Nutrition plays a crucial role in maintaining good health and well-being, especially for men over 40.
As we age, our nutritional needs may change due to various factors, including changes in metabolism, muscle mass, and hormonal fluctuations. A well-balanced diet can help address these changes and support overall health, energy levels, and longevity.
Proper nutrition is not only essential for maintaining overall health but also for preventing age-related health issues.
By focusing on a diet rich in lean protein, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats while avoiding excessive processed foods, alcohol, sugary beverages, and unhealthy fats, men over 40 can promote their overall health and well-being.
We're here to help you simplify your grocery shopping and meal planning!
Keep reading for 10 things that should be staples of your diet and six things to generally avoid.
Think you can't eat healthily on a budget? Think again!
Nutrition For Men Over 40: What You Should and Shouldn't Eat
10 Things You Should Eat
The foods below are nutritious because they're loaded with essential nutrients, reduce chronic disease risks, and aid in healthy weight management.
- Berries
Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, and other berries are loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting antioxidants. They're lower in calories than many other types of fruits and can give you a quick boost of energy from the natural sugars they provide.
Berries contain less than 100 calories in each 1-cup portion, and some berries provide up to 8 grams of fiber in each cup — an excellent way to help reduce high cholesterol naturally and aid in healthy weight management.
- Non-Starchy Vegetables
Non-starchy vegetables are low in calories, high in fiber, and rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other essential nutrients. They can aid in healthy weight management, too, as non-starchy veggies often contain just 5-40 calories in each 1-cup portion.
Low-calorie vegetables to add to daily meal plans include spinach, kale, arugula, other leafy greens, celery, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Increasing your intake of these and other non-starchy vegetables can boost your energy, lower your cholesterol, and reduce your risk of cancer and other chronic diseases.
The fiber in veggies can help you lose or maintain a healthy weight, lowering your risk of developing obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
- Skinless Poultry
Chicken, turkey, and duck are excellent sources of lean protein, vitamins, and minerals. Skinless, un-breaded poultry products are virtually carbohydrate-free.
Poultry is a good source of iron, zinc, and B vitamins, and it's packed with protein and essential amino acids your body needs.
Protein-rich poultry helps fill you up without extra calories, making it an excellent addition to any weight loss or fat loss plan. It also aids in muscle building!
- Fish and Seafood
Fish, shrimp, scallops, crab, and other types of seafood are loaded with protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Fish and seafood are rich in vitamin D, iodine, B vitamins, calcium, phosphorous, zinc, iron, potassium, and magnesium.
Some types of fish, particularly salmon and tuna, are loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which can optimize brain and heart health.
For this reason, the American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice weekly to lower your risk of a heart attack or stroke.
- Avocados
Avocados are packed with essential fatty acids, which can optimize heart health when used in place of saturated animal fats. Avocados help boost satiety to aid in healthy weight management.
They enhance vitamin absorption, help you sustain energy for long periods, and play a key role in ketogenic dieting.
In addition to being an excellent source of nutritious dietary fat, avocados are a great source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin E, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, lutein, and beta-carotene.
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- Olive Oil
Like avocados, olive oil is loaded with nutritious, satiating fats that enhance heart health by helping lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure and reduce chronic disease risks.
It's a good source of essential micronutrients, including vitamins E and K, and antioxidants, which keep your immune system strong and reduce inflammation to help you feel better overall.
Studies show olive oil can reduce your risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. Additional research found that consuming olive oil may reduce your risk of developing certain types of cancer.
- Legumes
Black beans and other nutrient-dense legumes (such as pinto, kidney, navy, lima, chickpeas, green peas, split peas, black-eyed peas, and lentils) are loaded with fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
They're a good source of iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins.
Legumes help reduce high cholesterol and your risk of heart disease and diabetes.
They boost satiety, aid in healthy weight management, and lower your risk of becoming overweight or obese. Eat legumes or other plant-based starches in place of refined grains.
- Nuts and Seeds
Sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and peanuts are loaded with fiber, protein, heart-healthy fatty acids, vitamins B and E, magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, and antioxidants.
These superfoods can reduce high cholesterol and your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
While nuts and seeds are high-calorie foods, they don't contribute to weight gain. Studies show that higher nut consumption is associated with lower body weights and less unwanted weight gain over time.
- Whole Grains
Whole grains are an excellent source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They're rich in B vitamins, folate, iron, magnesium, and potassium.
Studies show that high whole-grain intakes are associated with lower body mass indexes (BMIs), as they aid in healthy weight management. The fiber in whole grains helps reduce high cholesterol, high blood sugar, obesity, and your risk of overeating.
Whole grains you should be eating include quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, barley, buckwheat, millet, and bulgur.
- Dairy Foods, Plant Alternatives, and Protein Shakes
Dairy foods, plant-based alternatives, and protein shakes are beneficial for your health for numerous reasons.
