HEALTH + WELLNESS
Men’ s Health Matters cont...
Love your gut The 100 trillion or so good bacteria that live in your gut impact your long-term health. From weight control and blood cholesterol levels to mood, digestion and sleep quality, they have a big role to play. Adding more plants into what you already love to eat- think pulses in Bolognese, fresh herbs and spices in curry and grated carrot in lasagne- is a great way to start. Research shows that good quality meat and dairy can still be part of a predominantly plant-based, gut healthy diet, which, in today’ s more flexible approach to eating, translates as eating about two-thirds of your food as plants including fruit, veg, grains, nuts, seeds, spices, herbs and pulses.
Red meat: friend or foe? Although it gets a bad rap, red meat can be a valuable part of a healthy diet and is a great source of high-quality protein for muscle strength, iron for maintaining energy levels and vitamin B12, which is especially required with increasing age. Red meat has been associated with increased risk of bowel cancer, but the World Cancer Research Fund advice is to cut out processed meat like hot dogs, salami and pepperoni, which are also high in salt. It’ s not a good idea to burn through plates of unprocessed red meat on a daily basis though; quality meat once or twice a week( roughly 400g cooked weight in total) is plenty and poultry and fish are better, leaner alternatives. If you’ re worried about meat and climate change, it’ s now understood that organic, 100 % grass-fed or pasture-fed beef enriches our soil for better carbon capture, so it’ s OK in strict moderation.
Dairy: yes or no? Whole milk is only about 5 % fat and research tells us that these fats can protect long-term heart health and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The only time you really want to choose reduced fat dairy is if you have higher blood cholesterol levels. Lactose, the natural sugar in dairy, is gut friendly and absorbed far slower than the sugars in oat milk, for example. Being high protein, dairy also helps us to feel fuller, so it’ s a great choice in general. If you’ re concerned about animal welfare, choose organic- cows have to be out on grass for at least 200 days each year to qualify for this title!
Protein for the win Over the age of 60, it becomes harder to maintain muscle strength for both men and women. Health gurus and fitness instructors, not to mention lifestyle influencers( like it or lump it, they’ re here to stay and some know what they’ re talking about) are waxing lyrical about protein like never before, but for good reason. Protein-rich foods are important anyway, but essential as we age, so choose dairy, high quality meat, eggs and fish, and include lots of pulses like lentils in your meals wherever possible.
Keep type 2 diabetes at bay Taking regular exercise, even just half an hour walking briskly each day, can have a big impact here. No intense gym workout required! Eating to look after your gut health ensures that you’ re getting plenty of fibre and more unsaturated fats from plants, which also helps to keep blood sugar steady and balance cholesterol levels. A higher fibre, gut-healthy diet can also really help with weight management as it reduces
sugar intake from more processed foods and reducing weight- or at least maintaining- is vital in lowering the risk of diabetes.
Heart health is key According to the British Heart Foundation, twice as many men suffer from heart attacks every year – in 2024, there were 290 men admitted to hospital with heart problems per day, which is intensely sobering. Choosing lower salt foods( cue unprocessed meat again), including fish twice a week in your diet for its heart healthy Omega 3 oils, and eating a largely plant-based diet are all of great benefit when it comes to healthy hearts. Interestingly, recent and very robust research shows that whole fat dairy foods like milk and yogurt actually help to protect against heart disease, stroke and diabetes, so add those to your shopping list.
Watch out for hidden calories The one that no one wants to hear but everyone needs to know … Most of us over 40 know it can be really hard to avoid extra weight around the belly as we get older, especially men who are prone to weight gain here versus women who are more prone to pear-shaped weight gain. Look out for hidden sugar in foods like ketchup, breakfast cereals, muesli bars and flavoured coffees; check labels on packaging, aiming for no more than 30g of sugar every day; and limit your intake to six glasses of wine or six or less pints of beer each week and you’ ll instantly alleviate hidden calories which can pile on the pounds.
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