t mean it’s not something to consider. What you eat and your cholesterol levels still count. Each egg contains about 6 grams of protein, plus choline, a nutrient involved in many metabolic functions, and leucine, an amino acid essential for muscle growth. Two eggs gives you 12 grams of protein, as well as most of a woman’s daily choline requirement. Toss in some plain Greek yogurt and you’ve got a breakfast that satisfies a 25 gram protein goal.
Toaster Pastries: One Pop-Tart, Frosted Strawberry flavor, packs about 15 grams of sugar and less than one gram of fiber. The foil pack contains two. Ingest them both and you’ve consumed approximately 30 grams of sugar and achieved a negligible dent in the 22 grams of fiber per day that is recommended for women older than 50. Many other breakfast bars and frosted cereals suffer similar shortcomings. Nutrition labels differ by brand and product, of course. The benefit of grabbing a box of Pop-Tarts from the shelf is undeniable. However, so is the fact that what you’ll get is mostly refined flour and sugar.
Grains
Healthiest: Oats
Unhealthiest: Store-Bought Granola
Oats: Your cholesterol changes around menopause, even if your diet hasn’t. In the year around your last menstrual period, LDL typically rises about 10 percent. While the increase has been associated with menopause specifically rather than with aging, there’s a simple, inexpensive fix. Across 28 randomized controlled trials, consuming at least 3 grams of beta-glucan (from oats) daily reduced LDL by about 10 points. It’s that fiber content that allows oat products to bear a heart-healthy label claim. Rolled or steel-cut oats are an excellent choice. Though flavored packets still use oats as an ingredient, check the sugar and serving size.
Store-Bought Granola: Granola is made with oats, but it can also include enough fat and sugar to transform it into a far more energy-dense meal. Half a cup of many commercial granolas contains at least 250 calories and 10 grams of sugar. And that’s based on a serving size that may be only 1/4 cup, which is easy to surpass once you’ve scooped some into a bowl. While whole grain oats make for a healthy ingredient, they don’t negate the other components in the package. Opt for plain oats and add your favorite nuts for a healthier option where you control the ingredients.
- Bob’s Red Mill Old Fashioned Rolled Oats — plain oats, nothing added
- Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats — chewier, same beta-glucan
Vegetables
Healthiest: Kale and Collards
Unhealthiest: Dill Pickles
Kale and Collards: When it comes to calcium, these dark leafy greens can help fill the gap. One cup of cooked kale offers 177 mg of calcium, while collards have closer to 268 mg. The body’s absorption rate of calcium differs depending on the food source. For example, one study reports that kale’s calcium is absorbed at a rate of 41 percent, while milk is absorbed at about 32 percent. That being said, the oxalate content of spinach limits its effectiveness in meeting calcium requirements. Kale and collards also provide a generous amount of vitamin K, another nutrient important for bone health. Braise collards with garlic or wilt kale with olive oil and lemon.
Dill Pickles: Pickles are considered a free food. They’re low in calories, as a large dill pickle has about 15, so many people eat them straight out of the jar. But they’re loaded with sodium. Dill pickles average about 800 milligrams per 100 grams according to USDA, so one large pickle can have more than 1,000, and a spear will have about 300. That’s most of the American Heart Association’s ideal daily limit of 1,500 milligrams in a single serving. Blood pressure often increases after menopause, but your sodium intake is within your control. Low-sodium pickles are available and can reduce the sodium content by more than 90 percent. Or use fresh cucumbers marinated in vinegar and dill. You’ll still get the same taste with less sodium.
Fruit
Healthiest: Prunes
Unhealthiest: Fruit Juice
Prunes: Prunes offer more than just laxative properties. In a 12-month study conducted by Penn State researchers, 235 postmenopausal women were asked to consume 50 grams of prunes daily, which equated to five or six prunes a day. Women who ate the prunes kept their hip bone mineral density, while women in the group who didn’t eat prunes experienced bone loss. In an earlier study done by Florida State University researchers, prunes were shown to have a beneficial effect on bone mineral density of the forearm and spine. Five prunes contain approximately 100 calories and 3 grams of fiber. If you don’t usually eat them, start with three prunes rather than six and allow your digestive system to get used to it.
Fruit Juice: A glass of orange juice, 8 ounces, has 110 calories, 21 to 26 grams of sugar and less than a gram of fiber. An average orange has 60 calories, 12 grams of sugar and 3 grams of fiber. There is a difference. Large observational studies from Harvard have found that eating whole fruit was linked to a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes, but drinking juice was linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Juice can certainly be part of a healthy diet, but it is easy to drink juice and consume a serving of concentrated sugar without any of the fiber that comes with eating whole fruit. Seeing “no sugar added” doesn’t change how fruit juice compares to whole fruit.
