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ASK A NUTRITIONIST is the best diet for men, and you will hear the chorus “None!”
Of course, the concept of a “no carbs, no cookies, no fun” “diet” is not something nutrition experts promote, especially because sticking to a restrictive eating plan can lead to the “yo-yo effect” in which you gain back the weight you lost — and maybe even more.
“We always have to explain the ‘why’ before you’re willing to try it,” says Leslie Bonci, MPH, RDN, sports dietitian for the Kansas City Chiefs and co-founder of Performance365. Still, she acknowledges that “the key to sustainability and success is feeling full and satisfied and enjoying the food.”
We totally agree. And sometimes the best way to achieve this is by following a well-thought-out diet – rather than getting lost in the confusion of what to eat and what not to eat.
Below you will find our Men’s health Consultants give advice on what constitutes a “good” diet and present some of their favorites.
What constitutes a “good” diet?
As with many things in nutrition, the answer is not set in stone.
Dezi Abeyta, RD, founder of Foodtalk Nutrition, says the concept of good versus bad in nutrition is nuanced and cannot be simplified into black and white categories.
“We need to consider factors like access to food, education, money and cultural differences,” he says. But if we were to break these down into high-quality diets and those with “room for improvement,” he would define things like this: “A high-quality diet is accessible, diverse, high in protein, plant-based and consistent. It includes colorful fruits and vegetables, fiber and omega-rich fats.”
It’s also important to make sure the diet you’re considering is sustainable. If you don’t like a diet enough to stick with it, it won’t work for you in the long run. “On the other hand, a diet with potential for improvement often lacks access to nutrient-dense foods, nutrition education and a consistent protein intake. Plus, it often contains a lot of added sugar and highly processed foods,” he says.
Of course, everything needs to be done in moderation, even moderation itself – as the saying goes – so that you don’t jeopardize your overall health goals with the occasional cookie or cheeseburger.
Flexitarian, plant-based diet
Abeyta calls the plant-based flexitarian diet one of the best diets for performance-oriented men. This “semi-vegetarian lifestyle” focuses primarily on plant-based foods, but also leaves room to enjoy the occasional meat-lover’s dish.
By focusing more on beans, nuts, whole grains and fruits and vegetables, you’re likely to reap tremendous benefits from consuming micronutrients, fiber and an overall beneficial distribution of macronutrients, which have been shown to have positive effects on preventable diseases like diabetes and heart disease, Abeyta says.
Balanced performance diet
Another of Abeyta’s top recommendations, this diet focuses on adequate protein intake (actually between 1.7 and 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day), strategic distribution of calories and macronutrients throughout the day, and favoring anti-inflammatory foods to support muscle growth, sustained energy, and optimal recovery.
This diet “emphasizes good sleep, stress reduction strategies, and a strength program that allows for a sort of progressive overload,” he says.
Food around the world Diet
Abeyta promotes this global diet because “incorporating diverse cultural cuisines into your diet improves flavor, increases overall nutrient intake, reduces the risk of deficiencies, and contributes to better health outcomes.”
He says that consuming foods from different cultures provides a wider range of important nutrients, counteracts nutrient deficiencies and promotes a greater appreciation of global culinary traditions, ultimately contributing to optimal health indicators such as cholesterol levels, blood pressure and body weight.
A Mediterranean diet
Bonci appreciates the emphasis on fruits and vegetables and beans in this well-researched and health-promoting diet because they are “high-fiber foods that fill you up, not make you hungry.”
A Mediterraneanstyle The diet focuses more on fish than other animal proteins, eggs, olive oil and whole grain bread. Most importantly, this diet will fill you up and leave you satisfied. “Protein is a supporting role rather than a main component, but the meals are hearty, provide bite and staying power,” says Bonci.
Intermittent fasting
Are you new to the IF or intermittent fasting bandwagon?
“Intermittent fasting is essentially time-restricted eating, where you only eat during a certain window of time during the day,” says Bonci. “Reducing meal times can be easier than changing the foods you eat.”
Studies have shown that this potentially weight-loss plan works well for those who tend to overeat in the evening, as they eliminate the excess calories but do not deny themselves anything during the day.
Volumetry
If you want to eat more and still lose weight, then Volumetrics might be right for you.
Volumetrics is a plan that lowers the energy density (or calorie content) of meals by increasing the liquid content of your meals with salads, soups, stews, chilis, etc., says Bonci. Some key benefits of this diet are that you visually have more food on your plate and that food takes up more space in the gut, so you feel fuller longer.
“The beauty of volumetric eating is that the plate/bowl is not tiny, but the calories are lower because some calories are displaced by the higher liquid content,” says Bonci. “Plus, eating foods like soups, stews and salads requires cutlery and takes longer.”
This principle can also be applied to shakes, where the volume can be increased by adding vegetables, ice cream, frozen fruit and yogurt without increasing the calorie consumption as much.
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