Super Foods for Men and Women

Guess what? You
have different nutritional needs than the opposite sex. Discover the best foods
for you both.

The Guys

One in five women
have a history of painful urinary tract infections. "I had three in one
year," says Patty Buxton*, a Colorado middle-school teacher. Reading that
cranberry juice may help prevent these infections, Buxton went on a regimen a
year ago, and since then she's been infection-free. She thinks cranberry juice
did the trick.


Cranberry juice isn't the only food that offers protection from specific
illnesses. Here's a list of disease-fighting foods for men and women.



Foods for Men



1. Tomato Sauce. Men who eat a lot of tomatoes, tomato sauce, or pizza smothered
with the stuff may be giving themselves a hedge against prostate cancer. So say
researchers at Harvard, who studied the eating habits of more than 47,000 male
health professionals. They found that men who ate tomato sauce two to four
times per week had a 35 percent lower risk of developing prostate cancer than
men who ate none. A carotenoid called lycopene, which tomatoes contain in
abundance, appeared to be responsible. But scientists were puzzled: tomato
juice didn't seem to have a protective effect. Other research showed why. For
best absorption, lycopene should be cooked with some kind of fat. So pizza may
be just what the doctor ordered.



2. Oysters. Myth has it that oysters are the food of love. Science may
agree. Just two to three oysters deliver a full day's supply of zinc, a mineral
critical for normal functioning of the male reproductive system. Scientists are
divided over reports that sperm counts have declined over the last 50 years and
that environmental factors are to blame. Nutritional deficiencies do seem to be
the cause of certain cases of low testosterone. Getting adequate zinc is
sometimes the answer (11 mg per day is recommended for men; more than 40 mg can
pose risks). In one trial, 22 men with low testosterone levels and sperm counts
were given zinc every day for 45 to 50 days. Testosterone levels and sperm
counts rose.



3. Broccoli. A recent Harvard study finds that cruciferous vegetables, like
broccoli, may protect against bladder cancer. It's one of the most common
cancers in this country, and affects two to three times as many men as women.
Scientists analyzed the diets of nearly 50,000 men and discovered that those
who ate five servings or more per week of cruciferous veggies were half as
likely to develop bladder cancer over a ten-year period as men who rarely ate
them. And broccoli and cabbage were singled out as the most protective foods.



4. Peanut Butter. If you want a healthy heart, spread your morning toast with
peanut butter. Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women, but men
fall victim at an earlier age. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University compared the cholesterol-lowering effect of the American Heart
Association's Step II Diet with a higher-fat diet based on peanuts. The AHA
plan included more carbohydrates. The peanut regimen was 36 percent fat. After
24 days both diets lowered "bad" LDL cholesterol. But the peanut plan
also caused a drop in blood fats called triglycerides and did not decrease HDL,
the "good" cholesterol. The AHA diet raised levels of triglycerides
and lowered levels of HDL.



"Peanut butter is a little higher in fat," says Penny Kris-Etherton,
Ph.D., the lead author of the Penn State study. "But it's the type that's good for you --
monounsaturated fat." Researchers have predicted that the peanut diet
could reduce heart-disease risk even more than could the AHA diet. Just don't
go nutty plastering on the tasty spread, since it is high in calories.



5. Watermelon. Until the age of 55, more men suffer from high blood pressure
than do women. Research suggests that foods rich in potassium can reduce the
risk of high blood pressure and stroke. The evidence is so convincing that the
Food and Drug Administration recently allowed food labels to bear a health
claim about the connection between potassium-rich foods and blood pressure. "There
isn't a dietary requirement for potassium," says Kathleen Cappellano,
nutrition-information manager at Tufts University in Boston. "But a good goal is about 2000 milligrams or more a
day." Watermelon, a rich source of this mineral, has more potassium -- 664
mg -- in one large slice than the amount found in a banana or a cup of orange
juice. So cut yourself another slice and enjoy the taste of summer.

The Girls

Foods for Women



1. Papaya. This tropical fruit packs about twice the vitamin C of an
orange. Add it to your arsenal against gallbladder disease, which afflicts
twice as many women as men.



After analyzing the blood of over 13,000 people, scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, found that women who had lower levels of vitamin C were more
likely to have gallbladder illnesses. One medium papaya (about ten ounces),
with its 188 mg of vitamin C and a mere 119 calories, is a refreshing source of
the vitamin. The once exotic fruit now can be found in most supermarkets.



2. Flaxseed. Bakers use this nutty-flavored seed mainly to add flavor and
fiber. But scientists see the tiny reddish-brown seed, rich in estrogenlike
compounds called lignans, as a potential weapon against breast cancer. An
exciting report at last year's San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium showed that
adding flaxseed to the diet of women with breast cancer effectively slowed
tumor growth. You can flavor your muffins with flaxseed, but the easiest way to
get the beneficial lignans is to sprinkle a few tablespoons of ground flaxseed
on your morning cereal. Look for the seeds in health food stores or in
supermarkets on the flour aisle. They're easy to grind in a blender or coffee
grinder. But get seeds -- there are no lignans in the oil.



3. Tofu. Foods high in soy protein can lower cholesterol and may
minimize menopausal hot flashes and strengthen bone. Isoflavones, plant
chemicals in soybeans that have a structure similar to estrogen, may be the
reason. Though animal studies form the bulk of the evidence, a human study found
that 90 mg of isoflavones was beneficial to bone (specifically the spine). And
two other studies suggest that 50 to 76 mg of isoflavones a day may offer some
relief from hot flashes. A half-cup of tofu contains about 25 to 35 mg of
isoflavones.



4. Buffalo Meat. Due largely to menstruation, women tend to be anemic more than
men. And low iron levels in blood can cause severe fatigue. To get a good dose
of iron, try bison. Bison, or buffalo, meat is lean and has what diet-conscious
women want -- lots of iron and less fat than most cuts of beef. "The iron
content is about 3 milligrams in a 3 1/2-ounce uncooked portion," says
Marty Marchello, Ph.D., at North Dakota State University. "That portion contains less than 3 grams of fat." Buffalo meat can
help boost energy and lower weight. And you don't have to have a home on the
range to get some bison anymore. You can pick it up at many supermarkets across
the United States, or through mail order or on the Internet.



5. Collard Greens. This humble vegetable may help fight osteoporosis, which
afflicts many women late in life. In addition to getting adequate amounts of
calcium and vitamin D, some studies suggest that vitamin K may have a
bone-protective effect as well. Based on data from one of the largest studies
of women, the Nurses' Health Study, researchers discovered that women who ate
enough vitamin K-rich foods (at least 109 micrograms of the vitamin daily) were
30 percent less likely to suffer a hip fracture during ten years of follow-up
than women who ate less. Researchers point out that dark-green leafy vegetables
-- Brussels sprouts, spinach, broccoli -- are all good sources of the vitamin.
But collard greens, with about 375 micrograms per half-cup, are among the best.



There you have it: five great foods for women and for men that can keep both of
you well fed and healthy too.