What Do You Want to Know About Men’s Health?
Men are notorious for avoiding the doctor and ignoring unusual symptoms. This may help explain why women tend to live longer. Don’t let complacency take a toll on your health.
Schedule yearly checkups with your doctor and keep these appointments. Your doctor can help monitor your weight, blood pressure, and the level of cholesterol in your blood. Excess weight, high blood pressure, and high blood cholesterol are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Your doctor can recommend lifestyle changes, medications, or other treatments to help get your weight, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol under control.
Eat natural foods
Packaged and processed foods are often full of sugar, salt, unhealthy fats, artificial additives, and calories. Limit the fake stuff and eat a wide variety of:
- fresh fruits and vegetables
- whole-grain products, such as brown rice and breads
- fiber-rich foods such as beans and leafy greens
- fish, such as salmon
- lean cuts of meat and poultry, such as skinless chicken breast and lean ground beef
Maintain a healthy waist
If your waist measures more than 40 inches around, it could be cause for concern. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteTrusted Source, it raises your risk of obesity-related diseases. For example, men with large waists are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
For most men, the best way to shed excess belly fat is to cut calories from your diet and exercise more. Ask your doctor to help you develop a weight-loss plan that’s safe and effective for you.
Get your vitamins
Most people can get the vitamins and minerals needed for optimum health by eating a well-balanced diet. It’s important to eat wide variety of vitamin- and mineral-rich foods, such as fresh fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Many of those foods also provide heart-healthy fiber and natural antioxidant compounds that can help lower your risk of certain diseases.
Break unhealthy habits
Smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your health. Secondhand smoke is also very dangerous. Nearly 7,300 nonsmoking Americans die from lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke every year, reports the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionTrusted Source (CDC).They also raise your risk of developing many types of cancer
Check for colorectal cancer
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, reports the National Cancer InstituteTrusted Source. It’s important to begin screening for colorectal cancer starting around age 50. Your doctor can use a colonoscopy to check for cancerous growths in your colon. They will also check for polyps, a type of noncancerous growth. Certain types of polyps can develop into cancer at a later time. Ask your doctor how often you should have a colonoscopy conducted.