The best foods for men over 40 include foods that promote the health of your heart, prostate, bones, and sex life as well as your mental health, and immunity for fighting cancer and other diseases. As you age and your testosterone starts to decline, you may notice changes in your body and bone mass. This is a really important time to eat well for optimum health. It is a lot less expensive and much easier to prevent disease through eating well than it is to try to treat the disease later.
Heart Health
Some of the best foods for men over 40 include heart healthy fats such as avocados, nuts, and healthy oils such as olive oils. Look for plant-based oils that are unsaturated fats. You will find that your heart health is connected to many other areas of health in your body, even your sexual health. In fact erectile dysfunction (ED) can be an early sign of heart disease. Good circulation is key to whole-body wellness.
Vegetables that are high in folate are good for protecting the lining of your arteries. Folate is an amino acid. It lowers blood levels of homocysteine, which can irritate the lining of your arteries, creating an environment that makes plaque build up there. Folate protects this from happening. As we said, your heart health is connected to other areas of health, and in this case eating foods rich in folate can help your cardiovascular health as well as your sexual health. Vegetables high in folate include spinach (also high in magnesium for helping to dilate blood vessels) asparagus, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, beets, kale, Swiss chard, bok choy, and cabbage.
Prostate Health
For prostate health you should eat cooked tomatoes to take advantage of the lycocene, a powerful antioxidant. Avoid canned tomatoes, which are high in bisphenol-A (BPA), which is found to increase risk of prostate cancer. Instead cook fresh tomatoes or look for tomato products that are packed in glass or BPA-free cartons. Watermelon is another great source of lycopene.
Another one of the best foods for men over 40 that benefits your heart and your prostate is fish high in omega 3. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in salmon, sardines, and flaxseed oil. Research shows that consuming fish oils rich in omega-3 may decrease prostate inflammation and the progression of prostate cancer.
Pomegranates are great for all-over prostate health. Filled with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, pomegranates have been found to kill prostate cancer cells and help with the prevention and treatment of enlarged prostate and prostatitis.
Fresh vegetables are filled with phytonutrients and high levels of substances that fight inflammation such as antioxidants, polyphenols, and vitamins that are helpful in preventing enlarged prostate (BPH), which can be related to ejaculatory problems and ED. Vegetables rich in nitrates, lycopene, folate are all helpful at helping men with sexual health.
Bone Health
Aging men are at risk of osteoporosis. Through weight-bearing exercise and diet you can prevent bone loss. Eat foods rich in natural calcium, but avoid dairy and calcium supplements, which are associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer and a heart attack risk. Strive to get your calcium from nondairy dietary sources such as spinach, broccoli, kale, bok choy, arugula, tofu, almonds and almond butter, sesame seeds, chia seeds, and figs. These whole food sources of calcium provide minerals and micronutrients that help you to metabolize the calcium and also support bone health.
Sexual Health
Foods that naturally boost testosterone and promote libido include foods high in nitrates and lycopene. Beets are especially high in nitrates, which get converted to nitrites in your mouth and then to nitric oxide in the stomach. Think of beets as your natural Viagra, because medications that treat ED work by increasing nitric oxide levels, which dilate blood vessels and increase blood flow to the penis. Other vegetables high in nitrates include radishes, carrots, lettuce, celery, and turnip tops.
Lycopene may also help with ED, which is increasingly common as men age and their testosterone levels drop. Lycopene is found in tomatoes and watermelon. It is best gotten through diet, especially when combined with spinach and oily vegetables like avocado or olive oil. One study at the the Madrid Urological Institute found that when men over 50 with mild to moderate ED ate tomato lycopene with extra virgin olive oil, 50% of the men were able to attain improved erections. When you are eating tomato sauce you may as well through some garlic in your dish as well because garlic has long been used as an aphrodisiac.
Mental Health
A diet that nourishes your brain will make you feel good and might delay the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, or even lower your risk for it by up to 40%. Foods that may counter Alzheimer’s include foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids like fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, or herring as well as the omega-3 found in walnuts, flaxseed, and olive oil. Vitamins C (red peppers, broccoli, and strawberries) and E (olive oil and almonds) are important to brain health as well. We just mentioned strawberries, but all berries are good for your brain’s health. Berries contain polyphenol, an antioxidant that stops inflammation and can help the brain cells work better. Leafy greens like spinach are also very good for your brain. Studies on people in their 60s who ate more leafy green vegetables over time scored higher in memory, verbal, and other tests than people who did not eat their greens. Now that is something to think about.
