6 Foods To Consider Eating Less Of After 65

In his book How To Prevent Dementia, neurologist Dr Richard Restak wrote: “I strongly suggest that if you are 65 years old or older, that you completely and permanently eliminate alcohol from your diet”.

He said that’s because it’s a “direct neurotoxin” and could increase your risk of falls.

And according to America’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC), we should consider striking some foods off the list, too.

But do those stand in the UK?

Here, we asked Dr Giuseppe Aragona, a GP and medical adviser for Prescription Doctor, about whether he agrees with the guidance here.

The CDC said that people aged 65+ are more likely to become hospitalised from bacteria like Salmonella and Listeria.

“Some foods are more likely to spread harmful germs, including undercooked meat and eggs, unpasteurised milk and cheese, and unwashed produce,” they wrote.

Therefore, they suggested people in that age group might want to consider that the following could pose a higher risk to them:

1. Raw or undercooked poultry or meat,
2. Unheated deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages,
3. Refrigerated pâté or meat spreads,
4. Premade deli salads, like potato salad, egg salad, tuna salad, or coleslaw,
5. Raw or undercooked sprouts like alfalfa or bean sprouts,
6. Unwashed fresh fruits and vegetables,
7. Cut melon left out for more than two hours,
8. Unpasteurised juice or cider,
9. Unpasteurised (raw) milk and dairy products made from unpasteurised milk,
10. Soft cheese made from unpasteurised (raw) milk,
11. Unheated cheese sliced at a deli,
12. Raw or undercooked (runny) eggs, and foods that contain raw or undercooked eggs, like cookie dough or eggnog,
13. Raw or undercooked fish or shellfish, including sashimi, sushi, and ceviche,
14. Refrigerated smoked seafood (except in a cooked dish),
15. Raw dough or raw batter made with raw (uncooked) flour.

Dr Aragona said that mostly, the reasoning behind these entries stands.

“I would broadly agree with the principle behind the CDC list,” he said.

“As we get older, changes in the immune system mean that an infection which might cause a relatively short-lived episode of diarrhoea and vomiting in a younger adult can sometimes become much more significant in an older person, with a greater risk of dehydration, hospital admission and, with certain organisms such as Listeria, Salmonella and pathogenic E. coli, invasive or systemic infection”.

The doctor added that this might be especially relevant for people who are frail or have other health conditions, “although I would be careful not to imply that everyone becomes suddenly vulnerable on their 65th birthday, because the degree of risk varies considerably between individuals”.

He said that for him, the foods he’d be most concerned about include:

1. raw or undercooked meat and poultry,
2. raw or lightly cooked eggs,
3. raw shellfish and fish,
4. unpasteurised milk and dairy products,
5. raw sprouts, and
6. certain chilled ready-to-eat foods such as pâté and cold deli meats.

That’s because “these foods can become contaminated with organisms such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli and Listeria, and the important point is that some contamination cannot be detected by looking at, smelling or tasting the food”.

“I would also add an important UK-specific nuance around soft cheeses, because the advice can easily become over-simplified,” Dr Aragona told us.

“It is not accurate to say that someone over 65 needs to avoid all Brie, Camembert, blue cheese or other soft cheeses; the key distinction is whether the product is made from pasteurised milk and, in some circumstances, how it has been stored and handled.”

In the UK, it’s been illegal to sell raw milk in supermarkets since 1985. But it’s not against the law to sell it in other places in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

“Similarly, I would not want the advice to become so restrictive that people are discouraged from eating nutritious foods such as fruit, vegetables, eggs, fish or dairy altogether,” the GP continued.

“The sensible approach is generally to modify how these foods are prepared and stored rather than simply avoiding them; for example, washing produce properly, keeping chilled foods at the correct temperature, observing use-by dates, preventing cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat foods, and cooking higher-risk foods thoroughly can substantially reduce the risk while allowing people to maintain a healthy and varied diet.”

Lastly, the expert ended, the person eating the food matters, too.

“I would… distinguish between someone who is a healthy, active 65-year-old and someone who is considerably older, frail, immunosuppressed or living with significant medical conditions, because the latter group may reasonably need to take a more cautious approach.

“Overall, I would agree with the CDC’s approach, but I would present it as risk reduction rather than a list of foods that people over 65 are forbidden from eating.

“The aim should be to reduce exposure to foods where the consequences of contamination could be serious while preserving a nutritious, enjoyable and varied diet, and I think that distinction is particularly important because overly restrictive food advice can itself have unintended consequences for nutrition, enjoyment of food and quality of life.”