ARE food and nutrition needs different for men vs. women? Yes and no…any Registered Dietitian Nutritionist would answer the same way! Whether you are occupying a male or female organism, food and nutrition needs vary considerably from infancy to adulthood due to body mass, activity level and of course genetics.
One big difference between men and women from the ‘get-go’ is men are born with more muscle mass due to the male hormone testosterone. Having said that, 
I’ve arm wrestled many a man in my office and won because men (and women for that matter) redistribute muscle to belly fat as time passes, especially if our activity decreases. We can’t eat the same amount we did at 20 years old and expect to maintain the same weight without the same activity!
Recently, a man told me he had no idea he was as fat and out of shape as he was until he weighed in at his Dr.’s office at 223# ! At that moment, a light went off in his brain and he decided now was the time to get rid of his fat belly! He followed a strict plan right through the holiday months and the results were incredibly amazing and very inspiring! Measuring your navel circumference is a good place to start your health journey. His waist went down several inches in 6 months and has stayed at less than 35″ due to continued awareness with his eating behaviors and 35 minutes on an elliptical most days of the week.
He is now able to comfortably tie his shoes and has noticed his manhood looks bigger with less belly fat…there’s a motivator right there for any man!
In order to lose belly fat, a man can typically eat more calories than a woman across the board. So how do we lose belly fat? Animal proteins are higher in calories per gram weight than plants but most men and woman prefer to keep meat in their diets as a way to stay satiated while trying to lose their belly fat. When you lose a bunch of weight on a strict ‘fad’ diet that’s high in animal protein, it’s important to transition ASAP to a plant based diet for continued waist loss in addition to health and wellness.
Nothing LOOKS as good as healthy FEELS. No one wants a diagnosis of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, dementia, asthma, arthritis or psoriasis, right? 
Plants are medicine! A plant-based diet will help decrease our risk for any and all those diseases mentioned. Read this easy and interesting article based on objective research proving what works and what doesn’t. https://www.cspinet.org/nah/01_04/cover.pdf
There are 10 servings of fruit and vegetables in this ‘manly’ smoothie recipe my husband makes most mornings: 2 bananas, 1/2c organic berries, 2 handfuls organic leafy greens, 4-6oz. kefir, 1/2 avocado or 2T melted coconut oil and water for preferred consistency. Also add any 1 piece or 2/3 cup of a ‘guest’ fruit or vegetable for variety. Blend for at least 2 minutes so everything gets mixed. No need to add protein powder, the fiber and fluid will keep you full for at least 4 hours.
Getting this many servings of fruit and veggies first thing in the morning is a good strategy to meet the recommended 9-11 servings per day. The fiber from the plants in our diet are digested by our gut bacteria and created into short chain fatty acids that help immune function and decrease inflammation in the whole body…male or female specimen.
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