Men’s Nutrition (International Men’s Day)

Healthy Nutrition for Boys to Men

Healthy nutrition is very important to men as well as women. Although, being a man (with all the testosterone production) puts a high demand for nutrition. Men have naturally denser bones, so less dependent on dietary or supplemental calcium in order to prevent osteoporosis (bone perforations and breakdown) that typically occurs later in life. On this year’s International Men’s Day we say cheers to Better Health for Men and Boys!

What does a healthy diet for men look like?

According to EatRight, a healthy diet for men includes:

  • At least 2 cups of fruits and 2½ cups of vegetables each day for vitamins, minerals, fibre and phytochemicals.
  • Whole grains. Eat at least half of all grains as whole grains each day. Replace refined grains with whole-grain bread, cereal, pasta, brown rice or oats.
  • At least 38 grams of fibre per day for younger men; 30 grams of fibre per day for men older than 50.
  • At least two to three servings of fish per week.
  • Unsaturated fats such as oils, nuts and oil-based salad dressings in place of saturated fats such as full-fat dairy foods, butter and high-fat sweets.
  • 3,400 milligrams a day of potassium from fruits, vegetables, fish and dairy.

Healthy nutrition for boys to men and why

Considering that men don’t lose blood through menstruation, hence, they need only less than half as much iron (just about 8 milligrams for an adult male).

Also, men can consume about 10 percent more calories than women of the same weight without adding extra pounds. You can check calories of common and packaged foods here. This is because muscles are active tissues. They work by contracting and expanding using up more energy than fat. To make this clear, a 70kg man can hold his weight steady while eating more than a 70kg woman of the same age and performs the same amount of physical work.

Due to hormonal productions, teenage boys develop wide shoulders and muscles, testosterone (male hormone) promotes bone and muscle growth. Estrogen (female hormone) promotes fatty tissue as in the case of ladies developing rounded hips. So, the average male body has more muscles and the female, more fat. This is clearer considering the prominence of veins in men than in females.

So, men, there is a great need to determine how many calories you need daily, ask a consultant today. When you eat, you deposit calories like in a bank account and when you work, your body makes withdrawals from that initially deposited calories. Through scientific calculations,

“Nutritionists divide the amount of energy you withdraw each day into two parts:

The energy you need when your body is at rest
The energy you need to do your daily “work”

An excerpt from Carol Ann Rinzler. “Nutrition for Dummies”.

Get a quick and detailed 15-mins nutrition consultation with us that covers a Nutritional Status Report, Body Composition Report, Food Diary Setup and a 1 Week Meal Plan now. Book nutritional assessment here.

 

Adequate nutrition is a pathway to sustainable health and wellness!

Collins Akanno

        

References:

  • Cover photo: https://unsplash.com/photos/Wu-z2EFmXe0?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink
  • An excerpt from Carol Ann Rinzler. “Nutrition for Dummies”. Apple Books.

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