These foods are often packed with protein, calcium, vitamin D, phosphorous, iodine, and B vitamins.
Examples include low-fat milk, almond milk, plant milk, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, plain kefir, or protein powder.
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6 Things You Shouldn't Eat
Steering clear of certain foods and drinks can benefit your health, increase energy levels, help you build muscle, reduce chronic disease risks, and aid in healthy weight management. Here are the things you generally want to AVOID.
- Sugary Drinks
Sugary drinks might give you a short burst of energy, but this is often followed by a drop in blood sugar and energy. Soda, sweet tea, lemonade, sports drinks, energy drinks, and sugar-sweetened juice drinks often contain a lot of added sugar but few essential nutrients.
They can contribute to sweet cravings and unnecessary calories, increasing your risk of weight gain and increased body fat.
- Diet Drinks
Diet drinks, such as diet sodas, are often low in calories or calorie-free, but studies show these artificially sweetened beverages are still associated with metabolic disease and higher body weights.
Sweet-tasting diet foods and drinks can induce cravings for added sugar.
They usually aren't satiating and may increase your risk of diabetes and obesity.
- Sweets
You probably already know about the dangers of too much sugar. Too much added sugar can erode your physical and mental health.
If you struggle to avoid foods containing added sugar, try boosting your intake of fiber, protein, avocados, nuts, other healthy fats, and fruits to help you feel satisfied.
Don't keep sweets in the house and decide to avoid them for a week or two. After that time frame, you might not crave sweet treats anymore.
- Refined Grains
Refined grains are often easy to give up, as you can replace these grains with fiber-rich whole grains, sweet potatoes, corn, peas, beans, lentils, or other fiber-rich starches.
Refined grains, such as white bread and white rice, contain less fiber and fewer nutrients than whole-grain foods, so steer clear of refined grains whenever possible.
- Fried Foods
Fried foods, such as fried chicken, chicken fried steak, fried fish or seafood, french fries, onion rings, and mozzarella sticks, can add unnecessary calories to your meal plan.
Studies show that increasing your intake of these and other fried foods boosts your risk of chronic diseases.
Choose skinless (un-breaded) poultry, seafood, or fresh organic meats instead of fried meats, sweet potatoes in place of french fries, and reduced-fat cheese instead of mozzarella sticks.
- Processed Meats
Processed meats, including hot dogs, sausage, ham, salami, bacon, and many deli meats, are often high in sodium and preservatives.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), processed meats can cause cancer.
Many are high in saturated fat and calories, increasing your risk of high cholesterol, heart problems, and obesity.
Opt for non-processed meats, chicken, fish, shrimp, or other seafood in place of processed and fried meats to meet your body's protein needs without excessive sodium and preservatives.
Here are 10 foods that are bad for you that you might not realize!
Busting Common Food Myths
If you've been on the internet or social media for more than a minute or toe, you know there’s a lot of conflicting information out there, especially when it comes to nutrition for men over 40!
It's time to cut through the nonsense and give you the facts on some of the most common food myths.
- Eating Fat Makes You Fat
This food myth has been around for years, tracing back to the 80s when many people were looking to lose weight, specifically fat. It just seemed logical — stop eating fat, and you’ll have less fat for your body to deal with.
Weight gain or an increase in fat is a result of eating more than you need. Your body converts excess energy into fat and stores it. This excess energy is usually sugars and easily processed carbs you’ve eaten, not fats. The problem with cutting fat from your diet is that research suggests you’re likely to replace it with sugars which will increase your weight.
Just make sure you're eating good fats, like avocados, eggs, fatty fish, nuts, chia seeds, and extra virgin olive oil
- Fat-Free Foods Are Better Than Full-Fat Foods
This sounds like one of the more sensible food myths, eat fat-free foods to reduce your fat intake and thus maintain or even lose weight.
However, most of the fats in full-fat food are natural and beneficial to your body, and they contribute heavily to the taste. Fat-free foods use sugars and other artificial sweeteners to obtain those same flavors.
If you go fat-free, you’re likely to increase your sugar intake, which encourages fat storage in your body. Full-fat foods, in moderation, simply boost the fats your body needs.
If you’re still not sure, check out this chart showing the calorific value of fat-free foods versus full-fat items.
- Eggs Raise Cholesterol
People often shy away from eggs because the yolk is full of cholesterol, ignoring that egg whites are full of protein, which is great for your health.
High cholesterol levels are linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular issues. But, research shows that eating eggs is not linked with increased cholesterol levels in humans.
- You Have To Count Calories
The average man needs 2,500 calories per day. Of course, this amount varies depending on your activity level and body size — learn how to calculate your own maintenance calories here.
Counting calories is one of the most confusing food myths. While it's true that eating 500 calories less than you need every day will equate to a 1-2 pound weight loss per week, counting calories can be deceiving.
