The 20 Worst Foods for Women in Their 50s (and Better Swaps)

Ahh, to be in your twenties again. While everyone complains about the aches and pains of getting older, no one complains enough about how food changes when you start to get to the “AARP” age. It seems like you can eat and drink anything you want when you’re young with little or no consequences.

But when you hit 50? It seems like it’s all consequences! The fun burgers, fries and sodas all take a toll.

And that’s before the hormones weigh in. “The way you metabolize carbohydrates and the starchy foods in perimenopause and menopause changes, and you can have these spikes of blood sugar that your body can’t regulate like it did before,” says Mary Dolan, M.D., a professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine and a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner.

In other words, the same plate hits differently than it did a decade ago.

Sadly, the body’s nutrition rules change in your 50s. Hormone shifts during perimenopause and menopause alter how you metabolize sugar, store fat, regulate sodium, and lose bone. The same foods you tolerated in your 40s start producing different physiological responses in your 50s.

These 20 foods are the ones the research most consistently identifies as working against women in their 50s. No, it won’t be as fun as a burger and fries, but we’ll try to make it as fun as possible!

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The 30-second version

Women’s 50s bodies are dealing with four big shifts: declining estrogen, sodium sensitivity, insulin resistance, and accelerating bone loss. The foods on this list amplify one or more of those four trajectories while some of them do double duty (those are extra good!)

Caffeine is a good example: “It’s a vicious cycle. You’re reaching for caffeine because you’re having disrupted sleep, but the caffeine can stimulate the hot flashes and night sweats that keep waking you up,” says Dr. Lynn Pattimakiel, a certified menopause practitioner at Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Specialized Women’s Health.

The most damaging cluster: refined sugar drinks, ultra-processed foods, processed meats, alcohol, and trans-fat-containing snacks.

The sugary drinks (1–4)

Dietitians who work with menopausal patients start in the same place. “Sugar sweetened beverages, sweets, desserts… things like white bread and white crackers and chips and crackers and snack foods, packaged snacks that may have a lot of added sugar or salt,” is where Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic, says she starts when phasing foods out of a menopausal patient’s diet.

1. Regular soda

A 20-oz Coke delivers 65 g of added sugar in 60 seconds.

Better swap: sparkling water with citrus.

2. Sweetened iced tea (bottled)

Snapple, Pure Leaf sweetened, AriZona, Gold Peak, these “tea” drinks deliver 30 to 40 g of sugar per bottle. This is the power of marketing. Tea is healthy right? So opting for a giant tea is the right call.

Until you take a look at the calories. Not great. And actually not all that healthy. The “tea” framing makes them feel healthier than soda; the metabolic load is comparable.

Better swap: unsweetened iced tea or green tea brewed cold.

3. Energy drinks (Red Bull, Monster, Bang)

I don’t think many people in this day and age think energy drinks are anything close to a health food. We all know they are loaded to the gills with a lot of things that aren’t good for us. (Does that stop most people?

No.) They do bring a triple threat: high sugar (or artificial sweeteners), high caffeine that disrupts sleep (already worse in menopause), and high taurine and B-vitamin loads well above what you’d get from food.

Better swap: coffee or matcha.

4. Fruit juice (orange juice, apple juice)

Eight ounces of orange juice contains 22 g of sugar — close to a soda’s load, though OJ’s sugar is naturally occurring and it brings vitamin C and potassium that soda doesn’t. Still, with the fiber stripped out, it hits your blood sugar fast.

Better swap: whole fruit; fiber blunts the glucose spike.

Of all these, the orange juice number was one that stood out to me but not that surprising. When you’re a kid you can drink almost anything and it has little to no effect on you. When you get older, however, things become a different story.

And even in my mid 20s I started noticing that I didn’t feel great after having orange juice in the morning. It actually made me jittery, like I just had a lot of sugar. And voila! That is clearly the case.

And the other issue with OJ is that if you get the kind with no pulp there’s almost no fiber to help mitigate the sugars from the juice. It’s always interesting to find out that something you grew up thinking was totally healthy and the right choice may not be as great for you as you think.

When you do the math and compare the same number of ounces, the amount of sugar in OJ and a can of Coke is not that far off. Who knew! This is why I really just try to limit what I drink during the day to coffee, tea, or plain old water.

There’s nothing better than water! When in doubt, just pour yourself a glass of water and put the other stuff down.

The refined carbs (5–8)

5. White bread

Have you ever noticed that actual bread you buy from a bakery gets moldy and goes bad 10x faster than a prepackaged white bread? There’s a very obvious reason why. Wonder Bread and supermarket-brand white sandwich bread are high-glycemic, low-fiber, so they spike blood sugar fast with little fiber to slow it down.

Better swap: sprouted whole-grain (Ezekiel) or sourdough.

