After writing about how women’s nutritional priorities change as we get older, it seemed only fair to look at the men.
Because while women have been bombarded with diet advice since approximately the moment our first tooth came through, some men seem remarkably capable of making it halfway through the day on the nutritional philosophy of, “I had a banana earlier.”
Obviously, I’m generalising.
But only slightly.
Men’s bodies change with age too. Muscle mass, metabolism, heart health, prostate health and nutritional priorities can all shift over the decades, even if there isn’t one dramatic menopause moment announcing that the settings have changed.
So what should men actually be thinking about?
Your 20s: Zinc, Protein & the “I’m Basically Invincible” Years
The twenties are wonderfully forgiving.
You can have a terrible night’s sleep, eat something questionable at 2am and somehow appear at work the following morning looking relatively human.
This can create the impression that what you eat doesn’t particularly matter.
Unfortunately, your arteries are keeping notes.
Protein and zinc are worth paying attention to. Protein supports muscle growth and repair, particularly if you’re active, while zinc has roles in immune function, fertility and reproduction and maintaining normal testosterone levels.
Beans, chickpeas, lentils, tofu, tempeh, nuts and seeds can provide protein, while pumpkin seeds, beans, lentils and wholegrains can contribute zinc.
If you train regularly, your protein requirements may be higher, but “I go to the gym” doesn’t automatically mean every food you buy needs the word PROTEIN printed across it in enormous letters.
Ordinary food remains surprisingly effective.
And your skin? Please, stop washing your face with shower gel. The skin on your face is different from the skin on your body, and something designed to wash sweat from your armpits doesn’t necessarily belong around your eyes. A gentle facial cleanser removes sweat, dirt, excess oil and daily grime without leaving your skin feeling like it’s been scrubbed with washing-up liquid.
Hormones, sweat and shaving can mean oil, spots and blackheads too. The Lustrous is my first choice for oily and blemish-prone skin, while The Established works beautifully if you're somewhere between oily and dry. If your skin is super sensitive or easily irritated by shaving, The Exquisite is a lovely gentle option for calming and caring for easily agitated skin.
Your 30s: Fibre, Your Gut & the Habits That Catch Up With You
At 22, a beige dinner, four hours’ sleep and several pints could apparently be dealt with by having a shower.
By 35, your body may have started filing formal complaints.
This is a very good decade to make friends with fibre, because most of us could do with eating more of it. Fibre supports normal bowel function, helps feed our gut bacteria and is associated with better cardiovascular and metabolic health.
The sources aren’t terribly glamorous: oats, wholegrains, beans, lentils, chickpeas, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds.
No powdered Men’s Ultimate Gut Performance Matrix required.
This is also where the boring everyday habits start becoming far more interesting than the latest supplement. Eat more plants, move your body, get some sleep, and drink enough water. Your future self is unlikely to complain that you ate too many lentils at 35.
And your skin? This is where I'd start choosing products according to what your skin is actually doing rather than your age. The Mix & Match Duo lets you pair the cleanser and face cream that suit you, while The Clean Slate gives you a gentle occasional exfoliation to remove dead skin, oil and build-up around pores and beard hair. If pigmentation or uneven skin tone is creeping in, have a look at The Balance.
Your 40s: Your Heart Would Like a Word
The forties are when some of the choices we’ve been making for twenty years can start showing up in blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and waist circumference.
This isn’t an invitation to panic and live entirely on kale.
It’s simply a good time to know your numbers and start thinking about your heart before it gives you a reason to.
One wonderfully unglamorous food deserves a mention here: oats. They contain beta-glucan, a type of soluble fibre that can help lower cholesterol as part of a healthy diet. Beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables and unsaturated fats such as olive oil belong in the heart-health conversation too.
And perhaps look at alcohol honestly.
Alcohol has a peculiar ability to become invisible when we’re counting what we consume. A couple of drinks here, a bottle shared there, Friday becomes Thursday and suddenly “I don’t drink much” is doing quite a lot of administrative work.
You don’t have to become perfect.
Just pay attention.
And your skin? Oiliness can begin giving way to dryness, so The Eternal is a lovely richer choice as skin matures. If you're still oily or combination, stick with The Lustrous or The Established. Your skin hasn't read this blog and doesn't know it's turned 40.
And if redness or rosacea appears, you're certainly not alone because men get rosacea too. The Radiance was created specifically for rosacea-prone, red and sensitive skin, with a simple cleanser and face cream to keep things gentle.
