What beats a cold beer, a juicy burger, and crispy fries? As delicious as this food sounds, it is incredibly unhealthy. Unfortunately, these are the kinds of foods that men especially like to eat. Most men prefer their food to be hearty, quick, and above all tasty. Women usually have a slightly different approach. They tend to choose lighter and healthier dishes. And the healthier choice pays off—women live on average five years longer than men. Cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, and diabetes affect men more often, earlier, and often more severely than women.
Unfortunately, men often skimp on whole grain products and vegetables simply because they don’t like the taste as much. Men quench their thirst similarly to women, about half the time with water, but there is some truth to the stereotype: nothing beats a cold beer. However, eating and drinking healthily is anything but unmanly and can even be a delicious adventure with the right strategy. We’ll now show you what the male body needs and how you should best nourish it to support it well.
A piece of vitality
Is meat healthy or unhealthy? Opinions clearly differ. But we believe that meat in certain amounts is definitely not harmful. If you want to eat healthily, you don’t necessarily have to give up meat products. After all, they contain a lot of protein, B vitamins, iron, and zinc. When consuming meat products, as with almost everything, the dose makes the poison. To give you a rough idea of how much meat you can eat per week, here’s a simple rule of thumb: for an adult man, a maximum of 600g of meat and sausage per week is recommended. If you stick to these amounts, regular meat consumption shouldn’t be a problem!
Boost your Energy
You probably already know that vegetables and fruits should be an important part of your diet. That’s because they are ideal energy suppliers for fitness due to their high content of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and secondary plant compounds. The good news is that it doesn’t matter whether the vegetables are fresh or frozen, so you can save yourself the hassle of chopping when cooking.
Whole Grain Power
For your brain to function well, your body needs enough carbohydrates, which you best get from whole grain products. Treat yourself to a delicious avocado bread or a serving of whole grain pasta and do your body a favor. To meet your daily needs, you should eat at least 4 slices of fine whole grain bread—feel free to get creative with your toppings! Soups and stews with peas, lentils, or beans are filling and satisfying. They also contain valuable proteins and provide plenty of fiber. Fiber keeps your digestion running smoothly and can even help prevent colon cancer! So, enjoy your meal!
Cool Power
Dairy products are not only super tasty but also rich in protein. These white delights from the fridge mainly provide calcium for your bones and teeth and improve concentration. If you tolerate dairy products, you can supply your body with many important minerals this way!
Pump it up
In this respect, humans are a bit like cars—without good oil, the engine runs poorly. Fat isn’t always bad and can even be very good for your health. And no, we’re not talking about frying fat, butter, or lard here. Men should put the brakes on those. These fats are indeed bad and can heavily impact cholesterol levels.
We’re talking about oils like olive oil, avocado oil, or rapeseed oil, which are great for protecting the blood vessels in your body. The ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fatty acids positively influences blood lipids. In fact, the body sometimes needs these fats to absorb certain vitamins at all!
Fishy Goods
Fish is not only incredibly versatile but also tastes amazing. Plus, it’s very healthy! Fish supplies the body with omega-3 fatty acids, which protect the heart. It also has a high iodine content, which has very positive effects on the thyroid!
But that’s not all—fish protein serves as a building block for cells and muscles. In both quantity and quality, this protein is in no way inferior to the protein from pork, beef, or poultry.
Pimp your Health
Looking for a healthy snack? Then reach for nuts and seeds, as they quickly and effectively contribute valuable benefits to men’s health! They have a high content of unsaturated fatty acids and fiber, which lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Spice it up
Too much salt is well known to be very unhealthy because it can raise blood pressure. That means you should hold back a bit on the amount of salt you use. If you’re a very salty eater, you can try to gradually reduce your salt intake. Over time, you’ll get used to the taste of less salt! When seasoning, opt for herbs—whether fresh or dried. They give every meal a special aroma and also increase the variety of flavors! So, grab those herbs, ready, go!
Stay Hydrated
You were probably told as a child to drink enough water! And there’s a good reason for that—actually several. Water gets your circulation going, flushes your kidneys, and clears your head. It can also reduce appetite and thus even help with weight loss. An adult man should drink about two to three liters of water per day. To quench your thirst, it’s best to choose mineral water, unsweetened drinks, or low-calorie refreshments.
The Perfect Match
Of course, a good glass of red wine with meat or a beer with dinner is always a pleasure—we admit that. If it stays to just one glass, there are usually no health objections. This, of course, depends on the individual health condition and cannot be generalized.
Strictly speaking, an adult man should not consume more than 20g of alcohol per day. That’s about a “Halbe” as they say in Bavaria—500ml of beer. More of this intoxicating pleasure can become problematic for mental and physical well-being.