Here’s another brain food you might enjoy: chocolate. Dark chocolate with a 70% higher cocoa content contains flavonoids, which can fight heart disease and slow down the effects of dementia. An Italian study found that people with mild dementia who drank cocoa with high amounts of flavonoids outperformed others who drank cocoa with low amounts of flavonoids. Plus, another benefit to dark chocolate is that it stimulates the productions of endorphins. Endorphins are brain chemicals that bring on feelings of pleasure. Not only that, chocolate contains serotonin, which acts as anti-depressant. No wonder chocolate makes you feel good.
Cancer Prevention
There are foods good for fighting cancer; some you can drink, others you can eat. Both red wine and green tea can help prevent prostate cancer. Drinking a glass of red wine now and then will supply you with some resveratrol and may relax you, which is good for mental health. Resveratrol, found in the skin of grapes, is a phytonutrient and strong antioxidant. Another cancer-fighting beverage and one of the best foods for men over 40 to get in the habit of consuming is green tea. If you drink green tea in the morning you can start your day with a dose of cancer fighting catechins, which are potent antioxidants.
Try to eat five or more servings of raw cruciferous vegetables each week to prevent cancer of the bladder, colon, liver, and lung. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, caulifower, kale, and others contain high levels of glucosinolates. These break down into iosthiocyanates, which inhibit tumor growth. But these isothiocyanates break down when heated, so you will get your best anti-cancer punch if you eat them raw. If you struggle with eating them throw them in smoothies or dip them in guacamole instead of chips or dip them in hummus.
The Best Foods for Men Over 40 and More
You may notice a lot of repetition and crossover in the types of foods and areas of the body these best foods for men over 40 can help. That is because all your health is connected. You can’t have a healthy sex life if your heart is in trouble. You can’t feed your body but ignore your brain. Everything is connected and you need a whole body approach to wellness. Besides diet, you need an exercise plan to support your heart, bones, and mental health. All the elements presented here are parts of one big puzzle that also includes your hormones. Eating well, exercising, maintaining a healthy sex life as well as maintaining a healthy weight will help you keep your testosterone levels in check. After age 40 testosterone levels gradually decline, but these elements and proper nutrition should help you in maintaining a balance.
Heart Health
Some of the best foods for men over 40 include heart healthy fats such as avocados, nuts, and healthy oils such as olive oils. Look for plant-based oils that are unsaturated fats. You will find that your heart health is connected to many other areas of health in your body, even your sexual health. In fact erectile dysfunction (ED) can be an early sign of heart disease. Good circulation is key to whole-body wellness.
Vegetables that are high in folate are good for protecting the lining of your arteries. Folate is an amino acid. It lowers blood levels of homocysteine, which can irritate the lining of your arteries, creating an environment that makes plaque build up there. Folate protects this from happening. As we said, your heart health is connected to other areas of health, and in this case eating foods rich in folate can help your cardiovascular health as well as your sexual health. Vegetables high in folate include spinach (also high in magnesium for helping to dilate blood vessels) asparagus, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, beets, kale, Swiss chard, bok choy, and cabbage.
Prostate Health
For prostate health you should eat cooked tomatoes to take advantage of the lycocene, a powerful antioxidant. Avoid canned tomatoes, which are high in bisphenol-A (BPA), which is found to increase risk of prostate cancer. Instead cook fresh tomatoes or look for tomato products that are packed in glass or BPA-free cartons. Watermelon is another great source of lycopene.
Another one of the best foods for men over 40 that benefits your heart and your prostate is fish high in omega 3. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in salmon, sardines, and flaxseed oil. Research shows that consuming fish oils rich in omega-3 may decrease prostate inflammation and the progression of prostate cancer.
Pomegranates are great for all-over prostate health. Filled with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, pomegranates have been found to kill prostate cancer cells and help with the prevention and treatment of enlarged prostate and prostatitis.
Fresh vegetables are filled with phytonutrients and high levels of substances that fight inflammation such as antioxidants, polyphenols, and vitamins that are helpful in preventing enlarged prostate (BPH), which can be related to ejaculatory problems and ED. Vegetables rich in nitrates, lycopene, folate are all helpful at helping men with sexual health.
