As a man, a large part of maintaining your health involves the foods you eat. Your nutrition can significantly impact your quality of life and whether you develop disease as you get older. Thankfully, you can start making changes to your health and nutrition at any time of life by selecting foods that provide you with the nutrients you need to be strong.
Dietary Needs
Men need to maintain a healthy diet to hold onto physical fitness and to stay in good shape. A standard diet for a man should include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein, non-fat dairy and healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids. The lean sources of protein can be chicken breast, salmon, tuna or beans and the omega-3s can be obtained from avocados and olive oil.
Portions
According to a study published in the "Journal of Health and Social Behavior," men are more likely to become overweight than women. Portion size has a lot to do with this. If you want to improve the quality of your nutrition as a man, you need to pay attention to how much you eat, even of healthy foods. Servings of meat should be no larger than your fist, and you should avoid going back for second helpings at dinner. To reduce temptation, serve up your meals in the kitchen and don't put serving bowls on the dinner table.
Nutritional Needs
It's not enough to pay attention to the foods you eat. You also have to be concerned about their nutritional value. As you get older, you may need to take supplements to get all of the nutrition you need. Foods that contain calcium and vitamin D are necessary for maintaining bone health. Likewise, vegetables fruits and whole grains can improve the health of your heart. Potassium from bananas and a reduced sodium diet can also help to nutritionally prevent hypertension or high blood pressure.
Fitness
Fitness plays an important role right alongside nutrition in maintaining male health. However, you can't work out properly if you don't eat right. By ensuring your body gets enough nutrition, you will have the energy to commit to a workout routine and stay in shape. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, most people need at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity, like jogging or swimming, five times a week to stay in shape.