- Sunsweet Amazin Prunes — the 50 g a day used in the trial is 5 or 6 of these
Fats and Oils
Healthiest: Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Unhealthiest: Coconut Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Since your cardiovascular risk increases after menopause, what fats you use on a regular basis becomes important. In the PREDIMED trial, a large study of about 7,400 adults with elevated cardiovascular risk, people were divided into groups that ate specific diets. A Mediterranean-style diet that also included weekly deliveries of extra virgin olive oil (one liter per household) lowered the combined risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death by approximately 30 percent compared with a diet that encouraged people to cut back on fat. This was a comprehensive diet plan, not a study focused solely on the impact of olive oil. You can cook with extra virgin olive oil, but keep it out of the heat and light and try to use it up within a few months.
Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is 82 percent saturated fat; butter is only about 63 percent saturated fat. And this despite its plant origin. When the American Heart Association reviewed seven randomized clinical trials comparing coconut oil to unsaturated vegetable oils, it concluded that in all seven trials, coconut oil increased LDL cholesterol levels. In a subsequent review of 16 trials, coconut oil produced an average increase of approximately 10 mg/dL compared with non-tropical vegetable oils. Nor does the presence of medium-chain triglycerides provide an answer. The principal fatty acid in coconut oil is lauric acid, which is not the type of fat used in most studies of medium-chain triglycerides.
- California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil — domestic, dated, in dark bottles
Drinks
Healthiest: Green Tea
Unhealthiest: Cola
Green Tea: Unsweetened green tea adds no sugar, basically no calories and about a third the caffeine of coffee. Depending on how it’s brewed. In the Ohsaki study of around 40,500 Japanese adults, women who consumed five or more cups of green tea daily had about 31 percent lower rates of cardiovascular mortality than those who drank less than a cup. That’s an association, not causation. A separate Texas Tech study gave postmenopausal women with low bone density 500 milligrams of green tea polyphenols daily for six months, and the researchers saw improvements in markers of bone formation and muscle strength. But the study used a green tea extract, so it doesn’t tell us whether the same things happen if we consume brewed green tea.
Cola: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study looked at around 1,400 women and found that women who drank cola daily had 3.7 to 5.4 percent lower bone density in their hips compared with women who drank it less than once a month. Other carbonated beverages weren’t linked to lower bone density, but diet cola was. So sugar alone doesn’t seem to be responsible. Some researchers have suggested phosphoric acid, but the study couldn’t determine why the effect happened. Drinking regular cola does add a lot of sugar, though. A 12-ounce Coke has 39 grams of sugar. Sparkling water with lime gives you the fizz without it.
- Ito En Oi Ocha Green Tea Bags — unsweetened, the kind used in the Japanese studies
- Bigelow Classic Green Tea — the grocery-store version
Snacks
Healthiest: Almonds
Unhealthiest: Potato Chips
Almonds: An ounce of almonds, or 23 nuts, has 164 calories, 6 grams of protein, 3.5 grams of fiber and 76 milligrams of calcium. That’s also about half of the day’s requirement for vitamin E and 18 percent of the daily recommendation for magnesium, a mineral that helps bones along with calcium and vitamin D. The trick is not to lose count too easily. How long until your little handful turns into a couple of handfuls? After you’ve emptied the bowl while watching television, you’re up to 500 calories. Choose them raw or dry-roasted and unsalted.
Potato Chips: Each daily serving of potato chips was associated with 1.69 pounds of weight gain over four years, in a Harvard study that followed about 120,000 adults for up to 20 years, behind only French fries and ahead of soda. One serving, or one ounce, has about 160 calories and 170 milligrams of sodium, all contained in 15 chips. A family-size bag can hold anywhere from eight to 10 servings. It’s easy to scarf down multiple servings before you’re aware you’ve been snacking. It’s even easier if you’re eating directly out of the bag. If you want a crunchier snack, air-popped popcorn adds fiber.
- Blue Diamond Whole Natural Almonds — unsalted, unroasted, the version the numbers describe
Sweets
Healthiest: Dark Chocolate (70%+)
Unhealthiest: Glazed Doughnuts
Dark Chocolate (70%+): For a sweet treat, consider dark chocolate. One ounce of 70 to 85 percent cocoa dark chocolate contains about 3 grams of fiber and 65 milligrams of magnesium. Most 85 percent bars contain 3 to 4 grams of sugar per ounce. Compare that to 14 to 15 grams of sugar in milk chocolate. In COSMOS, about 21,000 older adults received a cocoa flavanol extract for more than three years. Total cardiovascular events weren’t reduced significantly, though deaths from cardiovascular disease were 27 percent lower. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to eat more chocolate. One or two squares constitute a serving.
