If you ask registered dietitians what is the best diet for men, you’ll be met with a chorus of “none!” That’s obviously not what a guy wants to hear if they’re looking for ways to get healthy or bulk up.
So we went back and asked a different question. What’s a good diet for guys looking to get shredded, sleep better, keep their heart healthy…you get the gist. This one sparked some discussion, and it moved the needle away from the no-carbs-no-cookies-no-joy restrictive diet convo to something more goal-oriented.
“We must always provide the ‘why’ before one is willing to try,” says Leslie Bonci, MPH, RDN, former sports dietitian to the Kansas City Chiefs and owner of Active Eating Advice. On top of what’s your end goal, Bonci says you want a flavourful diet you can start—and stick to—for a long time.
Below, our Men’s Health nutrition advisors consult on what makes a ‘good’ diet, and a few of their favorites.
First, What Makes a ‘Good’ Diet?
Like many things in the realm of nutrition, the answer isn’t etched in stone.
As Dezi Abeyta, RD, founder of Foodtalk Nutrition, says, the concept of “good versus bad” in diets is nuanced and can’t be simplified into black-and-white categories.
“We must consider factors like access to food, education, money, and cultural differences,” he adds. Now if we were to categorise by quality diets and those with “room for improvement,” here’s how he would define things. “A quality diet is accessible, diverse, protein-rich, plant-forward, and consistent. It includes colourful fruits and vegetables, fibre, and omega-rich fats.”
READ MORE: 3 High-Protein, High-Fibre Meals to Build Muscle and Stay Full
Here’s another aspect to consider: is your diet sustainable? If you don’t have enough variety for different meals or ingredients are too expensive, it won’t work for you in the long term. “A diet with room for improvement often lacks access to nutrient-rich foods, education on nutrition, and consistency in protein intake. It also tends to be high in added sugars and highly processed foods,” Abeyta says.
Of course, life is all about moderation. Food included. The occasional cookie or cheeseburger isn’t going to derail your overall health goals.
6 Diets for Men, According to RDs
Flexitarian plant-based diet for better performance
Abeyta calls the flexitarian plant-based diet one of the best diets for men aiming for performance. This “semi-vegetarian lifestyle,” emphasises plant-based food options most of the time, but also leaves some room to enjoy the occasional meat-lover plate.
With a higher focus on beans, nuts, whole grains, and produce, you’ll likely see massive benefits with the inclusion of micronutrients, fiber, and overall advantageous distributions of macronutrients. Abeyta says this nutrient-packed combination is linked to reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Balance performance diet for muscle growth and recovery
Another top pick for Abeyta. This diet emphasises ample protein intake (between 1.7 and 2.0 grams per kilogram of your body weight per day, in fact), strategic caloric and macronutrient distribution throughout the day, and prioritising anti-inflammatory foods. Altogether, this diet supports muscle growth, sustained energy, and optimal recovery.
READ MORE: What Is the Best Diet for Long-Term Weight Loss? It’s Probably Not What You Think
This diet does so “all while emphasising quality sleep, stress relief strategies, as well as a strength program that allows you to have some sort of progressive overload,” he says.
Eating around the world diet to close nutrient gaps
Abeyta promotes this global eating regimen, as “incorporating diverse cultural cuisines into your diet, enhances flavour, boosts overall nutrient intake, reduces the risk of deficiencies, and promotes better health outcomes.”
Embracing foods from various cultures provides a broader array of essential nutrients, combats nutrient gaps, and fosters a greater appreciation for global culinary traditions, ultimately contributing to optimal health markers like cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and body weight.
Mediterranean-style diet for better overall health
Bonci appreciates the emphasis on produce and beans on this well-researched, healthy diet as it contains “foods that have fibre and help one fill up, not out.”
A Mediterranean-style diet focuses more on fish than other animal proteins, eggs, olive oil, and whole-grain breads. Most importantly, this diet fills you up and leaves you satisfied. “Protein is a side rather than front and centre, but meals are hearty, provide ‘the chew,’ and staying power,” says Bonci.
READ MORE: High-Protein Air Fryer Fish Stuffed with Sundried Tomato and Spinach
Intermittent fasting to prevent overeating
New to the IF or intermittent fasting bandwagon? “Intermittent fasting is basically time-restricted eating, where you only eat within a designated window of time during the day,” says Bonci. “Shortening the hours one chooses to eat can be easier to follow than changing the foods one eats.”
Studies have found that weight-loss friendly plans like IF work better for those who tend to over consume at night as they are eliminating the excess calories, but not depriving themselves during the day.
Volumetrics for weight loss
Want to eat more and still lose weight? Volumetrics may be for you. Volumetrics is a plan that lowers the energy density (or caloric content) of meals by increasing the liquid content of your meals with salads, soups, stews, chilis, etc. Bonci says some key advantages of this diet are the visual appearance of more food on your plate and feeling full longer since these foods take up more room in the gut.
READ MORE: Can Gut-Friendly Foods Actually Improve Your Digestion?
“The beauty of volumetrics is that the plate/bowl is not tiny, but the calories are lower since some are displaced by having a higher fluid content,” says Bonci. “Plus, foods such as soups, stews, and salads require a utensil and take longer to eat.” This principle can also be applied to shakes where volume can increase with veggies, ice, frozen fruit, and yoghurt without such a high-calorie cost.
This article by Perri O. Blumberg was originally published on Men’s Health US
