The two biggest concerns plaguing the clan of mid-aged men (35+ age) are obesity and stress, both of which could lead to a range of fatal lifestyle diseases such as bad cholesterol (LDL), heart disease and heart attacks, certain types of cancer and diabetes. Demanding jobs, family commitments, long travel hours, multiple responsibilities; mounting stress and erratic meal schedules, make these men too ignorant about personal health and food habits, unless one day they are confronted with host of fatal diseases which threaten every aspect of their lives.

Obesity is the one of the largest epidemics in the present world.

High fried food intake is one of the major reasons of obesity. The calorie density gets proliferated when any food substances are dipped in oil. The nutritional content of the food is instantly gone, though food becomes more tasty. Fried food astronomically increases the LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein). The LDL cholesterol thereafter gets accumulated on the walls of the arteries, making them narrow. Eventually the veins and arteries are dangerously clogged increasing the risks of heart diseases, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Stress could be another major Problem

Stress at work, financial stress, relationship stress, performance anxieties and social obligations could result in mounting pressure. Prolonged and stressful office work, especially late night shifts disrupts the body’s natural rhythm. This abrupt change in the biological balance leads to gastrointestinal distress, sporadic appetite changes, indigestion and confusing weight loss, or weight gain. Prolonged exposure to such stressful conditions eventually leads to cases of hypertension and diabetes.

People under stress tend to consume alcohol, smoke and eat more, thereby exposing them to higher probabilities of a cardiac arrest. Stress & related fatigue could ruin your daily life and expose you to a range of diseases.

Fatigue and anxiety could be of various types:

• Psychological and psychosocial - e.g., stress, anxiety and depression

• Physiological - e.g., pregnancy, breastfeeding, inadequate rest or sleep, and excessive exercise.

Our Food Habits are to be blamed

The older bandwagon of men trying hard to balance office commitments and family responsibilities often indulge in food habits that could lead to fatal results. Here are a few common food and lifestyle habits that could ruin it all.

• Skipping breakfast and rushing to work.

• Long travels across time zones disrupting your sleep cycles, depending on greasy airport and hotel food.

• Sedentary professional life, lack of exercise or physical exertion and frequent travel make us addicted to packaged food.

• Snacking on Processed and Convenience food loaded with harmful unnatural color, flavors, preservatives and Trans-fatty acids (TFA)

• Consuming refrigerated foods that are hard to digest predominantly because they lack micronutrients.

• Consuming aerated drinks full of artificial sweeteners which tend to add empty calories and cause obesity.

• Dependencies on "hyper-rewarding junk food” engineered to trigger problems of over-eating.

• Increased alcohol consumption probably for social reasons, entertaining potential clients and attending corporate dinners.

• Not having sufficient fruits, berries and vegetables in your regular diet.

• Not drinking sufficient water thereby disrupting the body’s detox process.

The Evil Fangs of Processed Food

In spite of all your efforts to stay lean and fit, you end up putting on some extra kilos. Wondering why?

Simple!! Most of us are too busy to prepare ourselves a sumptuous home-cooked meal comprising of real fruits and vegetables. Understandably, we depend mostly on a range of packaged, processed and preserved food. As I explain in Juicing For Your Manhood, where I show you how to increase testosterone naturally,  processed foods & sugary drinks are loaded with colorants and preservatives, artificial chemicals and “simple” carbohydrates. The range of “simple” refined carbohydrates contained in breakfast cereals, bagels, waffles, pretzels is rapidly broken down in the digestive tract leading to spikes in blood insulin levels, leptin levels and insulin resistance. And what’s more dangerous? The range of processed food contains high amount of sodium, excessive salt, flavors and fat content makes them taste good. The breed of food we call - "hyper-rewarding junk food”.

Curtail your intake of Oily & Greasy Food

Oil is obtained by processing the whole food, thereby leaving behind most or all the nutrients (micro-nutrients) trace elements, vitamins and taking only the fatty part of the whole food. Oils are only rich in fat and calories, having little or no fiber, trace elements, vitamins and micro-nutrients. Oils are the reason of a large number of health diseases due to its super high calorie density.

The Truth about Omega 3 and Omega 6

Omega-3 and Omega-6 are “essential” fatty acids that are mainly found in plants and fish oil.

• They are vital for the development of our brain and Central Nervous System.

• They have powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

• Omega-3 regulates cholesterol levels in our body, improving health of the heart.

• Omega-3 acid Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is very effective in fighting depression.

While Omega-3 contained in salmon, trout, tuna and oysters are essential for the body, Omega-6 intake hampers the body’s ability to effectively utilize Omega-3. Soy, sunflower and corn contain Omega-6 fatty acids in generous quantities. Excess Omega-6s (found in oils that we consume, unaware of the detrimental effects they have) in our cell membranes are prone to harmful chain reactions.

Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids are biologically active and we need to consume them in such a way so that they operate efficiently in sync with our body requirements.

The Truth about Olive Oil

We are rather convinced about the wonderful “health benefits” of Olive Oil. Truth is the awesome nutrients present in olive oil are also present in the whole food, olive. So when you consume a lot of olives, we will also get a handsome helping of nutrients, fibers, vitamins, trace elements, etc. Instead we settle for processed olive oil, which does not good to our biological well-being. When you heat olive oil to its smoke point, the good components of the oil which are vital for good health starts degrading, and potentially harmful carcinogenic products are formed. When cooking, some of the carcinogens vaporize and may contribute to lung cancer when inhaled.

Monounsaturated fatty acids found in olive oil are composed of longer chain fatty acids and do no good to our bodies. On the contrary, short and medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil, palm oil, butter and other animal fats are moderately beneficial. Good oils are essential in any good diet.