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player ready...The theory has been that men just don`t take diet and nutrition seriously enough to do much more than mix up a Slim Fast milkshake or take a one-a-day multiple vitamin now and then. Weight Watchers` membership is 90 to 95 percent female-not because there are more overweight women, but because women are more likely then men to show up for motivational meetings and support groups designed to promote healthy eating habits and to change lifestyles.
The vast majority of nutritionists are women who work with other women to get their families to eat more of what`s good for them and less of what`s not, and most diet plans very obviously aim their messages at women.
Oh sure, Tommy Lasorda and Joe Gibbs hold out the waistbands of their big boy pants on those television commercials to show us what Slim Fast has done for them. But there you are back to over-the-counter liquid meal substitutes- glorified milkshakes-and prepared snacks that require nothing more than ripping open the packages.
All that could be changing, says the American Dietetic Association.
Call it a meat and potatoes makeover, but men between the ages of 25 and 49 are considerably more concerned about nutrition today than they were just a year ago.
”More and more men are taking a greater responsibility for their own health and nutrition. They aren`t just leaving it up to their mothers or wives,” says Martin Yadrick, a spokesman for the American Dietetic Association.
A new survey conducted by the ADA, a group of 62,000 food and nutrition professionals-98 percent of which are female-shows that 71 percent of the men in this age category consider nutrition a top priority, a jump from 59 percent in the group`s 1991 survey.
A whopping 87 percent expressed at least some concern about nutrition in the survey conducted in March, up from 80 percent last year.
And survey results indicate that at least some men are grasping the most important message about healthy eating. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said they have begun eating less fat, nearly double the 14 percent who made the same claim last year.
In addition, 14 percent of the men surveyed said they were eating less cholesterol and 10 percent said they were cutting back on sodium. Ten percent reported eating more vegetables and five percent said they have increased their fruit consumption.
”We`re on the right track,” Yadrick says. ”If men were to choose just one way to improve their diets, cutting back on fat is it. Lower fat diets have not only been linked to reduced risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer, they`re also a key to successful weight control, physical fitness, even improved energy and mental alertness.”
Yadrick attributes the increasing male interest in nutrition to interest in fitness overall and new consumer magazines such as Men`s Health.
”Men are exposed to more health and nutrition messages and opportunities to learn how to eat right and are taking a more active role in purchasing and preparing food.” he said in a telephone chat.
The key reasons mentioned for eating right included health and disease prevention, 35 percent this year compared to 44 percent in 1991; physical fitness, 28 percent compared to 20 percent; and weight control, 13 percent compared to 12 percent.
More than one-fourth of the men surveyed said they did ”all or almost all” the grocery shopping in their households, with 47 percent of the married men reporting they did at least half the shopping. Among all respondents, 43 percent said they read labels on food packaging all or most of the time.
With dietetics branching out to include sports nutrition specialization and corporate wellness programs, more men are also looking to careers as dietitians, Yadrick says.
”The field is changing, but it`s changing real slowly. A lot of men don`t even think of dietetics as a career option.”
Men with questions about eating right can call a toll-free hotline, 800-366-1655, operated by the National Center for Nutrition and Dietetics. Dietitians staff the hotline Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. And pre-recorded nutrition messages are available 24 hours a day.
More than 3,600 people have called the hotline to hear the special message recorded for men since June 5, when that message was initiated. Callers also can request a free copy of the brochure, ”Food Strategies for Men.” More than 10,000 copies have been mailed out in the last year and a half.
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