Bone Health
Aging men are at risk of osteoporosis. Through weight-bearing exercise and diet you can prevent bone loss. Eat foods rich in natural calcium, but avoid dairy and calcium supplements, which are associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer and a heart attack risk. Strive to get your calcium from nondairy dietary sources such as spinach, broccoli, kale, bok choy, arugula, tofu, almonds and almond butter, sesame seeds, chia seeds, and figs. These whole food sources of calcium provide minerals and micronutrients that help you to metabolize the calcium and also support bone health.
Sexual Health
Foods that naturally boost testosterone and promote libido include foods high in nitrates and lycopene. Beets are especially high in nitrates, which get converted to nitrites in your mouth and then to nitric oxide in the stomach. Think of beets as your natural Viagra, because medications that treat ED work by increasing nitric oxide levels, which dilate blood vessels and increase blood flow to the penis. Other vegetables high in nitrates include radishes, carrots, lettuce, celery, and turnip tops.
Lycopene may also help with ED, which is increasingly common as men age and their testosterone levels drop. Lycopene is found in tomatoes and watermelon. It is best gotten through diet, especially when combined with spinach and oily vegetables like avocado or olive oil. One study at the the Madrid Urological Institute found that when men over 50 with mild to moderate ED ate tomato lycopene with extra virgin olive oil, 50% of the men were able to attain improved erections. When you are eating tomato sauce you may as well through some garlic in your dish as well because garlic has long been used as an aphrodisiac.
Mental Health
A diet that nourishes your brain will make you feel good and might delay the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, or even lower your risk for it by up to 40%. Foods that may counter Alzheimer’s include foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids like fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, or herring as well as the omega-3 found in walnuts, flaxseed, and olive oil. Vitamins C (red peppers, broccoli, and strawberries) and E (olive oil and almonds) are important to brain health as well. We just mentioned strawberries, but all berries are good for your brain’s health. Berries contain polyphenol, an antioxidant that stops inflammation and can help the brain cells work better. Leafy greens like spinach are also very good for your brain. Studies on people in their 60s who ate more leafy green vegetables over time scored higher in memory, verbal, and other tests than people who did not eat their greens. Now that is something to think about.
Here’s another brain food you might enjoy: chocolate. Dark chocolate with a 70% higher cocoa content contains flavonoids, which can fight heart disease and slow down the effects of dementia. An Italian study found that people with mild dementia who drank cocoa with high amounts of flavonoids outperformed others who drank cocoa with low amounts of flavonoids. Plus, another benefit to dark chocolate is that it stimulates the productions of endorphins. Endorphins are brain chemicals that bring on feelings of pleasure. Not only that, chocolate contains serotonin, which acts as anti-depressant. No wonder chocolate makes you feel good.
Cancer Prevention
There are foods good for fighting cancer; some you can drink, others you can eat. Both red wine and green tea can help prevent prostate cancer. Drinking a glass of red wine now and then will supply you with some resveratrol and may relax you, which is good for mental health. Resveratrol, found in the skin of grapes, is a phytonutrient and strong antioxidant. Another cancer-fighting beverage and one of the best foods for men over 40 to get in the habit of consuming is green tea. If you drink green tea in the morning you can start your day with a dose of cancer fighting catechins, which are potent antioxidants.
Try to eat five or more servings of raw cruciferous vegetables each week to prevent cancer of the bladder, colon, liver, and lung. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, caulifower, kale, and others contain high levels of glucosinolates. These break down into iosthiocyanates, which inhibit tumor growth. But these isothiocyanates break down when heated, so you will get your best anti-cancer punch if you eat them raw. If you struggle with eating them throw them in smoothies or dip them in guacamole instead of chips or dip them in hummus.
The Best Foods for Men Over 40 and More
You may notice a lot of repetition and crossover in the types of foods and areas of the body these best foods for men over 40 can help. That is because all your health is connected. You can’t have a healthy sex life if your heart is in trouble. You can’t feed your body but ignore your brain. Everything is connected and you need a whole body approach to wellness. Besides diet, you need an exercise plan to support your heart, bones, and mental health. All the elements presented here are parts of one big puzzle that also includes your hormones. Eating well, exercising, maintaining a healthy sex life as well as maintaining a healthy weight will help you keep your testosterone levels in check. After age 40 testosterone levels gradually decline, but these elements and proper nutrition should help you in maintaining a balance.
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