10 Best Superfoods for Men

You’ve heard that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach — so is the way to a healthier body. In light of June being Men’s Health Month, here’s a list of 10 superfoods he should eat daily.

1. Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium, and the plant substance known as lycopene — great for heart and prostate health.

2. Broccoli is rich in natural cancer-fighting chemicals and loaded with heart-healthy, immunity-building nutrients such as vitamins A, C and folate — a B vitamin found to protect against heart disease. Preparation tip: Steam broccoli to help preserve vital antioxidants.

3. Salmon — whether smoked, canned, fresh-caught or frozen — is an excellent source of omega-3 fats, which help reduce inflammation and improve cholesterol.

4. Berries are “berry” good sources of nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium and anthocyanins, which are known to fight heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Rich in fiber and low in calories, berries taste great in salads or over breakfast cereal. Pick a color, any color!

5. Soy may boost prostate and bone health, research reveals. The Food and Drug Administration has also approved a claim that products made from soybeans, including meat substitutes and beverages, help improve heart health.

6. Olive oil is rich in oleic acid, a type of monounsaturated fatty acid that boosts heart health. It also enhances the absorption of lycopene (found in tomatoes), which may be helpful in reducing the risk of heart disease and prostate cancer.

7. Nuts contain fiber, healthy fats and plant nutrients called phytosterols, which are known to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol. In a study featured in the medical journal Circulation, researchers found that eating a handful of almonds (about 1 ounce) daily reduced LDL by about three percent.

8. Green tea packs a group of antioxidants called polyphenols. These compounds may decrease plaque formation in the arteries and help fight prostate cancer cells.

9. Red wine contains a super antioxidant called resveratrol, found in the skins and seeds of grapes. Experts claim resveratrol assists in reducing LDL cholesterol and also helps in keeping the inside lining of the arteries that feed the heart more resistant to atherosclerosis, a.k.a. hardening of the arteries. Enjoy up to two 5-ounce servings a day, the American Heart Association suggests.

10. Whole grains, such as brown rice, oats, whole-grain breads and cereals may enhance immunity, reduce cholesterol and protect against a variety of cancers. The 2010 dietary guidelines recommend adult men consume six to eight one-ounce servings daily, with at least half of the grains being whole.

Food should be your primary source of nutrients, but most guys don’t eat an optimal diet every day. Your backup plan: take a multivitamin. Choose one designed for men’s needs. It should pack eleven milligrams of zinc and 600 IUs of vitamin D, two important players in prostate health. Since guys don’t menstruate, don’t worry about iron.

For more tailored advice on proper diet and supplementation, see a registered dietitian. All men may not be created equal — but they all have the potential to be super!

Author David Grotto is a FitStudio advisory board member, registered dietitian and the founder and president of Nutrition Housecall. He is the author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life and 101 Optimal Life Foods. He served as a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association for more than six years.

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Ask The Guyatitian

Dear Guyatitian:

 Isn’t oil not that great for you? For example, I use Canola oil or the Smart Balance Omega Oil (it’s a blend of canola, soy and olive oil) because I thought they were the BETTER oils to use, but when I compared those to my regular old vegetable oil, everything was exactly the same – EXCEPT that the vegetable oil had 2 grams of Saturated Fat per serving, while the others only had 1 gram of Saturated Fat per serving.

 I also noticed that there are 120 fat calories per 1 tablespoon! 

YIKES! I know I’m eating more than one tablespoon of dressing on my salad, so am I just ruining my healthy salad by adding my oil based dressings to it?????

 Dear Fat-Phobe

Here’s the skinny on fat. Most “vegetable oil” is actually soybean oil. All of the oils you named, including soy oil, are excellent choices that can be used on salads, cooking, or baking. All are considered low in saturated fat (the stuff that can contribute to heart disease) and all are heart-healthy. So 2 grams of saturated fat versus 1 gram is no big whoop except if you are drowning your salad in oil!

On the positive side, fat helps promote satiety. Meaning, if the salad you ate had some oil-based dressing on it, it might tide you over longer than a fat free dressing. Also, recent research shows that adding a little fat to your salad actually helps maximize the absorption of the nutrients in your salad.

Now let’s talk calories. Whether you are talking a tablespoon of butter, oil or any other type of fat, they all have about the same amount of calories.

So no, I don’t think you are ruining your healthy salad by using oil-based dressings but you certainly can turn it unhealthy if you put on too much. Here’s a link to a video I did at Ponte Fresco restaurant in Chicago that illustrates this point.

Ponte Fresco

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If you are like me, who likes a salad a little ‘wet’, opt for a low-cal,reduced fat ( NOT fat free) dressing or use one of those mist spray dressings that cover every bite of salad with just enough dressing.

Yours in good health,

The Guyatitian

National Soyfoods Month

Just a quick note today to recommend this great website called soyfoodsmonth.org for great information on soy and great recipe ideas, too!

“Soyfoods are a nutritious option for children and busy families,” says Stacey Krawczyk, MS, RD, LDN, Research Dietitian for the National Soybean Research Laboratory. Unlike many other protein sources, soyfoods are cholesterol-free and low in saturated fat.”

Soyfoods are easy to prepare and simple to incorporate into your favorite dishes, making soyfoods a healthy choice that fits into any busy family schedule: 

• Breakfast: Try soymilk on cereal or blended with fruit and oatmeal in a delicious smoothie.
• Lunch: Try deli alternatives that taste great and offer all the benefits of soy.
• Dinner: Meat alternatives are an easy way to add soyfoods to your menu. For a quick and easy dinner, try making tacos with soy crumbles in place of ground beef. You save on saturated fat and calories and they are ready in just minutes.
• Snack: Soyfood snacks like whole soy nutrition bars, soy yogurt and soy pudding are perfect for active families looking for a variety of on-the-go options.
• Any time: Traditional tofu can be used in any meal or desserts to decrease calories and provide a good source of complete protein.

More good news when it comes to soy! A new review study published in the current issue of Fertility & Sterility found that soy does not have feminizing effects on men.  The review examined published data from over 150 clinical studies to critically evaluate the effects of soy isoflavones on men.  Results show that soy food consumption has no effect on circulating levels of testosterone or estrogen, sperm count, semen quality, breast size or erectile function in men.  The bottom-line is that there is no evidence indicating that the isoflavones or other components of soy foods exert feminizing effects on men.

Ode to Soy!