You can eat seven McDonald’s cheeseburgers a day and still be under 2,500 since their basic cheeseburger is 300 calories. But just one of those cheeseburgers contains 33g of carbs, 7g of sugar, 12g of fat (6g of saturated fat), 40mg of cholesterol, and 680mg of sodium.
So, yes, you're under your calorie limit, but you're way over on daily intakes of saturated fat and sodium AND missing out on a lot of important nutrients.
You need to focus on what you eat more than the calories you consume. This won’t just help you to lose weight; it will also improve your health and be a sustainable life-long eating plan.
- Chocolate is an Aphrodisiac
As food myths go, this is a great one for justifying the occasional bar of chocolate. After all, it’s always good to be in the mood for love!
Since chocolate contains a lot of sugar, you probably want to find other ways to get in the mood. If you do have chocolate, opt for dark chocolate — it's a rich source of antioxidants and minerals, and it generally contains less sugar than milk chocolate.
- 100% Fruit Juice is a Healthy Choice
Fruit is always seen as a healthy option. It's unprocessed and tastes good. So fruit juice must be healthy, too, right?
Unfortunately, this is another one of the common food myths. Fruits contain natural sugars that are in relatively low numbers when you eat a piece of fruit. However, when you drink fruit juice, it’s the juice from many pieces of fruit.
Even 100% fruit juice has a surprisingly high amount of sugar.
It’s not just the sugar that makes fruit juice a poor choice. When juicing the fruit, you’re leaving behind the fiber and many of the other good nutrients.
While 100% of fruit juice is healthier than fruit juice with additives or soda, excessive consumption of this has been linked with a higher risk of developing diabetes.
If you need to drink fruit juice, you’re best to prepare it yourself at home and blend the entire fruit; this will maximize the nutritional benefits, although it won’t reduce the sugar intake.
- Reduce Carbohydrate Intake to Avoid Weight Gain
You know the rule, carbs are easily processed, and if you consume too many of them, they’ll be quickly converted into fat inside your body.
That must mean that you have to cut carbs to lose weight. Again, this is one of the big food myths.
Your body needs carbohydrates because they are easily turned into energy. The more active you are, the greater your need for energy.
If you’re exercising and don’t replenish carbs afterward, your body will replenish the energy used by converting protein into carbs, which will reduce the amount of protein you need to maintain, grow, and/or repair muscles.
The trick is to maintain balance in your diet, and the Perfect Plate method is a great way to do this. Using our Perfect Plate method is simple and doesn't take much planning. It's basic but effective, and here's everything you need to know about it.
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- Half of each plate should be vegetables, particularly lower-calorie, non-starchy ones (remember, green is good).
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- One-fourth of each plate should be nutritious, protein-rich foods (turkey, chicken, lean beef, tuna).
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- One-fourth of each plate should be fiber-rich carbohydrates (sweet potato, brown rice, quinoa).
Also, be sure to mix in healthy fats at each meal, consume three servings of dairy foods or plant-based alternatives (plant milk or plant-based yogurt) daily, and eat about two servings of fruit each day.
- Coffee Is Bad For You
Can’t get started in the morning without a cup of coffee? If you can’t function without coffee or it makes you jittery, you may want to reconsider your coffee intake.
What may surprise you, however, is that coffee isn’t bad for you. In fact, it can actually make you less likely to die from an array of conditions, including heart disease, respiratory issues, and stroke.
High-quality coffee (without cream and sugar, of course) is one of the healthiest drinks out there!
- Milk Is Essential For Healthy Bones
Got milk?
The idea that milk contains special calcium to strengthen bones has been reinforced over the years by marketing campaigns and celebrity endorsements.
It’s a myth. Yes, milk contains calcium, which is essential to strong bones, but it’s not special calcium. Any product with calcium in it, such as leafy greens or legumes, will be beneficial to your bone health.
So, milk is good, but it’s not the only thing that will keep your bones strong.
- Diet Soda Is Better Than Regular Soda
Diet soda may be sugar-free, but that doesn't mean it's healthy.
Diet sodas get their flavor from artificial sweeteners and chemicals, and they've been found to increase your appetite, which will encourage weight gain.
It's best to avoid soda altogether — stick to water and stay hydrated in the healthiest way possible!
- Clear Urine Is Good
Speaking of hydration, does clear urine mean your body is well-hydrated and healthy?
Pale or even medium-yellow colored urine could mean you're adequately hydrated. Clear urine could actually mean you’re over-hydrated.
Listen to your thirst and respond accordingly. Water is important, but you need to find the level that's right for you and not worry about drinking until your urine is clear.
We explain nutrition in 3 minutes, giving you 4 actionable ways you can start eating healthier!
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*Please know that weight loss results and health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on nutrition for men over 40.
