It is not only young children who should get a fair amount of vegetables in their diet, parents, and especially men should also. Vegetables contain minerals, vitamins, dietary fiber along with phytonutrients to promote health as we get older. These important minerals and vitamins help reduce the risk of diabetes, some cancers, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.
How Many Vegetables Should Men Consume?
An adult man should consume from 2 1/2 cups to 4 cups of vegetables in a day. As an adult male, you should be aiming to include vegetables with all your meals and snack time during the day. There are a lot of vegetable varieties with different preparation methods for you to experiment with to find those you will enjoy.
Some good examples of vegetables men most commonly enjoy include sauteed mushrooms as their sandwich fillers or on top of hamburgers. Others include roasted red peppers or raw spinach in salads to increase their vitamin consumption.
Men Can Increase Energy with Vegetables
Vegetables are good sources of energy whether you are looking for more power through a workout or to get the kids off to school on time. This boost of vegetable energy will also help you accomplish a big work project or any other strenuous activity you partake in during your day. Vegetables rich in carbohydrates such as corn, peas, or potatoes will give you more calories than non-starchy veggies.
Men Can Increase Nutrition Levels with Vegetables
A lot of vegetables lose their nutritional value when they are cooked at high temperatures, cooked for long times, or when the water they’ve cooked in gets thrown away. These nutrient-rich foods will not give men, or anyone, the same nutritional value when prepared in these conditions. To get the most nutrition possible from your vegetables try these preparations instead:
- Don’t take the edible skin off vegetables, and trim them as little as possible
- Stir-fry, microwave, or steam vegetables rather than boiling them. These methods will reduce the amount of heat and water you expose them to
- Storing vegetables in the refrigerator will help to preserve their vitamin content
If you are looking for vegetables with a high level of antioxidants, you will want to include different vegetables from a variety of subgroups. Include red, orange, and dark green vegetables, along with peas and beans. Other great choices of vegetables to include in your diet include cooked broccoli, or red bell peppers to get your daily requirement of vitamin C.
Men Should Not Substitute Whole Foods and Vegetables
Men, or anyone, looking to get the most value from a great source of vegetables should eat them in their natural form. Multivitamins are supplements, not substitutes for the nutritional value you will get from the natural product.
Consuming vegetables and fruits rather than high-fat foods can make it easier to control weight. These foods can also make you feel fuller with fewer calories because most vegetables and fruits are high in fiber and lower in calories than other foods.
How Men Can Learn to Eat More Healthily
Pinnacle Nutrition Consultants are registered dietitians with Master’s Degrees who will provide you with evidence-based methods for eating healthily. We help men and women find a healthy balance in their diet through a streamlined strategy that will get you to your goal. It is our mission to facilitate a healthy living style that will improve your health and your life.
