If you’re a man over 50, you might be concerned about your prostate health. If you’re older than that, surely your prostate is top of mind.
It’s hard for it not to be, after all. If you’re urinating with greater frequency, urgency, or finding yourself waking up in the middle of the night for a few lousy dribbles, it can be both a frustrating and scary situation.
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Thankfully, an enlarged prostate doesn’t necessarily mean that your health is doomed. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is more common than you might think. It affects about half of men between 51 and 60 and 90% of men over 80.
Yet it only becomes a serious health problem about 14% of the time. That doesn’t mean, however, that it isn’t frustrating or worrying. Or that there is zero risk of it becoming something far more severe.
One of the ways you can exercise some control over BPH and prostate health is by paying attention to what you eat. Building meals that promote prostate health can help keep your condition under control and prevent it from worsening.
Perhaps the easiest way to do that is taking a long look at what you’re eating for lunch and dinner. These tend to be the biggest meals of the day and present the best opportunity to take a swing at a healthier prostate.
Green leafy vegetables, with their rich nutrient and antioxidant profiles, might be the most powerful prostate-protecting foods. Including more broccoli, spinach, kale, and lettuce at mealtime can have big-time prostate benefits.
Finding creative recipes to use these vegetables, as well as using them as sides for fish or lean meats, is highly recommended. Leafy greens can be added to soups, broiled, baked, and more. Tossing them in olive oil before or after cooking can add even more prostate protection.
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Adding more green vegetables won’t do it alone, however. Cutting back on red meat—particularly charred red meat—and processed foods is another way to promote prostate health.
Swapping out meat may seem like a challenge, but it can be done. Opting to include more fatty fish like salmon or tuna is a worthwhile move. Including more beans and legumes can also act as suitable meat replacements.
If cutting back on meat doesn’t fly, there are a couple of other things you could do. One is making sure you’re selecting leaner cuts. The other is to avoid charring them. That might mean less barbecue and more oven use, but hey, it’s for your health!
Mohan Garikiparithi got his degree in medicine from Osmania University (University of Health Sciences). He practiced clinical medicine for over a decade before he shifted his focus to the field of health communications. During his active practice he served as the head of the Dept. of Microbiology in a diagnostic centre in India. On a three-year communications program in Germany, Mohan developed a keen interest in German Medicine (Homoeopathy), and other alternative systems of medicine. He now advocates treating different medical conditions without the use of traditional drugs. An ardent squash player, Mohan believes in the importance of fitness and wellness.
