Guidelines on healthy eating can easily be followed, but based on your gender, the guidelines may vary. Below are some of the guidelines for both men and women.
Women
Guidelines on healthy eating that target women are different. The body of a woman needs more calcium compared to that of a man. Increased calcium in women diets keeps off osteoporosis while high calcium quantities in men is said to cause prostate cancer. Women also need more iron before their menopausal years in comparison to what men need but later on the need is almost the same for both genders. Women need to follow healthy eating guidelines that advocate for low protein in their diet. The recommended protein per day is about 60g. Surplus protein passes out of the body through kidneys with high protein levels in urine among women a pointer to the likelihood of contracting osteoporosis. Additional vitamin B and D is essential in women and therefore they require a multivitamin to give them these vitamins as they are not readily available in diets. For pregnant women, they can get vitamins B and D by consuming prenatal vitamins as these aids in the development of healthy babies. Reduced proteins, more whole grains, vegetables as well as fruits are all recommended foods for a healthy diet.
Men
Men need more calories compared to women owing to their big size. Fiber is also required in large quantities in men’s diet but astonishingly, they require almost the same amount of proteins as their female counterparts. It is advisable that the level of protein in both groups is kept low because based on guidelines on healthy eating; only about 60g of daily calories should come from protein. Excess protein in men carries some healthy risks as some of it is excreted through the urine and may cause kidney stones. If a man wants to build muscles, he can do with increased calorie levels from proteins and high-yielding carbohydrates although this needs to go hand in hand with more body workouts.
In both genders, saturated fats should not be part of their diets. These should be replaced with other fats such as canola oil, corn and sunflower. Fatty fish is also good as it brings down cholesterol levels.
There is no difference between the guidelines on healthy eating applicable to men or women when it comes to matters of their diet. The two genders need to avoid foods with high fat content, but increase intake of fruits and vegetables. Other factors such as height, level of physical activity and weight will determine the diets suitable for both groups.