Few things unite men more than their universal aversion to green foods. From caveman through the ages to today’s more refined gent, men have always craved meat, avoided greens, and have been very proud of it. And while man has made millions of advances since his first days on this planet, appreciating the benefits of eating green foods is not one of them. History has recorded it, attitudes explain it, and science proves it.
How eating green foods—vegetables, herbs, plants, fruits, and the like—became unmanly is truly a question that one must consult history to understand. Men through all eras have eaten greens, but the fact that they’ve done it begrudgingly is just as certain. The first guy who pulled a root out of the ground and actually took a bite out of it was likely ridiculed by all of his friends. Today, you’d be hard pressed to find many men at a sports bar ordering a side of celery stalks to gnosh on. Today’s staunchest opponents of green food diets for men would dismiss the idea as girly. Perhaps they’re channelling cavemen hunters, their father’s love for deep-fried treats, or their own self-bred aversion. But it’s not an act and it’s not just peer pressure. The group mentality has definitely helped keep greens away from men’s plates, but it’s not the only catalyst. Men aren’t simply busting each others’ chops about eating vegetables in public only to secretly delight in them in the privacy of their own home. Left alone, those dinner plates may be healthy or unhealthy—that depends on each individual—but they’re more often than not partnered with a side of greens.
The truth is men do eat their greens—but they’re not doing it with any regularity, frequency, or volume. And the reason could simply be their eating habits. In our experience, there are five general types of eaters in the male gender.
THE TANK FILLER: This guy is serious about his nutrition. He eats to fuel his gains in the gym. Food is his catalyst for building muscle. He has at least one protein shake every day. He uses supplements to cover the deficiencies of his diet and counts the grams of each meal. While he does eat some greens, he isn’t eating enough—but he’s sure he’s getting everything he really needs to build the body he wants.
THE OVER FILLER: Simply put, this guy eats too much. He’s not particularly active, eats without any plan, and steadily gains weight throughout his life. He snacks, he eats big meals late in the evening, and he loves salty, sugary, and fried foods. The only greens he’s seeing in his diet are usually drowned in cream or cheese or deep fried. He eats what he wants and doesn’t consider himself too unhealthy and would probably call you Nancy if you ordered a salad for dinner.
THE UNDER FILLER: Most people think that men aren’t capable of obsessing over their diet and assume only women starve themselves. The truth is there are men who are under eating but they aren’t doing it for weight loss. Instead, these are men who either ignore hunger or satisfy it with minimal nourishment and heavy stimulation. Breakfast is a coffee. Mid morning is a coffee. Lunch is barely touched. Dinner is high calorie and unfinished. To this guy, food isn’t important, and he’s probably just too busy to care that he hardly eats any green foods save for the slice of lettuce on his burger.
THE GUZZLER: Did you know there are 340 calories in a large Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks? This guy doesn’t. And, he doesn’t care. The guzzler partakes in high calorie drinks such as specialty coffees and sugar-packed sodas and favors beer over wine any day—and partakes almost every day. He eats two or three meals a day but they aren’t elaborate or particularly high in fat or calories. Greens aren’t on his radar or menu. He’s not actively avoiding them, but he won’t seek them out either.
THE FAST FILLER: This guy eats out—a lot. And what he does eat out is usually ordered through a microphone and served up in a brown paper bag. Fast food fills out his menu on a very regular basis. If McDonald’s has a specialty burger this month, he probably knows about it on the first, and his review is usually favorable. He’s probably young and definitely not interested in the nuances of proper nutrition. He eats what he likes, and he doesn’t like green foods because he thinks they cost too much, they are too much of a hassle, and he doesn’t like the taste.
We’ve seen these five guys mostly in our years of working with men’s fitness, health, and nutrition because these are the guys that need our help. This is not to say that there aren’t any vegetarian men, vegans, guys who follow a very regimented and proper diet, or dudes who simply love green foods. They do exist. But science has proven that they are a limited species.
