Belated diet for Daddies

I meant to post this in time for Father's Day...but got waylaid. I think it can safely be said that in general (and there are always exceptions) women pay more attention to their diets than do men. Which is not to say that men don’t care about their health and nutritional status, it’s just not very high up on their list of priorities. They joke about giving up vegetables for lent, and refer to beer as one of the four food groups, but underneath it all, I think they really want to be in shape and as healthy as their significant others…they just don’t know how!

Part of the problem is that the media pays a whole lot more attention to women’s diets—probably because they know that women are more likely to pay attention. In honour of Father’s Day just past, then, I thought we’d talk about Dad’s and what they should and shouldn’t eat. So, if you’re a dad, if you have a dad, or are married to one, or if one day you hope to be a dad—this blog’s for you.

First off, the obvious: Canada’s Food Guide for Healthy Eating is meant for everyone, not just women and children. The advice to get the appropriate serving of whole grain breads and cereals, meat and alternatives, vegetables and fruit, and milk and milk products includes men. And it’s no joke that men very often don’t get enough of the last two groups. To that end I’m adding a recipe at the end of this blog that will help them get more of both groups…it’s a yogurt sauce that will even get men to like broccoli!

Food groups aside, what special needs do men have in the diet department that sometimes get overlooked? For one thing, they have a prostate gland and women don’t! Recent research has suggested that men with a low exposure to vitamin D might increase their risk of prostate cancer. And where do they get vitamin D? Ideally from the sun, but in Canada that can be really difficult from October to April. Food sources include milk and margarine (to which vitamin D is added) and lesser amounts in egg yolk and fatty fish. Most men just don’t get enough so you might want to include a bottle of vitamin D supplements for Dad. The supplement should be just vitamin D (not cod or halibut liver oil) and 1000 I.U.’s per tablet is the recommended amount per day unless there’s a medical reason for him not to take it (a doctor’s advice should be followed even when taking something as seemingly harmless as a vitamin supplement)

Is there something in his diet that should be reduced? Well, the science isn’t definitive, but there is growing evidence that too much linoleic acid in the diet may promote prostate cancer. Linoleic acid is an essential (you have to have it in your diet) fatty acid found predominately in vegetable oils like corn oil and sunflower oil. Notice that I said “too much”. We all need some linoleic acid, but with deep-fat frying and increased use of salad dressing, some people (and men) simply get too much. There are other possible downsides to excess linoleic acid like asthma, eczema, and age-related macular degeneration, but since we’re discussing men, we’ll leave it there.

How about men’s heart’s? While we know that women are not immune from heart disease, the statistics still indicate that men are more likely to fall victim to this disease, at least before age 75, when women catch up. I don’t think we can say enough about getting men to eat more fruits and vegetables and to avoid trans fatty acids (found in hard margarines, shortenings, hydrogenated vegetable oils). Dietary prevention of high blood pressure and stroke is thought to hinge on more fruits and vegetables plus three or more servings of milk products per day.
And that brings us back to Canada’s Food Guide and the recipe I promised…

Hot n Creamy Yogurt Sauce


1 ½ cups (375 mL) plain yogurt 1 tablespoon (15mL) butter
1 ½ cups (375 mL) chicken broth 3 garlic cloves, minced

In a bowl, mix yogurt and cornstarch until blended. Slowly stir in broth.

Heat butter in heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook for about one minute. Remove from heat. Stir in Yogurt mixture and mix very well. Return to medium-low heat and cook until sauce is hot but not boiling, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring, until sauce is smooth and thickened to your taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
This sauce is great over vegetables or as an addition to a stew.