Healthy Aging- Five Nutrients Men don’t get enough of

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Men need help with nutrition.

Men and women are different in many ways. Because male and female bodies are designed for different purposes, there are differences in nutritional needs. Add to this the more casual attitude of men toward nutrition and health and it is not surprising that men are commonly deficient in five important nutrients.

Aging just compounds this problem.

It is bad enough for good health during the active stages of life but because the human body is so resilient, the effects are often hard to detect. In old age, however, these deficiencies can produce real health problems.

There are five important nutrients which are typically deficient for men as reported in a recent article from Men’s Health. These are probably surprising to most men because they aren’t the ones we hear about. They aren’t the hot item issues that grab headlines and they are easy to remedy by supplementation or better diet choices. If you aren’t thinking about these nutrients as you plan your diet, take a minute and discover what you can do to make sure that your body has what it needs to keep you healthy as you age. And women, these nutrients may not be critical for your health but if you have a husband or other male loved-one you can use this information to help them stay healthy. Check out the article for more details but here is the list and some ideas for getting enough in your diet.

Five nutrients that men need more of

1. Vitamin D – you should consume 1,400 IU of vitamin D

2. Magnesium – most men need supplementation 400 mg per day

3. Vitamin B12 – interactions with drugs can deplete dietary B12. Supplemented breakfast cereals are a good source.

4. Potassium – avocados, bananas and potatoes (not french fried) are good sources

5. Iodine– skip the iodinized salt, drink milk and eat eggs and yogurt.