Scientific Diet: From "Diseases Caused by Food" to the Precise Nutritional Needs (Fiber, Magnesium, Zinc) of Men [i]

"Food is the most important thing for people." With the improvement of people's living standards, people's pursuit of food is no longer "eating enough to survive" but "eating well to be healthy" [i]. However, due to unscientific nutrition, unreasonable dietary structure and lack of attention to food hygiene, people often develop many diseases from eating [i]. In 2002, the World Health Organization announced the top ten high-risk factors that endanger human health worldwide, four of which are related to nutrition: hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and iron deficiency anemia [i]. In addition, one-third of tumors are related to diet. It can be seen that many diseases in daily life are actually caused by eating [i]. Diseases caused by eating can be roughly categorized as follows: (1) Unscientific nutrition [i]. Many people's diet is mostly based on "appetite". For example, many people love to eat fatty meat, resulting in "hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke" etc. [i]. (2) Unscientific eating habits [i]. Many people are too busy to eat breakfast in the morning or are too busy to drink water, resulting in many "stone diseases", such as gallstones and gastric stones [i]. As the folk proverb goes, “Eat a good breakfast, a full lunch, and a light dinner.” (3) Unhygienic diet. Street food vendors do not pay attention to the hygiene requirements of separating raw and cooked food, which can easily lead to parasitic diseases. Whether the diet is scientific and the nutrition is coordinated has become a standard for measuring health. According to authoritative statistics from the medical community, many men are prone to chronic diseases, and more than 80% of them are caused by unreasonable diet and nutritional imbalance. Men are physiologically stronger than women, taller and more muscular, so they need more calories. Secondly, men’s cholesterol metabolism is often disrupted, so men need to pay more attention to their nutritional intake. (1) Eat foods rich in fiber: Plant fiber can accelerate intestinal peristalsis, lower cholesterol, and has the effect of lowering blood pressure. The main foods rich in plant fiber include wheat bran, whole wheat bread, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, etc. (2) Eat foods containing magnesium: Magnesium helps regulate human heart activity, lower blood pressure, prevent heart disease, and improve male fertility. Foods rich in magnesium include soybeans, oatmeal, pasta, leafy greens, and seafood[i]. (3) Eat foods containing vitamins: Vitamin A helps improve the body's immunity, prevent cancer, and protect eyesight[i]. Foods rich in vitamin A include liver, dairy products, fish, tomatoes, and carrots[i]. Vitamin B₆ helps improve the body's immunity and can prevent skin cancer, bladder cancer, and kidney stones[i]. Foods rich in vitamin B₆ include chicken, liver, potatoes, and sunflower seeds[i]. The main function of vitamin C is to improve the body's immunity, prevent cancer, heart disease, stroke, cataracts, and delay aging[i]. (4) Eat foods containing zinc: Zinc can ensure male sexual function and treat impotence[i]. 120 grams of lean pork contains 358.8 micrograms of zinc[i]. In addition, turkey, seafood, and soybeans are also rich in zinc[i]. (5) Adequate water intake is essential: No cell in the human body can function without water. The liver, brain, and skin contain 70% water, bones contain 45% water, and blood contains 80% water. If men want to maintain healthy muscles, they must drink enough water because muscles contain three times more water than fat [i]. Men of average build must drink eight glasses of water a day [i]. The following five foods are beneficial to men's health: (1) Tomatoes: Rich in vitamin C, they can produce collagen and strengthen blood vessels; potassium has the function of lowering blood pressure [i]. (2) Soybeans: Men who regularly eat soy products have a lower probability of developing prostate cancer [i]. (3) Pumpkin seeds: Reduce the frequency of urination and improve prostate enlargement [i]. (4) Carrots: Carotene can prevent cancer [i]. (5) Green tea: Rich in glutamic acid and aspartic acid, it has diuretic and stress-relieving effects [i].