Dietary Advice for Men's Health
A lean diet is best to support good prostate health. Cut down on the fat in your diet by using monounsaturated olive oil or rapeseed oil instead of butter or hydrogenated fats to cook with. In Mediterranean countries, bread is often dipped in good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar rather than butter and tastes delicious. Trim the fat off your meat if you have red meat in your diet or switch to leaner proteins like fish and chicken.
Oily fish has the added benefits of being rich in essential fatty acids as well. Flaxseed oil is a good source of EFAs for vegetarians.
High protein diets, where 45% of your calories come from protein, have been shown to block the same enzyme as zinc does in your prostate. Soya protein is a good vegetarian source.
A high fibre diet also helps to reduce your risk of prostate cancer, colon cancer and bowel cancer. In population surveys, men with high fibre diets are less likely to develop prostate cancer.
A high fibre diet should include whole grains, fruit and vegetables. Try and eat some of your vegetables raw or only slightly cooked to get the best out of them.
Beans are not just "good for your heart" but also good for your libido. Beans are a good source of L-Dopa. Men taking L-Dopa for Parkinson's disease have shown that L-Dopa helps to combat erectile dysfunction.
If you don't take a zinc supplement, make sure you include lots of sources of zinc in your diet. Rich sources of zinc include shellfish, ginger, eggs, seeds, nuts and grains.
Use pumpkin seed oil on your salads. Pumpkin seed oil is used in Eastern Europe in the cases of prostate enlargement as it increases urine flow.
Lycopene from tomatoes is also beneficial - unless you have arthritis as it can trigger inflammatory episodes. Cooked tomatoes contain more lycopene so be generous with the ketchup!
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Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) berries are used to check prostate enlargement as you age.
Don't struggle alone
If you have chronic health problems, we advise you to see a medical herbalist at Napiers or through the National Institute of Medical Herbalists.
Corn silk reduces the urge to urinate and alleviates the pain and discomfort of urinary tract infections & prostate problems.
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) improves the blood flow in your arteries & capillaries throughout your body.
Most species of epimedium (Epimedium grandiflorum and Epimedium sagittatum are the most common) contain icariin which like sildenafil is a PDE-5 inhibitor, but weaker.