6. Bagels (supermarket and most coffee-shop)

A typical bagel is the carbohydrate equivalent of 4 to 6 slices of bread. Cream cheese as the topping adds saturated fat without protein to slow the spike.

Better swap: two-egg breakfast or Greek yogurt with chia.

Also not surprising was seeing that a regular bagel is 4-to-6 slices of bread when it comes to the amount of carbohydrates. That number feels real to anyone who’s had a huge bagel for breakfast. And I think that’s also why a lot of people get their bagel “scooped.”

If you’re not aware, a scooped bagel is when you just dig out some of the inside of a bagel that’s been cut in half. It’s a great way to not only cut down on the amount of carbs and bread you’re eating, but it’s also a great way to fit more great stuff if you’re having it with lox and you’re making a sandwich out of it.

The more room for that the merrier. All those carbs are also why bagels have become a once in a while kind of thing more than a regular breakfast. Sourdough is my go to almost every day. Not a lot, maybe a slice or two.

There’s a great bakery nearby and they sell large sourdough boules. I cut them in half and freeze them (bread freezes really well!) A couple boules will last me a few weeks and there’s so many great benefits to sourdough bread.

7. Pastries and donuts

Pastries and donuts are the ultimate sugar rush. There’s typically zero health benefit in these and they are all sugar. Don’t get me wrong, they are delicious! But they are the trifecta of refined sugar, refined flour, and (often) hydrogenated oils.

Packaged convenience-store donuts can contain up to 2 g of trans fats per serving despite the “0 trans fat” claim allowed under FDA rounding rules.

Better swap: sliced apple with walnut butter.

8. Sweetened breakfast cereals

Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Flakes, Raisin Bran, Special K, all “healthy”-marketed cereals can have 8 to 15 g added sugar per serving. Combined with skim milk (which spikes insulin without much fat to slow it), the breakfast is a glucose roller coaster.

Better swap: steel-cut oats with berries.

Breakfast when I was a kid was completely different than it is now. Anything went when we were younger. Sugary cereals, those sweet cereals, whatever, Pop Tarts. Remember those? But now it’s egg whites and gluten free oatmeal or something along those lines.

More concern and thought put into it than just eating whatever’s quick and easy and tastes the best.

The ultra-processed foods (9–12)

9. Microwave TV dinners (Lean Cuisine, Hungry-Man, Stouffer’s)

Sodium content alone is the disqualifier: typical entrees contain 800 to 1,400 mg of sodium, 35 to 60 percent of the daily recommended limit in a single meal.

Better swap: The batch-cooked grain bowl you made last weekend.

I didn’t really have a huge TV dinner history. Actually, that’s not true. In the eighties, definitely, there was Lean Cuisine, not so much Hungry-Man, but microwave dinners were one hundred percent on the menu when the parents were out of town, or when they were out to dinner and you didn’t get invited.

10. Cup noodles / instant ramen

The problem with these instant noodles is they rely heavily on a ton of salt and sodium to give them any flavor. A single serving can contain 1,500+ mg of sodium plus refined oils and palm oil.

The soup is the worst part, if you do eat ramen occasionally, drain most of the broth.

Better swap: miso paste + frozen vegetables + a soft-boiled egg.

11. Cheese-flavored crackers (Cheez-Its, Goldfish)

Refined flour + seed oils + sodium + (in most brands) MSG or autolyzed yeast extract. The “cheese” flavor is largely synthetic.

Better swap: almonds or olives.

I’ve been lucky enough to never really love the manufactured Cheez-Its and Goldfish snacks. For whatever reason I’ve leaned towards Triscuits and things like Mary’s Gone Crackers. Not that I’m better, just lucky that it wasn’t what my cheats were.

12. Frozen pizza

Refined flour crust + processed cheese + processed meat toppings + 800 to 1,500 mg sodium per serving.

Better swap: homemade pizza on sprouted-grain tortilla, or a real pizzeria once a week.

Frozen pizza is something I always have in the freezer. Luckily there are some really pretty healthy options out there now. Some are grain free and made with healthy oils and limit the amount of ingredients. And the beauty of frozen pizzas is that with a little planning you can make them pretty good.

I usually toss some pepperoncinis, feta, red onions and mushrooms on them before putting them in the oven and they come out 100% better than the standard frozen pizza. And then add a little oregano and it’s like you’re a real chef (lol.)

The processed meats (13–16)

13. Bacon

The WHO classified processed meats including bacon as Group 1 carcinogens in 2015, with a small but real increase in colorectal cancer risk per 50 g daily serving.

Better swap: turkey bacon (lower sodium uncured versions) or a fried egg.

Bacon is another one that is always hard to quit. It just tastes so great and adds so much flavor to anything you add it to (from stews to salads). But, I will say, the more I read about how bad it really is, it gets a bit easier to say no. The fact that it was actually classified as a carcinogen (something that causes cancer) and yet people still eat it regularly and it’s in a ton of products speaks to how delicious it is.

