Why diet is important to your Health

As you probably know diet is incredibly important for one to achieve a healthy mind and body. Yes, your diet not only affects your

body but also your mind and how you think. Your food after all is a source of fuel for your brain and your brain regulates your mood and practically every organ.

Due to this, your brain is in constant need of energy even as you sleep and what you eat greatly affects the way you think and your overall mindset.

As you should know your mindset is a great correlation to whether you’re going to feel crappy as soon as you wake up in the morning and whether you get to work on achieving your goals.

This research here¹ shows in greater detail how your food affects your brain, your brain is perhaps the most important organ of the human body, and knowing how to take care of it is vital to achieving a healthy body and mind.

In addition, to your mind,  your diet also affects the health of your body. Did you know that the number one reason for men in America die is from having heart disease? Well now you know, heart disease deaths have reached 357,761 in 2019, which is about 1 in every 4 men who have died having heart disease. Read this article for more detailed information^2.

It also would not be a surprise if that number has been surpassed during quarantine when people have become even more inactive as everyone locked themselves inside their own homes.

Several factors show if someone is at risk of developing heart disease including:

1. Diabetes
2. Overweight
3. Poor diet
4. Physical inactivity
5. Alcohol Abuse

The good news is that nearly all of these could be avoided by someone who takes care of their health.

What foods should you eat?

The most obvious answer to this is to stay away from processed food, this includes fast food, foods high in sugar, salt, artificial additives, and unhealthy fats. At the very least you should consume less of these, so you don’t need to go completely cold turkey, but instead of having a box of pizza every day try to go without eating pizza once every six months.

Eat-in moderation would be the best and keep an eye on your calorie consumption, even if the snack you’re eating looks small it could be making you gain weight without you realizing it. Always be mindful of the ingredient you are eating.

Eat Natural foods, this includes:

1. Fresh fruits and vegetables (better to eat the fruits and vegetables that are grown in the season you are currently in)
2. Fibre-rich foods like beans, pears, and strawberries. (here’s an article for more information)³
3. For those of you who eat meat, get lean cuts of meat for instance skinless chicken and turkey. (Relatively low-fat content)
4. Fish such as Salmon as they are rich in Omega-3 (Try not to ingest too much fish, this is due to mercury traces⁴ found in fishes)

The importance of Vitamins and Minerals:

Part of a good diet is making sure that you are getting the right amount of essential vitamins and minerals⁵. Vitamins and minerals play an important role in the human body, so important that having a deficiency in any one of the essentials could lead to terrible sicknesses like blindness or fragile bones.

These vitamins and minerals could also be called micronutrients because you only need to have a small amount of each to be healthy.

Ever since the rise of supplement brands people have gone crazy buying all sorts of vitamins and mineral bottles thinking that’s all they need to be healthy. However, it is important to understand that the best way to get vitamins and minerals is from the healthy food you eat and supplement only when you know that you aren’t getting enough of something.

I also advise that before buying supplements it is recommended to check with your doctor to see if you need them.

What Vitamins and Minerals are essential for men?

Vitamin D:

You’ve most likely heard about this vitamin many times, but how important is it?

Vitamin D is both something we eat from food and a hormone our body produces when in contact with the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Hence why it is also called ‘the sunshine Vitamin’.

Vitamin D’s importance to the human body is great, it helps the body to absorb and retain calcium which is needed for strong healthy bones. It is also needed for a strong immune system and there is evidence to suggest that having low levels of vitamin D could be linked to depression⁶.

Vitamin D despite its importance is one of the vitamins that people have the highest deficiency too. Research shows that up to 42% of U.S. adults⁷ may just be vitamin D deficient. This research suggests that up to 63% of Hispanic adults are low in Vitamin D while 82% of African American adults have low vitamin D levels.

What are the symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency?

Vitamin D deficiency could include:

1. Constant fatigue and tiredness.
2. Depression
3. Bone and back pain
4. Slow wound healing
5. Muscle and back pain (Read this article for more info)⁸

What foods to eat for vitamin D and how much do you need?

The amount of vitamin D needed varies from person to person, but the recommended amount for adult men is to get at least 500IU to 4000IU a day. Do not exceed those levels unless you are told to do so by a doctor. Recommended Vitamin D intake⁹

Vitamin D is one of those vitamins that is difficult to get from just your food.

However, below are some foods you can eat for Vitamin D:

1. Cod Liver
2. Salmon
3. Egg yolk 1 large
4. Tuna
5. Sardines

Another way to get it is by simply going outside when the sun is out. The time of day that is best is midday(noon) and spending 10-30 minutes is enough for those who have lighter skin. For those who have darker skin, it is best to stay out longer(30 mins to 3 hrs) due to the melanin in the skin acting as a natural sunscreen preventing vitamin D from being produced. Here’s more research on this topic.¹⁰

However, not everyone can get the optimal amount just from food and sunlight alone and this is why it is recommended that if you can’t get the required amount this way then it is okay to use supplements to reach your daily optimal amount of vitamin D. Check below for some vitamin D supplements that we recommend. Again make sure that you check that it is right for you to take these.

Vitamin C:

Vitamin C also known as ascorbic acid is a vital micronutrient that helps with many things. This includes:

1. Cardiovascular disease
2. Eye disease
3. Skin wrinkling
4. Maintenance of teeth
5. Proper functioning of the immune system (Read this for more info)

Enlarged prostate is common in older men causing a problem with urination vitamin c may just help with this problem.

How much should you take and from what sources?

Vitamin C deficiency is fairly rare in developed countries only roughly 7% of the population are deficient. However, those who have a bad diet, excessively smoke, or drink alcohol are more likely to be deficient in vitamin C. Here is more research for this.¹¹

For adults taking up to 2000 mg a day should be okay as suggested by this article¹²

Vitamin C can be consumed from these foods:

1. One cup of orange juice.
2. Broccoli cooked.
3. Green pepper
4. Citrus fruits
5. Tomatoes

If you think that you may not be hitting the amounts you need and need a supplement to cover that then here are some that you may like: