Men's Diet

Men have different daily nutritional requirements to women, and below our nutritionist has offered guidance and recipe ideas for men seeking a balanced diet for good health.

The guide explains some simple rules to follow like getting a minimum of 5-a-day fruit and veg, including whole-grains and choosing more fish, poultry, beans and pulses, and less red meat, while opting for low-fat, low-sugar dairy foods.

Nutritional needs vary depending on your sex, size, age and activity levels so use this chart as a general guide only. The chart shows the Reference Intakes (RI) or daily amounts recommended for an average person to achieve a healthy, balanced diet for maintaining rather than losing or gaining weight. The RIs for fat, saturates, sugars and salt are all maximum amounts, while those for carbs and protein are figures you should aim to meet each day. There is no RI for fiber although health experts suggest we have 30g a day.

Reference Intakes

• Energy (kcal) 2000
• Protein (g) 50
• Carbohydrates (g) 260
• Sugar (g) 90
• Fat (g) 70
• Saturates (g) 20
• Salt (g) 6

Recommended dietary allowance

• Men: 2320 Kcal/day
• Female: 1900 Kcal/day
• Men: 60 grams/day
• Female: 55 grams/day

Fats

Fats provide energy, store vitamins and synthesize hormones. According to NIN, about 1/5th of your diet or 20% should be devoted to fats all three kinds -polyunsaturated, monosaturated and omega-3 fatty acids. Vegetable oil used in day to day cooking is a major source of visible fat in our diet. To ensure optimal fat quality the use of a combination of vegetable oils is important. The thumb rule – don’t fear trying different oils. It is suggested to have a good blend of various types of oils in your diet. You could juggle between butter, ghee, olive oil, mustard oil, soyabean, sesame or even groundnut oil for different meals,Depend more on unrefined (Kachi Ghani) or cold pressed oils versus refined oils, goes without saying but that always seems to be a struggle.

Vitamins and Minerals

These micronutrients support metabolism, nerve and muscle function, bone maintenance and cell production. Minerals are inorganic and so minerals from plants, meat and fish easily find their way into body. Vitamins are fragile compounds and it’s difficult to shuttle them as they may be destroyed during cooking or storing. They can be derived from nuts, oilseeds, fruits and green leafy vegetables. Vitamin A, E, B12and D are vital and so is calcium and iron. The National Institute of Nutrition recommends the consumption of 100 grams of greens and 100 grams of fruits each day.

Recommended Dietary Allowance

(100 grams milk and milk products)

Calcium:-

• Men: 600 mg/day
• Female: 600 mg/day

Iron:-

• Men: 600 mg/day
• Female: 600 mg/day

To keep your body running smoothly, you require three main meals coupled with healthy snacking to curb cravings. Ideally, breakfast should be the heaviest meal of the day but with our busy schedules all we manage to do is chug a glass of milk and grab a toast. When your day starts on a light note followed by a hurried lunch, you end up eating much more for dinner than needed. While dinner should be the lightest, in a common Indian household, it is an elaborate family meal. Time to change. The components of the balanced diet remain the same, the difference lies in how they are served at every meal.

Breakfast

A good morning meal should comprise of three things. These are dietary fiber or carbohydrates (whole-grain bread, oatmeal, white oats, wheat flakes), proteins (eggs and egg whites, yogurt, milk and sprouts) and nuts (almonds, walnuts, apricots and figs). Eggs are an ideal choice because they provide a good balance of quality protein and fat, other options include lean ham, fish like salmon or haddock, as well as low-fat dairy foods. Protein foods slow stomach emptying, which means you stay fuller for longerThis way you will eat fewer calories the rest of the day.

Mid-morning snack

Eating well in the morning is vital for balancing energy levels. The ideal is to eat little and often but you need to make every snack work for you. That means choosing snacks which satisfy your energy needs plus supply extra benefits like topping up your five-a-day.Try peanut butter and banana on crackers or opt for creamy avocado with slices of turkey.

Lunch

Make lunch a mix of lean protein and starchy carbs. Carb-rich foods supply energy so you’ll suffer from mid-afternoon slumps if you cut them out. The key is to choose carbs that produce a steady rise in blood sugar, which means passing on sugary ‘white’ foods and going for high fiber whole-grains, which help you manage those afternoon munchies. Whole-grains like rye, wholewheat and barley keep you satisfied for longer in fact studies show rye bread keeps blood sugar stable for up to 10 hours a sure way to dampen those mid-afternoon energy crashes.Make it a mix of high-fiber whole grains like brown rice, barley or jowar, starchy carbs and some good source of proteins like cottage cheese, pulses, chicken or fish. Include some probiotics like yogurt or buttermilk and fiber from fresh salads to complete your meal.

Opt for an open sandwich topped with lean beef or pork, salmon, turkey or chicken with plenty of salad or toast some whole-grain bread and enjoy with baked beans.

Dinner

Don’t curfew carbs, they’re low in fat, fiber-rich and help you relax in the evening. Combine them with healthy essential fats which your body can use overnight for growth and repair. You can get these healthy fats from oily fish like salmon, trout and mackerel as well as nuts, seeds and their oils.

Fill half your plate with a riot of colour – choosing from a wide variety of vegetables or salad, drizzle with a dressing made from flaxseed or rapeseed oil and add meat, fish or beans with a serving of brown rice, quinoa or wholemeal pasta.