Top Diet Plan For Men

Although similar in many ways, men have slightly different nutritional requirements than women. For a start, men are usually taller and have more muscle than women, which means their recommended calorie intake is 2500 calories instead of 2000, although that number can vary depending on your height and physical activity.

Men are also at lower risk of osteoporosis than women so they don't need as much calcium – around 800mg per day is the recommended allowance. In fact, too much calcium can increase the risk of prostate cancer. Women are also more susceptible to iron deficiency because of monthly blood loss, while men only need to eat about 8mg per day.

We put together a week-long diet plan for men to stay healthy and active while getting all the essential nutrients.

BREAKFAST

Breakfast is a good time to start getting your recommended daily intake of protein – between 50g and 60g per day. Protein is an essential component of any good diet plan for men because it keeps you full and prevents you from overeating for the rest of the day. If you exercise before breakfast then eating protein immediately afterwards will help recovery and muscle repair.

Omelet Ham for extra protein and some tomato and cheese make a quick and fast meal in the mornings.

Toast Wholegrain bread is better for you, and use healthy protein filled toppings like peanut butter and banana, avocado or cottage cheese.

Oatmeal Full of fiber and will keep you full until lunch. Use cinnamon and apples for flavor instead of sugar.

Yogurt and fruit Greek yogurt has more protein and is low in fat, and blueberries and strawberries are full of protective antioxidants.

Salmon bagel with cream cheese Neatly portable for breakfast on the go and a good balance of protein, carbs and healthy fat.

Muffins These can be healthy if you leave out the sugar and add lots of fruit (for sweet ones) or bacon, zucchini and onion (for savory ones).

Full English Keep it healthy by limiting the fat used in cooking and including lots of grilled vegetables.

LUNCH

It's almost impossible to get your allotted seven portions of fruit and vegetables per day if you only eat them at dinner, so try to incorporate as many as possible into lunch. Every man's lunchtime diet plan should include a balance of macronutrients and make sure your carbs are wholegrain so your blood sugar won't drop in the middle of the afternoon.

Soup Warm and comforting in the middle of winter or chilled in the summer, cook your soup with a range of different vegetables and a protein like lentils or sausage.

Sandwiches Good fillings are lean beef or turkey, tuna, mackerel, hard boiled eggs, low fat cheese and all kinds of salad ingredients like rocket or cucumber.

Wraps A lower carb content than sandwiches if you're trying to cut down, but can be filled with the same delicious ingredients.

Burritos The beans, chicken and vegetables all contribute towards your seven a day and won't spike your blood sugar, and you can make it a bit more interesting with different spices.

Jacket potato Make sure you eat the skin it's full of fiber and nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium and magnesium.

Stir fired noodles This can be made in advance and heated up at work, and is a good way to use up any leftover vegetables from dinner.

Prawn salad Prawns are low in calories and fat and high in protein, and make a salad more filling and satisfying.

DINNER

Think about getting as much color as possible on your plate - a wide range of different colored vegetables means different essential vitamins and minerals, as well as making your food look tempting. Our diet plan for men uses lighter sauces so you're not eating too much fat, but don't try to cut out fat altogether - healthy fats are as necessary as protein for growth and repair.

Sushi Seafood is high quality protein and cucumber, asparagus or avocado rolls contain good amounts of vitamins. Replace starchy white rice with brown or black for more fiber.

Beef casserole If you make this in a slow cooker it will preserve more vitamins from the vegetables and make the meat juicy and tender.

Bacon and mushroom penne Simple to throw together on a weeknight. Use pesto instead of heavy creamy sauces to cut down on fat.

Shepherd's pie Include some lentils with your minced lamb to add some protein without fat and use a sweet potato topping to bring down the carbs.

Thai curry It can be made with reduced fat coconut milk to keep the calories down and add lots of fresh peppers and carrots for color and vitamins.

Trout with new potatoes Trout is full of omega-3 fatty acids and contains more than 100% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin B12.

Roast chicken and vegetables Roast the vegetables in a light oil like olive or canola full of monounsaturated fats.

SNACKS

Snacks can be the death of your diet plan, since it's easy for men (and women!) to eat more than you intended while your focus is on the TV or your laptop instead. Try some of these healthy alternatives and you can snack to you heart's content.

Frozen fruit sticks They make a great summer replacement for ice pops and are a great source of vitamin C - try kiwi fruit, melon, strawberry and pineapple.

Peanuts If you're craving chips then try peanuts roasted in their shells, which don't have the fat and salt content of the shelled kind.

Apple crisps Finely slice an apple and bake in the oven with a little cinnamon - easy to make and good for you.

Yogurt and granola Top a bowl of Greek yogurt with some mixed granola and fresh fruit.

Spicy roasted chickpeas Full of protein and flavor and even lower in fat than peanuts.

Protein bars Make our own with dried fruit, seeds and desiccated coconut and use honey instead of syrup to bind them.

Potato wedges If you leave the skins on for extra nutrients and cook them in the oven with a little spray-on oil then wedges are fine in moderation.