Essential Steps for Men’s Balanced Nutrition
The key to balanced nutrition in men is quite simple. It’s what we all should follow. Eat at least three square meals a day, don’t skip breakfast, and eat food from every food group at every meal. Here are some essential steps towards making sure men’s nutrition is balanced, providing the right nutrients for your needs.
Carbohydrates
Yes, carbohydrates are necessary for men’s health. This is the primary source of energy for the body. You need to have simple carbohydrates (sugar) and complex carbohydrates (starches). You should get 60% of your calories from carbohydrates. Generally speaking, the average man should consume 2,200 calories a day, meaning that 1320 of your calories should come from carbohydrates. Aim for more of the complex carbohydrates from things like fruits and vegetables, beans, whole grains, and dairy products. An excellent way to start your day is with a bowl of oatmeal with low-fat milk and some fruit preserves and peanut butter.
Fats
This is essential to have for survival. Fat is needed to help absorb essential vitamins like Vitamin A, D, E, and K. You should have 15-20% of your daily calories come from fat. Aim to get unsaturated fat in your diet as you’ll need the energy. Try to avoid fats from butter, margarine, oil, and Crisco. Eat lean meats and fish like tilapia and tuna steaks. These contain healthy fatty acids of omega-3 and omega-6.
Be wary of low-fat options because the fat content is substituted with refined sugar. Portion control is essential, too. A good lunch option is tuna, chicken or turkey breast on whole-grain bread with Gouda cheese, greens, and honey mustard.
Protein
Protein builds and repairs tissue. It’s, of course, great for muscles, but also skin, hair, and nails. The average man needs about 86 grams of protein a day. So if you eat a 16-ounce steak, then you should go easy on the protein for the rest of the week as the steak has 207 grams of protein. Shoot for 15-20% of your daily calories to be from protein. If you have a smoothie with milk, banana, strawberry, mango, yoghurt, and peanut butter post-workout, that’s a good source of protein to help repair your muscles.
Meat and potatoes are great, but your protein is best coming from lean meats and fish on a regular basis. The occasional 16-ounce steak is okay, but don’t aim to get an entire month’s worth of protein in one day. Too much of a good thing is never good. So a great balanced dinner option might be a salad sprinkled with almonds or pecans, shrimp, cheese, and black beans. This will be a good source of protein while also being sure to hit those food groups in a balanced way.
Skip the fad diets; they aren’t going to provide you with the balance and healthy nutrition you need. Eating in moderation while following the food pyramid will be the key to balanced health and nutrition. You will have to adjust things based on how active you are and whether you are trying to lose or gain weight, but including carbs, fats, and protein in your diet are going to be essential no matter what your weight goals are.
Nutrients Men Need for Optimal Health
Eating right is vital for optimal health. And since men have different health concerns than women, there are certain foods they’ll want to consider making a part of their diet to maintain their own personal optimal health. Foods that will help prevent erectile dysfunction, slow muscle recovery after exercise, depression, cognitive impairment, and infertility -just to name a few. So here are five foods that contain nutrients to help maintain optimal male health.
Five Foods for Optimal Health in Men
1. Oysters – There is more zinc in oysters than any other food. Zinc is essential to male health because it promotes a healthy prostate. Low levels of zinc can lead to fertility issues and prostate disease. The human body doesn’t store zinc naturally, so it’s essential to get enough of it per day. The recommended daily allowance of zinc in men is 11 mg. A 3-ounce serving of oysters contains 74 mg of zinc.
2. Salmon – A contributing factor of erectile dysfunction is believed to be lack of vitamin D. A 3-ounce serving of salmon can contain 112 per cent of the daily recommended allowance of vitamin D.
3. Walnuts – Walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. Beneficial for brain health and will help ward off depression. Just 1 cup of walnuts provides 2.7 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, which is just over the daily recommended intake.
4. Chocolate Milk – Drink this as a post-workout recovery. It’s a cheaper version than sports drinks. It provides the fluids and sodium needed to aid in post-workout recovery. Drink a glass of low-fat chocolate milk immediately after working out, but then another glass two hours later.
5. Fruits and Vegetables – Fruits and vegetables are excellent for the heart, but they also help fight off fatigue. Men require more fruits and vegetables than women do, probably much to their chagrin. The meat and potato man better get used to adding more salads to his diet. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that men eat two cups of fruit and two-and-a-half to three cups of vegetables a day. A good rule of thumb is half of your plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables while the other half is filled with healthy proteins like beans and nuts, moderate amounts of poultry and fish, and the occasional red meat, as well as whole grains.
Don’t overthink it
Don’t overthink what you eat. You don’t need to count calories and measure portion sizes; have balanced nutrition. Make sure your plate is full of colourful fresh ingredients; half your plate should be bright and leafy green veg. The second half should comprise of protein and complex carbs. Avoid processed foods as much as you can. A great way to get all your nutrition needs from vegetables is from green powder. Check it out here.
You don’t have to eliminate things from your diet. Just make small changes and add a salad a day to a meal as a starting point to getting on the track to eating healthier and optimising your health. The ultimate goal is to feel better, have more energy, and to reduce your chances of chronic illnesses. But you have to be realistic with yourself about how to achieve this goal, and often eliminating all of the things you love is not the way you’ll achieve this. More detail nutrition planning