Men urged to embrace heart-healthy lifestyle

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, January 26, 2008

Close to 50 men gathered Thursday in the lower level of Lake Region Hospital to learn more about ways to cut down on unhealthy lifestyle habits — and develop healthy new ones.

“Our goal is to help men not only look and feel better but also to prevent heart attacks and strokes,” said Julie Hamre, Lake Region Hospital registered dietitian who conducted the noon hour seminar. “The main reasons why many men are out of shape are poor eating habits and lack of exercise. Obesity in men affects males in all walks of life.”

“As we age our metabolic rates decrease,” she said.

Members of the medical community, including Hamre, cite examples such as the necessity for people in their 50s adjusting food intake compared to what they did in their 30s and 40s. Knowing the nutritional values of food also is important, she said.

“Selecting a salad at a restaurant is indeed a good choice,” she pointed out. “But if a person puts on too much salad dressing, it may be a worse choice than ordering a hamburger. Good judgment comes into play.”

Hamre said the word diet oftentimes has a negative connotation, especially for males.

“Many men see the word diet as food deprivation, and that’s not the approach we want to take,” she said. “We encourage men to develop good lifestyle changes — smaller portions of food and more exercise.”

Hamre said that to develop a guide for calorie intake, a person takes his or her weight and multiplies that by 13. For instance, for a man weighing 180 pounds and multiplying the 180 by 13, he would be in line for no more than 2,340 calories to maintain weight on a given day.

That person could, however, add 500 calories if the same total (500) were burned via exercise on a daily basis. The person could subtract 500 calories if weight loss is the goal.

Hamre said it’s better not to have what many refer to as “hunger pains” during the day.

“Oftentimes it’s best to have five or six smaller portions of food throughout the day rather than three big meals,” she said. “It’s a big mistake to get too hungry. Good choices also come into play. Instead of selecting a roll or donut, eat a banana.”

Other nutritional tips include eating at least five servings of vegetables on a daily basis. Men also need to consume more fiber-rich foods to prevent gastrointestinal diseases such as colon cancer and diverticulitis. Eating a regular orange includes more dietary fiber than orange juice.

What not to do, Hamre emphasized, is to take away one’s favorite foods.

“That’s a recipe for disaster,” she said. “Continue to eat the food that you like, but take smaller portions. And don’t forget to add more fruits and vegetables. This, combined with more exercise, will go a long way in keeping men healthy.”