Celebrate Men This Week!

Did you know that men are less likely to seek health care services than women? The week of June 12^th through the 18^th is dedicated to promoting the wellness of men in your life. Men’s Health Week was started to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems among men and boys.

Men’s Health Week also aims to encourage early detection and treatment of disease. This week gives healthcare providers, public policymakers, and the media an opportunity to encourage men and boys to seek regular medical advice and early treatment for disease and injury.

In Honor of Men’s Health Week

Encouraging the men in your life to get healthy doesn’t have to be a daunting task. There are a few quick simple steps you can take to ensure that the men you love are as healthy as possible.

Here are just a few ways you can honor men this week:

• Take your dad/brother/uncle/grandfather/significant other to the doctor.
• Ask a local nurse/doctor/ health educator to give a lecture on men’s health at your workplace, community group, or senior center.
• Plan a 5K walk in your town.
• Plan a “Wear Blue” day to help spread the knowledge of Men’s Health Week
• Write an opinion article about men’s health and how it affects the entire family and submit it to your local newspaper.
• Give Dad a Father’s Day care package, with a doctor’s appointment as a gift.
• Plan a fitness activity at lunchtime or after work such as walking, golfing, bowling, softball, and bicycling.

Another great way to keep the men in your life healthy is by ensuring they are eating well-balanced meals. Encourage the men you know to include a variety of colors in their diet to ensure they are obtaining all the nutrients needed to keep them healthy.

Color it Healthy

When planning out meals, think about the rainbow. Try to include as many colors on your plate as possible. Create your salad from a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables to gain plenty of nutrients, fiber, and phytochemicals from these foods. Incorporating fruits and vegetables into your daily diet have been shown to protect against certain types of cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis! Choose a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables daily, and include them in your salads:

• Red: Tomatoes, watermelon, strawberries, red peppers, raspberries
• Orange: Apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, peaches, oranges, papaya
• Green: Broccoli, spinach, peas, kiwi, green peppers, lettuce
• White: Cabbage, cauliflower, onions, garlic, scallions, potatoes, bananas
• Purple/Blue: Blueberries, blackberries, red cabbage, raisins
• Yellow: Corn, yellow peppers

Elevating Your Salad

Having a salad is a great way to include as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Often people view salads as boring, however, they don’t have to be! Here are great ways to change things up:

• Meat Group: Mix in meat, poultry, seafood, cooked dry beans, eggs, or nuts.

• Dairy Group: Add cheese to the mix and drizzle on a yogurt-based dressing.

• Bread Group: Add whole grain croutons for a crunch or whole grain rice/pasta as the base of the salad.

• Fruit Group: Try adding dried fruits such as cherries or raisins for flavor and added antioxidants which may help prevent cancer and heart disease. Slice apples or pears with their skins on for added dietary fiber, as well as some eye appeal! Add in some sliced oranges to add brightness while giving your salad a healthy dose of vitamin C and folate.

• Fats: Almonds and walnuts are a great way to add some unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids into your salad, which will help to protect against heart disease. Add one or two tablespoons of nuts to any meal for added texture and a rich taste! Also, try adding some sunflower seeds into your salad for some vitamin C and added flavor.

Whatever you decide to do this week, don’t forget to give the men in your life a big hug!

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