What better proof is there that men don’t eat their greens than the fact that scientists have been trying to study the reasons for years? Researchers across the globe have labored over this issue and what they’ve found is not good. One study conducted in Ohio found that men truly believe that they aren’t capable of following a healthy diet. They also found that men don’t believe eating a proper diet is all that important to maintaining their health. Another study out of Britain found that men eat fewer vegetables than their infant children. In each case they feel that they have less control over their diet than the women of the house. Further investigation in the study showed that many spouses of the men polled had been trying to remedy the issue by hiding healthier foods in their husbands’ diet. Another study furthered this research and offered the conclusion that men simply don’t feel eating a healthy diet composed of green foods, lean proteins, vital nutrients, and vitamins is part of their “culture.”
The conclusions are all the same. Science, attitudes, and history all agree that men aren’t eating their greens. They don’t want to change their behavior and have little to no desire to hear why they should. Green Foods for Men is an attempt to break that barrier. In our experience, you can’t simply tell men what to eat—especially if what you’re serving differs from what they crave or have been conditioned to eat. Instead, you have to approach the change with information. Lots of information. You not only have to prove why your method is an improvement, but you also have to prove that your way reflects more than just a few people’s opinions. You need hard data, scientific fact, and an approach that allows them to draw their own conclusions. But beyond conclusions, you also need to help them make their own day-to-day decisions. Convince a man to eat healthier and he will, but he won’t want you choosing every gram passing his lips. He wants to decide what, how, and how much. And that’s exactly why Green Foods for Men will work for any man, at any nutritional level, and with any health goal.
This book lists the fifty very best green foods that men can consume. We’re not saying you should eat them because they’re the tastiest, trendiest, most expensive, or best for the overall population. These foods have a dramatic impact on what matters most to men. Each food entry will show important scientific data for the most vital of male concerns: muscle building, fat loss, improved sex drive, improved appearance, and specific health boosts unique to the male gender. Beyond that, you’ll also get the raw caloric and macronutrient information for each food, so you can decide how much is enough. Look out for storage tips, easy-to-follow recipes, and a myriad of options to make each food that much more accessible and realistic for your diet. You’ll also find some meal plan challenges. First, for the staunchest opponent of eating green, a three-day challenge that will prove that including green foods in your diet is not only easy, but tasty as hell. Next, a seven-day cleanse uses the power of green foods to make you your best—detoxifying your body and making sure it is firing on every level. And to cap it off, a thirty-day plan will get you on the road to making green foods a part of your life forever.
1. EFFICIENT SOURCE OF ENERGY: Even though greens are very low in calories, they help you create energy naturally. First, they are packed with chlorophyll, the component that makes them green. Chlorophyll is the plant’s version of blood, transporting oxygen and nutrients throughout the plant, allowing it to grow and thrive. Coincidentally, chlorophyll is similar in structure to your blood cells and can actually help improve how well your blood transports oxygen and nutrients in your body as well.
2. IMPROVED CIRCULATION: The alkaline minerals in the greens improve circulation to deliver the goods to your brain and muscles. You’ll notice you won’t need to hit the snooze button or have as much coffee to get through your day with the help of greens.
3. RESTOCK YOUR MAGNESIUM: The magnesium in greens is responsible for more than 400 energy pathways in your body, and an estimated 95 percent of us are deficient in this power mineral.
4. REDUCE YOUR TOXINS: These green foods protect you from heavy metal toxicity such as mercury found in sushi or from environmental toxins in urban areas.
5. TO HELP YOUR HANGOVER: Speaking of toxins, greens help your liver by nourishing it with magnesium and oxygen, cleaning up the damage from a booze indulgence or processed foods splurge.
6. TO AGE WITHOUT FEELING LIKE YOU’RE AGING: Methylation is a powerful chemical pathway that aids detoxification. Studies have shown that proper methylation can decrease your risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, and other chronic degenerative diseases. If you haven’t heard about it yet, you will. An estimated 20 percent of us have a genetic predisposition to being poor methylators. Folate is a superstar methylator, and when you think of folate, think “foliage”… It’s in the greens! With the thousands of methyl-dependent reactions going on everyday, you can support them by eating your methylators.
7. TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR FOOD: Raw or lightly sautéed greens contain enzymes that help your digestion so you get the most out of your superfoods. These enzymes help break down the food into their absorbable parts. Plus, the alkaline environment that the greens provide is what is most beneficial when consuming pastured meat and poultry. So, consuming greens with your meal will help you get the most out of it. It’s not just what you eat. It’s what you digest.
Ideally you will enjoy green foods in every meal of your day. Because, well, why not have greens at every meal? Don’t waste your chance to add greens to every meal or snack you can. Once you make it a habit in every meal, and you happen to have a few unexpected, greenless meals, at least you know your whole day wasn’t a big fat zero.
GO-TO GREENS Start developing your list of go-to greens for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, juices, and smoothies. Pick things that you like and challenge yourself to try something new. You might hate Romaine lettuce, but love the flavor of arugula (yes, they taste different). Or, you might avoid cucumbers because you don’t want to slice them. There’s no excuse with pickles. Once you develop your lineup of green foods, then start adding, guys.
MORE IS BETTER The majority of green foods listed here are not calorically dense, except for pistachios, pumpkin seeds, and avocado. So, don’t feel like you have to change up your current portion sizes just to get your greens in. Yes, more is better with green foods.
GREENS FOR BREAKFAST We’ve found that the hardest time for men to have green foods is in the morning. Whether it’s a lack of craving for greens, or a stronger craving for a bowl of Lucky Charms, men aren’t reaching for greens until dinnertime, when his significant other insists he eats a salad with dinner. If this is an issue for you, green tea is the least intimidating addition to your morning, followed by green fruits. Then, slowly make your way to adding spinach to your eggs or pistachios to your oatmeal, and finally make the leap to green juices and smoothies to start your day. Having greens for breakfast is a mental hurdle you must get over, or you’ll start the day already behind. Who wants that?
GREEN SMOOTHIES 101 Green smoothies are the perfect solution if you hate salads, think eating carrot sticks is lame, or don’t like prepping and cooking vegetables. Smoothies were practically designed to win over green food haters. As long as you can get over the green color (or just get some dark cups), green smoothies are sure to please.
Start blending greens, frozen fruit, and a little added natural sweetener such as raw honey. You might start with a more fruit-heavy smoothie, but know that your goal, and where you will see the most benefit, is really in those green vegetables. The hint that you are using enough greens is if your smoothie is actually green in color!
JUICING 101 Juicing fruits and vegetables and including them in your diet is an excellent way to get additional vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and more in a very easy and delicious way. From a nutrition standpoint, freshly made juices are most beneficial for their quick absorption of nutrients, especially when consumed at least an hour before or after a meal. When juices are consumed with a meal, you are certainly going to obtain those nutrients, but the wow factor of quick absorption and quick energy will not be there since digestion and absorption of these nutrients are not as sudden when paired with a whole meal.
Start juicing fruits and vegetables you are familiar with and already enjoy eating. Carrots and apples are a newbie juicer’s best friend and can be a great base as you get going. From there, work on getting more greens. They may not taste great initially, which is why starting with the apple and carrot base is the way to go at first.
That said, your friendliest greens will be celery and cucumber. And your greenest greens will be spinach and kale. Because these juices concentrate the flavor, if you are not a huge fan of spinach taste, then you may need to add more apple. Or, consider smoothies instead, which do not contain as much greens as juices and can better mask the “green” flavor.
EXPERIMENT Use the recipes in this book as templates and adjust the amounts of each ingredient however you see fit. There really is no wrong way to construct a juice. The only caution is to not go overboard on fruit juices, as they will be high in natural sugars, but can be an issue if you have any cravings or potential blood sugar issues. Your goal is to always make sure there is at least one green vegetable in every juice you make.
VARIETY IS KEY Different green foods provide different green benefits. Rotating your go-to greens every few weeks will give you the best results and a variety of nutrients you need.