But when you start to think about that carcinogen classification it really changes the way you enjoy it. It’s hard to just eat it the same way you did before you knew that. And at the end of the day, while it’s not fun, it’s better for us to be as informed as possible about our health.

Even if we don’t like the answers.

14. Hot dogs

High sodium, sodium nitrite (which forms N-nitroso compounds linked to colorectal cancer), and very low protein-to-fat ratio.

Better swap: grass-fed beef sausage from a quality butcher; not health food but better.

I never was a huge hot dog eater, but hot dogs represent such a specific moment in the summertime. When you’re at a cookout and someone is grilling some dogs, those are the hardest to say no to.

And like anything on this list, it’s really a matter of being really judicious for when you do want to splurge. We all need a little fun in our lives (that’s also important to our health!) But just make them a once in a while thing, and not only will your health thank you more, but they will taste better too because you haven’t had them in so long.

15. Deli/cold cuts (sliced ham, salami, mortadella)

Same nitrite-and-sodium issue as hot dogs but consumed more often as everyday lunch. “Uncured” labels often mean celery-powder-cured, which delivers nitrites by another name.

Better swap: leftover roast chicken or hard-boiled eggs.

16. Pre-cut pepperoni and prepackaged salami

Lower water content (more concentrated sodium) plus the nitrite-and-saturated-fat profile. A “handful” of pepperoni delivers more sodium than a typical fast-food burger.

Better swap: if you crave the salt-and-fat profile, a small portion of high-quality charcuterie occasionally rather than daily.

Of all these items, the one I have the hardest time saying no to are the deli meats. Especially the fancy ones like mortadella and prosciutto. They are my Achilles heel. They are the perfect starter to any dinner.

All you have to do is put them on a plate with a little cheese and then you’ve turned a regular weeknight dinner into an event. I like to tell myself that since those higher-end versions of deli meats typically have less (or at least more natural) preservatives that they aren’t as bad for you.

But I am trying to eat less of them.

The fats and “diet” traps (17–20)

17. Margarine (especially older formulations)

Older partially-hydrogenated margarines contain trans fats that the FDA has been phasing out since 2018 but still appear in some imported and dollar-store brands. There’s little reason to opt for margarine over butter. Butter tastes better too!

Better swap: grass-fed butter or olive oil.

18. Non-dairy coffee creamer (Coffee-Mate, International Delight)

Most non-dairy creamers contain partially hydrogenated oils, corn syrup solids, and synthetic flavors.

Better swap: half-and-half, oat milk (check label for added oil), or homemade dates-blended cashew milk.

The funny thing about coffee creamer being on this list is that most people drink it for two reasons. 1) You are lactose intolerant and 2) You thought it was healthier than regular cream. But if you get a high quality organic half and half, then it’s better for you than all those hydrogenated oils.

And if you’re lactose intolerant, then there are now so many other options out there. Just make sure you look at the ingredient list to try and get the healthiest one possible. Some oat milks have unhealthy oils and are not great for you.

Black coffee isn’t bad and like anything it’s an acquired taste. I am a half and half from Organic Valley drinker. A little splash of that in my morning coffee is a pretty good choice if you don’t want to drink it black.

19. Diet soda (artificial sweeteners)

The zero-calorie pitch obscures emerging (and still preliminary) research on how aspartame and sucralose may affect the gut microbiome; in 2023 the WHO’s cancer agency classified aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic,” though its expert committee left the acceptable daily intake unchanged.

The 2023 WHO/IARC classification moved aspartame to Group 2B “possibly carcinogenic.” Diet drinks also seem to maintain sugar cravings without satisfying them.

Better swap: sparkling water with citrus or a splash of unsweetened cranberry.

I think diet soda is one of those things that I would tell someone to try and steer clear of. There’s so many people that just lean on diet sodas and think they are somehow healthy. Or at least neutral.

But the truth is they are neither. According to some of the research they are actively bad for you. And they’re really just a flavor thing at the end of the day. If you are a heavy diet soda drinker, I always suggest trying to wean yourself off them if you can.

Don’t go cold turkey, but try to drink one less per day for the first week and then shift to water. Not to be a broken record but water is always the best choice!

20. More than 1 alcoholic drink per day

This can be a tough one after a hard day. In your 50s, alcohol hits harder: slower metabolism, sharper hot flashes, deeper sleep disruption, accelerated bone density loss, and increased risk of breast cancer at moderate intake. The WHO position has shifted: “there is no safe level” of alcohol consumption for cancer risk.

But a glass of wine after a tough day at work sure is nice. Just remember to keep it in extra moderation.