Your 50s: Muscle, Prostate Health & Beetroot
By our fifties, muscle becomes about considerably more than looking muscular.
Maintaining muscle and strength as we get older helps us move, maintain balance, support our joints, carry shopping, get off the floor and remain independent later in life.
That’s considerably more interesting than impressive biceps.
Include protein regularly and use the muscles you’re feeding. Lift weights. Use resistance bands. Garden. Walk hills. Carry things. Find something you’ll actually continue doing rather than buying equipment in January that becomes an extremely expensive clothes horse by March.
This is also an age when prostate health becomes more relevant. There isn’t one magical “prostate food”, and I’d be deeply suspicious of anyone trying to sell you one, but eating plenty of plant foods, maintaining a healthy weight and looking after your overall health are sensible foundations.
Tomatoes are interesting because they contain lycopene, an antioxidant that has been studied in relation to prostate health, although that doesn’t mean eating tomato soup prevents prostate cancer.
Then there’s humble old beetroot. Its naturally occurring nitrate can be converted by the body into nitric oxide, which helps blood vessels relax, and research suggests nitrate-rich beetroot may have benefits for blood pressure.
Roast it, grate it, put it into soup.
You don’t need a £4 wellness shot.
And your skin? The Eternal is wonderful for increasingly dry, mature skin, The Exquisite for skin that's become particularly sensitive, and The Radiance if redness or rosacea is the bigger issue. If you're sporting a beard, a few drops of The Bloom can soften and nourish both the beard and the skin underneath.
No ten-step routine required.
Your 60s & Beyond: B12, Protein & Eating to Stay Strong
Later life isn’t the time to survive on tea, toast and marmalade simply because appetite has changed.
Protein becomes increasingly important because maintaining muscle supports strength, balance and independence, while vitamin B12 deserves attention too. It’s needed for normal red blood cell formation and nervous-system function, and for anyone eating a vegan diet, reliable fortified foods and appropriate B12 supplementation are particularly important.
Calcium and vitamin D continue to matter for bones, while hydration deserves attention because our sensation of thirst can become less obvious as we get older.
But nutrition isn’t only about nutrients.
Cook for somebody, sit around a table, have the roast dinner, make the curry, eat the pudding, and dunk that biscuit occasionally.
Food is part of looking after your body, but enjoying the life you’re trying to prolong matters too.
And your skin? By now, forget what the number on your birthday card says and choose what your skin needs: The Eternal for mature and dry skin, The Exquisite for sensitivity, The Radiance for redness or rosacea, or The Balance for uneven-looking skin. Keep The Bloom around for a dry or increasingly silver beard too.
Skincare at 60, 70 or 80 isn't about turning back the clock. It's simply about looking after the skin that's got you this far.
Eat for the Man You Want to Be at 80
Men don’t suddenly need a completely different diet every time they have a birthday.
The foundations remain remarkably boring: eat plenty of plants, get enough protein and fibre, include healthy fats, drink enough water, move your body and don’t make ultra-processed food the foundation of everything you eat.
What changes is where you might want to pay a little more attention.
Your 20s: zinc, protein and foundations.
Your 30s: fibre, your gut and better habits.
Your 40s: heart health and cholesterol. Eat the oats.
Your 50s: muscle, prostate awareness and blood pressure. Give beetroot a chance.
Your 60s and beyond: B12, protein and staying strong.
Before buying men’s supplements, performance powders, testosterone blends or longevity stacks, look at the boring foundations first.
Are you eating vegetables? Are you getting enough fibre? Regular protein? Are you moving your body? Drinking more alcohol than you think? Sleeping?
Because no powder sprinkled into a smoothie can completely compensate for everything else.
Perhaps that’s the biggest change I’d make to the way we talk about men’s nutrition.
Don’t just eat for the body you want this summer.
Eat for the man you’d quite like to be at 80.
Build muscle because you want to stay strong. Eat fibre because your gut and heart matter. Eat plants because they bring an extraordinary collection of nutrients with them. Look after your heart before it gives you a reason to.
And enjoy your food, because healthy ageing isn’t about spending the second half of your life desperately trying to recreate the first.
It’s about giving yourself the best possible chance of remaining strong, curious, independent and very much involved in your own life, preferably while still enjoying pudding occasionally, because everything in moderation, remember.
Grandma already told us that one.
Enjoyed this one? I’ve written a couple more for the men too, so have a read of When Did Men Start Caring About Skincare? and Why Men’s Skin Deserves More Attention Than It Gets, because apparently I have quite a lot to say about men, their skin and what they’ve been washing it with. 😂