Dietary principles for adult and middle-aged men, supplementation of key trace elements, and kidney-tonifying and sperm-boosting dietary therapy.

Generally speaking, healthy and strong men tend to have a stronger libido. This is especially true for young and middle-aged men, whose mental and physical labor, as well as sexual activity, require a significant amount of nutrients. Timely and appropriate replenishment of these nutrients is highly beneficial for improving physical fitness, maintaining health, and enhancing the quality of sexual life. A man's semen is produced from the nutrients provided by various foods, particularly vitamins A and E, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, and copper. Insufficient intake of these nutrients can negatively impact semen quality. These nutrients also participate in the metabolism of various enzymes and insulin, promoting the activity of sex hormones and gonads.

Zinc is an essential trace element for the human body, closely related to metabolism, growth and development, and many other physiological functions, especially playing a vital role in maintaining the integrity and function of the male reproductive system. Men can obtain sufficient zinc and copper by regularly consuming seafood such as clams and oysters in their daily diet. Zinc is sometimes called the "harmony element for couples" because it is an important component of male semen. Foods rich in zinc also include fish, pork liver, beef liver, beef, shrimp, shellfish, seaweed, sesame seeds, peanuts, soybeans, and soy products. Zinc deficiency can cause poor genital development in children and decreased sexual function and spermatogenesis disorders in adults. Therefore, newlywed men or men with decreased sexual function should appropriately increase their intake of zinc-rich foods.

Arginine can enhance male sexual function and spermatogenesis. Arginine is an essential component for sperm formation; consuming foods rich in arginine can improve sperm quality. Foods rich in arginine include frozen tofu, dried tofu, tofu skin, peanuts, walnuts, soybeans, sesame seeds, seaweed, peas, eel, octopus, mackerel, sea cucumber, and eel. These foods are excellent sources of nutrition for men. Animal organs contain a relatively high amount of cholesterol, about 10% of which is adrenal cortex hormones and sex hormones; moderate consumption can also help improve sexual function. Calcium ions can stimulate sperm maturation; consuming more calcium-rich foods can help improve male reproductive ability. Calcium-rich foods can improve male sexual function and enhance spermatogenesis to varying degrees. Shrimp shells, sesame paste, kelp, milk, beans, and vegetables are rich in calcium and should be consumed regularly.

Dietary therapy: (1) Take one pair of dog kidneys, chop them, roast them until cooked, and grind them into a fine powder. Take 3 grams every night with rice wine. (2) Put live loach in clean water and wash it after it has expelled its intestinal secretions. Heat the oil in a pan, add a few slices of ginger, fry the loach until golden brown, add about 3 bowls of water, add 50 grams of shrimp meat, and cook the soup together. Take once a day. (3) Take one pig stomach, wash it clean, put 10 grams of Cistanche deserticola into the pig stomach, tie it up, and boil it in water until cooked. Eat the meat and drink the soup once a day. (4) Take one white pigeon, remove the feathers and internal organs, add 24 grams of wolfberry and 50 grams of Polygonatum sibiricum, stew or steam them together and eat them twice a day. (5) Take two pigeon eggs, boil them, remove the shells, add 75 grams each of longan and wolfberry, and 10 grams of Schisandra chinensis, put them in a bowl, add water and steam until cooked, add sugar and eat them twice a day. (6) Two sparrow eggs, 15 grams of shrimp meat, 9 grams each of dodder seed and wolfberry, put them in a bowl, add water and steam until cooked, eat twice a day. (7) 9 grams of salted walnut kernels and 6 grams of psoralea corylifolia, grind them into a paste, take with light salt water, once a day. This formula has the effect of tonifying the kidney and consolidating essence. (8) Cordyceps sinensis with appropriate amount of rock sugar, stewed in water, or steamed with longan, walnut kernels and red dates and eaten. It has the effect of tonifying the kidney and benefiting essence. (9) One turtle and 200 grams of pig spinal cord. Add appropriate amounts of ginger, scallion and pepper powder to the above two ingredients, stew until cooked, eat the meat and drink the soup. This formula has the effect of nourishing yin and replenishing marrow, consolidating the kidney and benefiting essence. (10) 10 grams of leek seeds and 50 grams of japonica rice, cook the leek seeds over low heat, put them in a clay pot with japonica rice and a little fine salt, add 500 ml of water, boil and cook the porridge. Take twice a day while warm. This formula has the effects of warming the kidneys and tonifying yang, and stopping seminal emission.

Generally, while middle-aged people require less protein than teenagers who are still growing and developing, providing them with abundant, high-quality protein is essential, especially given their gradually declining physiological functions. This is because as we age, the body's utilization rate of dietary protein gradually decreases, reaching only 60% to 70% of what it was in youth, while protein breakdown is more efficient. Therefore, middle-aged people need a higher protein intake. Furthermore, the amount of enzymes and bile acids responsible for fat metabolism gradually decreases in middle-aged individuals, leading to a decline in the body's ability to digest, absorb, and break down fats. Therefore, limiting fat intake is necessary, particularly controlling animal fats and increasing plant fats.

The main source of energy for Chinese people is carbohydrates, such as rice, noodles, and vegetables. The energy needs of middle-aged people differ depending on gender and occupation. For those engaged in mental work, daily staple foods only need to meet the body's standard requirements. Additionally, eating more vegetables is beneficial, as increasing dietary fiber can provide satiety and help prevent cardiovascular disease, tumors, and constipation. Vitamins A, B, C, D, and E are essential for human metabolism. Middle-aged people often experience reduced digestive and absorptive functions, leading to lower utilization rates of various vitamins and symptoms of vitamin deficiency such as anemia, slow wound healing, blurred vision, ulcers, wrinkles, and premature aging. Therefore, a sufficient daily supply of vitamins is necessary, and appropriate supplementation should be considered when necessary. Inorganic salts such as zinc, copper, iron, and selenium, although only accounting for 1/10,000 of body weight, are essential elements for human physiological activities, participating in the metabolism of enzymes and other active substances. With a reasonable diet, deficiency is generally not a problem. However, due to poorer digestion and absorption in middle-aged people, coupled with a higher rate of catabolism than anabolism, relative deficiencies in certain trace elements are more likely to occur. Middle-aged people often have poor calcium absorption, and if calcium excretion increases, they are more prone to osteoporosis, experiencing symptoms such as lower back pain, leg pain, and muscle cramps. Therefore, they should eat more calcium-rich foods such as bone broth, milk, seafood, shrimp, and tofu to prevent osteoporosis. Water participates in all metabolic activities in the body; without water, there is no life. Middle-aged people should drink plenty of water to help remove metabolic waste products and prevent disease.