Hey, Man!

Bite This: On average, women live 5 years longer than men. This doesn't bode well for my husband (or me) since he is 10 years my senior. 

Wow, it’s been more than a hot minute since I’ve visited this site, let alone blogged on it. So here we are. I wish I had something worth blogging about. We will just see where this goes.

So last June I wrote about prostate health because apparently June is Men’s Health month. And, well, the prostate is the only thing I can think of that makes men’s health different from women’s. Well, not health, per se, but speaking nutritionally, they’re rather similar. Eat a diet high in fiber, fruits and vegetables, consume lean proteins, and minimal processed foods and sugar. Boom, done.

There are a few diseases, however, that appear earlier in men such as colon cancer and Alzheimer’s.  I believe I have mentioned both of these before on this blog, but let’s just chat about it again for a moment.

According to the American Cancer Society, 35% more men than women are diagnosed and die from colon cancer. It is hypothesized that women’s hormones, estrogen and progesterone, may be a protective factor. It is crucial to get the recommended colonoscopy at age 50 to screen for colorectal cancers. Yeah they’re not fun, but it’s better than having a tumor that becomes aggressive and having more invasive procedures. A diet high in fiber (think fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds), low in processed foods, and regular exercise can help prevent colon cancer. Probiotics and fermented foods may also help!

Alzheimer’s disease tends to be diagnosed 10 years earlier in men than in women and progresses faster. Men may display behavioral changes such as agitation and aggression more or prior to obvious memory loss like women tend to exhibit. A diet high in omega-3 fatty acids can help cognitive function as well as getting regular exercise. You can read more about that here. Studies have shown that regular exercise can help reduce risk of Alzheimer’s and improve memory, reasoning and thinking skills.  

Speaking of regular exercise and mental health…even though women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, it is more deadly in men. Men are more likely to commit suicide as adolescents, young adults, and over age 65. Regular exercise can promote endorphins which improve mood among many other benefits which I have mentioned a time or two.

So here’s my note to men: Get out and exercise and eat lots of fiber! Reduce sugar and processed foods. Women, you may as well follow this advice too.

What do you think about that? Didn’t know that’s where this post would take us when I started typing but there it is. Want to know more? One more interesting fact is that men suffer hearing loss at 2x the rate of women. So that selective hearing could really mean he’s going deaf. (No wonder I always hear the kids crying first.)