Fat
It’s an area of important differences as well as similarities.
The fats on the “bad” list are the same for men and women,
but the fats on the “good” list are not.
Both men and women should keep their total fat consumption
below 30% to 35% of daily calories. Since fat is the most
calorie-dense food (9 calories per gram), levels as low as 20% to 25%
are appropriate when weight is an issue.
To achieve these goals, cut down on saturated fat from animal
products (meat and the skin of poultry, whole-fat dairy products,
and certain vegetable foods — palm oil, palm kernel oil, cocoa butter,
and coconut). And it’s just as important to reduce your consumption
of trans fatty acids, the partially hydrogenated vegetable oils found
in stick margarine, fried foods, and many commercially baked goods and
snack foods.
Make up the difference by including more unsaturated fats
in your diet. Monounsaturated fats are healthful for both
men and women; olive oil is a good source. The two omega-3
fatty acids found in fish are highly desirable for both sexes.
The vegetable omega-3 is a different matter. The problem
omega-3 is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). It is particularly
abundant in canola oil and flaxseed oil. Like the marine
omega-3s, ALA is good for the heart, but unlike fish oil,
which may reduce the risk of prostate cancer, ALA may not
be good for the prostate.
Although canola oil appears to be good for the cardiovascular
system, two Harvard studies have raised concerns that ALA
might be bad for the prostate. The Harvard research, from
1993 and 1994, prompted a number of similar investigations
around the world. Four have supported a link between ALA
and prostate cancer; three have not.
It’s still an open question, but there is no question that ALA
represents a dietary difference between the sexes. For women, it’s
a healthful fat. For men with heart disease or major cardiac risk factors,
it may also be a good choice — but men with more reason to worry
about prostate cancer should probably get their omega-3s from fish and
their vegetable fats largely from olive oil.
You are what you eat
It’s true for both men and women. And it’s also true that
a healthy, balanced diet is best for both genders. But there are differences;
the fine print of nutrition is one more way that the sexes are opposite.
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