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Men's Health and Nutrition
Superfoods for Men
All men should incorporate these 20 nutrient-packed (and delicious!) superfoods into their diet to get stronger and healthier. The old adage is true: You are what you eat. That means building your diet around the most potent, nutrient-dense, disease-fighting, muscle-growing foods around.
This article will not only tell you which foods made the list but how much of each you should eat on a weekly basis. Here are just a few items from the list to get you started:
- Almonds: 82 calories per 1/2-oz serving. Eat 3 servings per week. Although almonds are loaded with healthy unsaturated fats—as well as protein, fiber and vitamin E, almonds are great for your heart, digestive system and skin. To work more almonds into your diet, try keeping a bag of dry-roasted or lightly seasoned almonds in your desk drawer at work.
- Turkey Breast: 72 calories per 3-oz serving. Eat 3 servings per week. Skinless turkey yields seven grams of muscle-building protein per ounce; it's also the leanest meat you can find. Turkey is high in B vitamins, zinc, and the cancer fighter selenium.
- Quinoa: 318 calories per half cup. Eat 2-3 servings per week. It's higher in protein than any other grain around and packs a hefty dose of heart-healthy unsaturated fats. "Quinoa is also a great source of fiber and B vitamins," says Christopher Mohr, Ph.D., R.D. a professor of nutrition at the University of Louisville.
- Olive oil: 119 calories per tablespoon. Eat 2 tbsp per day. Olive oil is rich in good monounsaturated fat, making it an ideal food for heart health. In fact, studies show that replacing two tablespoons of saturated fat (found in butter and lard) with monounsaturated fat may reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Green Tea: 2 calories per cup. Drink 1-3 cups per day. From cancer prevention to weight loss to potentially slowing the development of Alzheimer's, green tea has been shown to help fight almost every major medical illness.
- Black Beans: 227 calories per cup. Eat 2 servings per week. Small but mighty, beans can help you feel energized and fuller longer than almost any other food source. The reason is twofold: They're incredibly high in fiber, which swells in your stomach and promotes a feeling of fullness.
- Yogurt: 154 calories per cup. Get 3 servings of dairy per day. Yogurt has all the benefits of milk, plus active cultures that boost the number of germ-fighting bacteria along your intestinal walls.
- Water: 0 calories. Drink Eight 8-oz glasses per day. If you're not drinking water on a consistent basis throughout the day, start. Water flushes toxins from your system, regulates body temp, acts as an insulator for joints, prevents kidney stones and supplies the body with a raft of crucial minerals. You can also try these tasty alternatives to tap water.
- Spinach: 7 calories per cup. Eat 2-3 servings per week. One serving of these leafy greens is loaded with fiber, calcium and virtually your entire day's recommended dosage of beta carotene, a nutrient vital for immune-system health and good vision.
This list of superfoods was gathered by asking 40 of the country's most respected food experts, registered dietitians, college nutrition professors and authors: What are the 10 most important foods every guy should include in his diet for maximum fitness?
To access the full article and complete list of 20 superfoods for men, click here.