Eating healthy is the cornerstone of good health. Unfortunately, most men are more likely to order a burger and fries than a vitamin-packed salad. In fact, to meet American dietary guidelines, men age 31-50 need to eat 350 percent more dark green vegetables and 150 percent more fruit each day.
Pick a Winning Team of Vitamins and Minerals
So how can you help meet your nutritional needs if you’re not always eating healthy? The synergistic blend of vitamins and minerals in Relìv products offer the nutritional support men need.
Nutrient Must-Haves
Calcium. Not just for women, calcium is key for men too to keep the heart regulated and bones and teeth strong.
Vitamin D. Boosts calcium absorption and is also essential for the immune system.
Vitamin B Complex (includes B1, B3, B6 and B12). Help convert carbohydrates into energy, regulate cholesterol and support the adrenal glands, which produce hormones.
Vitamin C. Promotes wound healing and brain function. Necessary for healthy skin, bones and blood vessels.
Zinc. Regulates male glandular functioning, aids sperm production and promotes prostate health.
Fiber. Helps control weight, regulate blood sugar levels, reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and can help prevent heart disease. Men’s requirements for fiber have been raised to 38 grams per day (30 grams for men over 50).
Time to Kick the Tires
When it comes to assessing their health, men often take the path of least resistance — denial. Many men consider it “unmanly” to say they’re going to diet, watch their weight or exercise. But that spare tire is a health risk.
More than any other fat throughout your body, excess belly fat is the most dangerous. Belly fat can increase LDL (bad) cholesterol, which can narrow your arteries, increase blood pressure and increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. Your risk for certain cancers also goes up with too much belly fat. Belly fat also contributes to insulin resistance — which can lead to diabetes.
Most recently, belly fat has been linked to an increased risk of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Ultimately, more fat around the abdomen means less brain volume.
The “No-Diet”
Solution In 2008, 72.3 percent of American men were considered obese or overweight. If your waistline is more than 40 inches, it’s time to do something. Here’s a start:
• Avoid refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice, soda and chips.
• Eat good carbs such as fruit, vegetables, oatmeal, whole wheat breads and pasta and brown rice.
• Watch portion size. When eating out, plan ahead to take some home.
• Drink more water. It’s filling and keeps your metabolism humming.
• Get regular exercise – at minimum, 30 minutes a day at least five days a week. To lose weight, aim for 60 minutes a day, six days a week. You can mix up activities to include two to three alternating days of strength training. On the other days, walk, run, bike, swim or whatever else gets your heart pumping.
• Incorporate more activity throughout your day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park further away. Get up from your desk frequently and walk around.
• Use Relìv’s Slimplicity® and GlucAffect® to give your body the nutritional support it needs to shed the extra pounds.
Are Man Handling Your Skin?
Men’s skin takes a lot of abuse from sun, wind, shaving and overall lack of attention. The harsh results? Rough, wrinkled, sagging skin, age spots, crow’s feet and an increased risk of skin cancer.
While women may spend just as much time in the sun as men, they’re also more likely to apply sunscreen or to at least have some protection built into their makeup. Women are also more likely to watch for signs of skin cancer and act on them. Men, on the other hand, don’t notice or seek treatment as quickly for suspicious growths so if skin cancer does develop, it’s usually found in a more advanced stage.
Real Men Wear Sunscreen
About 90 percent of non-melanoma skin cancers are associated with sun exposure and up to 90 percent of the visible changes commonly attributed to aging are caused by the sun. Relivables™ Sunscreen in a pump spray offers SPF 30+ protection. It’s also oil-free and water resistant. It dries fast without feeling greasy. To further protect your skin, Relivables men’s r trio — SPF 15 balanced moisturizer, shave lotion and men’s wash — provides the exclusive RA7 complex that nourishes, hydrates and protects skin to slow the aging process.
Why Good Health Is Macho
Men often think of themselves as the family protectors. Yet while protecting those they love, they often neglect their own health or bluff their way into thinking they’re healthier than they really are.
It’s this macho attitude that sometimes gets us into trouble. In honor of Father’s Day, this issue of Science & Health Today strives to serve as a wake-up call to men: Take care of yourself so you can take care of others.
It starts with the foundation of good nutrition. Relìv addresses men’s needs through our variety of products, from FibRestore®, which provides about one-third of men’s daily fiber needs, to Relìv Classic® and Relìv Now®, which cover the essential nutrients needed daily, to ProVantage®, a performance enhancer for physically active men (and women).
This issue also takes aim at the belly fat so common in men. While men may joke about their “spare tire,” this abdominal fat leads to many serious health complications, from heart disease to diabetes. Slimplicity® and GlucAffect® are ideal products to help tackle this unhealthy weight around your mid-section.
While we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously, it’s important we take our health seriously for those we love. Let Relìv help.
To Your Health,
Dr. Carl W. Hastings, Relìv Vice Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer
Thanks Dr. Carl for another great article!