Better swap: alcohol-free wine or a sparkling water with bitters and lime.

Dr. Pattimakiel sees the wine problem from the clinical side: “Caffeine can stimulate hot flashes and night sweats as well. Alcohol, and some women enjoy a glass of wine at night, but again trying to cut back on that because we do see it trigger hot flashes.”

The frustrating part, she admits, is that “they’re all the good things again, so I get patients very angry with me.”

Guilty. If a friend told me nothing they used to eat works anymore, I probably wouldn’t even be having a beer with them. I’d probably have a glass of wine, because that’s somewhat healthier. Even though that’s maybe not true, it just feels that way.

The 5 to cut first (if you only do five)

The 20 foods above are not equally important. If you only have the bandwidth to change 5 things, these are the highest-leverage cuts in a 50s body:

1. Daily soda or sweetened drinks, the biggest single dietary lever for metabolic health.
2. Processed meats more than 1–2 times per week, nitrite + sodium + cancer-risk stack.
3. Frozen entrees / TV dinners, sodium load is the largest hidden contributor to BP rise.
4. More than 1 drink daily, the alcohol math hits 50s women hardest.
5. Non-dairy coffee creamer or trans-fat margarines, small daily inputs that compound on cardiovascular risk.

If those five swaps are in place, the other 15 matter much less. Perfect compliance on the top 5 beats 70 percent compliance across all 20.

If I had a friend and I needed to tell them the one thing from this list that they should cut out, I think it would probably be a toss up between soda and processed deli meat. I know I mentioned earlier that I enjoy prosciutto, but there is a difference between that and deli bologna.

Prosciutto has fewer phosphates and synthetic nitrates than standard deli meats like bologna and salami. So if you love deli meats, at least there are some options. Those options might cost a little more, but your health is worth it if you can afford it.

Soda, on the other hand, is just one of those things that once you cut it out, you likely won’t miss it. Take it from someone who used to drink a lot of sodas and only opts for water now.

I don’t really miss it at all. It just takes getting over that hump and once you’re there you’ll wonder why you ever drank so many of those in the first place.

When you can mostly ignore this list

The 20 foods above are the cumulative-load contributors that most consistently work against women’s 50s bodies. But “cumulative load” is the key phrase. A single instance of any one food rarely matters.

Situation 1: You’re at a small dose, not a daily dose.

A bagel at a Sunday brunch once a month is not the same nutritional input as a bagel every Tuesday morning. If a food on the list shows up rarely, birthday cake, an occasional glass of wine at a friend’s place, the cheeseburger on a road trip, the cumulative-load math doesn’t materially shift.

The dose makes the dietary poison; the rare exposure does not.

Everything in moderation, I think, is the key to actually sticking to something. Whenever you try to do something to the extreme and you just try to go completely cold turkey… unless you’ve got a real medical issue that is acute.

If you can stick to stuff in moderation, you’re so golden. You’re just so golden. You combine it with a little bit of other effort in other areas, it’s gonna have such a big impact.

The clinicians say a more polished version of the same thing. “We are not trying to deprive you of anything here,” Zumpano says. “We’re really trying to create better balance and provide better nutrition in the foods that you do choose, and allowing those other foods to be here and there, special occasions.”

The practical rule: if you can name when you last ate a given food on the list, you are probably eating it rarely enough that it does not matter. The only foods that count are the ones you eat without remembering, the morning Coke, the daily Coffee-Mate, the lunchtime deli sandwich.

Situation 2: You’re celebrating.

We’re all human. And we need to have fun and splurge. Otherwise what’s the point? Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, holiday dinners with family. Food is also social currency, emotional connection, and memory-making.

Situation 3: Your medical care is already dialed in. If your blood pressure, labs, and cardiology follow-ups are well managed, dietary micro-optimization buys you less than it buys someone without that support. Sleep, movement, and stress may be the bigger levers in your case.

For what it’s worth, the fifties seem to be when this stuff finally sticks. I’ve seen a lot of people try, and when they get into their fifties, that’s when it seems like things start to take. Because you really do see the impact, and you’re old enough to know that it’s not gonna change anything overnight.

The reason you’ve got to that point was probably because of the decisions you made in the previous decade. Whenever someone really does wanna make an effort, they can when they’re older. And then sometimes you get to that point where you’re so old that you are just set in your ways.

Getting older is tough. There’s no doubt about it.

The 80/20 reality: getting daily-default foods clean 80 percent of the time, then eating what’s in front of you the other 20 percent, is the version of this protocol that holds up for decades. Perfect compliance is neither necessary nor sustainable.

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Kaelyn Johnson, MPH, R.D.

Kaelyn Johnson is a Registered Dietitian from Southern California who has worked as a clinical dietitian and is now a freelance writer. She has written for WebMD, produced an e-book, and written case studies for healthcare practitioners.