Glazed Doughnuts: One Original Glazed from Krispy Kreme has 190 calories, 11 grams of fat, 10 grams of sugar and virtually no fiber. None of this helps your bone, muscle or fiber goals. Cream-filled and frosted varieties range between 300 and 400 calories. You can definitely enjoy a doughnut every once in a while, but it’s not worth eating it every morning. Instead, choose fruit or even a small square of dark chocolate for something sweet with more nutritional value.
- Lindt Excellence 85% Cocoa Dark Chocolate — high enough cocoa that a square is enough
Cheese
Healthiest: Cottage Cheese
Unhealthiest: American Cheese Slices
Cottage Cheese: Cottage cheese lets you quickly increase your protein intake without much effort. Half a cup of 2 percent cottage cheese has around 90 to 100 calories and 12 to 13 grams of protein, much of which is slow-acting casein. One cup supplies about 25 grams of protein. In one study in Holland, 40 grams of casein taken before bedtime boosted muscle protein synthesis during sleep in healthy older men. This is higher than what’s found in one cup of cottage cheese, so consider this a good lead-in rather than a full dose. Also keep in mind that sodium can be an issue at around 350 to 400 milligrams per half cup. Select a low-sodium variety, and top it with fruit.
American Cheese Slices: Check the wording on the package. Some slices are labeled “pasteurized prepared cheese product,” a different formulation from conventional cheese. A slice typically contains around 60 to 70 calories, about 4 grams of protein and 200 to 300 milligrams of sodium. Using two slices doubles those amounts. Half an ounce of cheddar provides a similar amount of protein for comparable calories. Cottage cheese offers substantially more protein in the serving described above. The useful comparison is the nutrition label and portion, rather than the presence of an unfamiliar ingredient alone.
Frozen Aisle
Healthiest: Frozen Vegetables and Berries
Unhealthiest: Frozen Dinners
Frozen Vegetables and Berries: Frozen vegetables and fruit allow you to stock up without having to worry about eating them before they go bad. They’re usually picked at peak ripeness and frozen right away; many vegetables are blanched first. UC Davis researchers tested corn, carrots, broccoli, spinach, peas, green beans, strawberries, and blueberries. Frozen items were generally on par with fresh and beat out the five-day-old refrigerated options for certain vitamins. Frozen berries are good year-round, and frozen greens are a budget-friendly choice. As you probably already know, spinach’s calcium is less bioavailable than kale’s. Select unseasoned items, so you can control your sauce and seasonings.
Frozen Dinners: The nutritional info on the back of the tray is more accurate than the photo on the front. Many frozen dinners have 800 to 1,200 milligrams of sodium, more than half the American Heart Association’s ideal limit of 1,500 mg a day. They can have as little as 2 to 4 grams of fiber, and less than 15 grams of protein, far short of the 25g meal goal for this list. Look for meals based on veggies and protein with under 600mg of sodium, or compare labels, or make your own with some frozen veggies and salmon.
The Bottom Line
The better options have some protein, calcium, fiber, or healthy fats in them. The worse options tend to have tons of sugar, sodium, or refined carbs, but not much else. You don’t have to replace everything at once. Find something you eat or drink regularly and find a healthier alternative. Switching up the flavored creamer in your morning cup of coffee, or grabbing an orange instead of juice, are good places to start.
All 24 Verdicts at a Glance
✓ Sardines✗ Deli meat
✓ Plain Greek yogurt✗ Flavored creamer
✓ Eggs✗ Toaster pastries
✓ Oats✗ Granola
✓ Kale, collards✗ Dill pickles
✓ Prunes✗ Fruit juice
✓ Extra virgin olive oil✗ Coconut oil
✓ Green tea✗ Cola
✓ Almonds✗ Potato chips
✓ Dark chocolate✗ Glazed doughnuts
✓ Cottage cheese✗ American cheese
✓ Frozen vegetables, berries✗ Frozen dinners
Cory Jones has spent 20 years in media and publishing and now leads the data and editorial operation behind The Greenest. He built and maintains the site’s Neighborhood Wellness Score — a proprietary dataset scoring food access, walkability, air quality, healthcare access, and health outcomes across 18,356 U.S. ZIP codes, drawing on CDC PLACES data, EPA air quality readings, and verified location intelligence. He turned 50 last year, is a huge fan of Rancho Gordo beans, and tries to work out more than he actually works out.
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