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"You Had Me At 'Fibre'": Your Man and Fibre

"You Had Me At 'Fibre'": Your Man and Fibre
Brandon Tabiolo via Getty Images

They may have an annoyingly faster metabolism, but that doesn’t mean men are off the hook when it comes to healthy eating -- your guy gets just as many health benefits from eating his veggies as you do. Fibre is one nutrient that’s especially important in a man’s diet; according to the Canadian Diabetes Association, getting at least 25 grams of fibre a day significantly reduces a man’s risk of heart disease, and that’s not even close to the Health Canada recommended guideline of 38 grams per day. Here are some clever ways to help your guy get his fibre intake:

Enjoy nuts and seeds

"You Had Me At 'Fibre'": Your Man and Fibre

Enjoy nuts and seeds

According to a study from the University of Colorado, eating fibre-rich foods also can help in the fight against prostate cancer by slowing the progression of tumours. The key here isn’t fibre itself, but rather phytic acid, which is found in many high-fibre foods but especially in nuts and seeds like almonds, Brazil nuts and sesame seeds.

Drink up!

Chowing down on whole wheat bread doesn’t sound like a fun way to get your fibre fix, but here’s a fibre source that your guy is sure to love: Beer. According to Men’s Fitness, beer has a fair amount of fibre, around 1.3 grams per 12 ounces. And enjoy that stout; when it comes to fibre, the darker the beer the better. Of course, we’re not recommending anyone tries to meet their entire 38 g per day quota in beer (imagine the eventual beer gut), but this is a very good reason to not feel guilty about a couple of pints.

A toast to your health

When it comes to bread, whole wheat is always the way to go -- a slice of whole wheat bread can deliver 2g of fibre compared to white bread’s measly 0.5 g of fibre. But that’s not all; try having a healthy topping on toast like almond butter to increase the fibre impact. Two tablespoons of almond butter can add an extra 2 g of fibre, not to mention valuable nutrients and protein for building muscle.

Choose fruit over juice

Fruit juice may be a healthier option than soda, but whole fruits are even better for you, particularly if you’re looking to up your fibre intake. According to Men’s Health, a whole orange has 3 g of fibre whereas a glass of orange juice only has about 0.2 g. Keep in mind that a lot of the fibre is in the skin so juicing it or tossing the whole thing in a smoothie is a great option.

Do it for your gut

Diverticulitis -- inflammation of the intestine -- is a common age-related complaint among men, but a Harvard study of men showed that eating insoluble fibre could reduce your risk of developing diverticular disease by 40 per cent. Insoluble fibre comes from sources like whole grains, dark leafy veggies and fruit.

Just two more servings

Another Harvard study of more than 700,000 health professionals found that eating just two extra servings of whole grains can lower a man’s risk of Type 2 diabetes by 21 per cent. Isn’t that worth eating an extra serving of salad for? Check out the Mayo Clinic’s list of high-fibre foods to find out what sources of fibre will pack the most nutritional punch.

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