Are you eating the right foods and doing the right exercises to prevent ED? 

According to the Harvard Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS), men who exercise 3-5 hours a week have a 30% lower risk of erectile dysfunction. 

This is good news, so if you are not monitoring your weight or exercising, now is the time to get up and start moving. 

Of great importance is the study of more than 31,000 men, aged 53 to 90, who did not have prostate cancer. 33% of men reported having erectile dysfunction in the previous three months.

The study showed that regular exercise can mean 10 more years without erectile dysfunction for the average man. 

Previous studies have found that exercise reduces the risk of prostate cancer, the treatment of which can also lead to erectile dysfunction.

While exercise is important for staying fit, let’s start with the basics first.. your diet. Is there an ideal diet for men concerned with preventing, improving or even reversing erectile dysfunction?

Does such a regime exist? The answer is a categorical YES! Numerous studies show that a vegetarian diet, accompanied by moderate exercise,  may be the cure that so many men are desperate for. 

According to the National Kidney and Urological Diseases: Erectile dysfunction, sometimes called impotence, is the repeated inability to get or maintain an erection that is firm enough for intercourse.

There are many causes of erectile dysfunction and impotence. 

Physical causes include damage to the nerves, arteries, muscles, and tissues responsible for an erection.

However, 70% of ED is caused by diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, chronic alcoholism, atherosclerosis, vascular disease, and neurological disease.

Erectile dysfunction occurs when blood flow to the penis is blocked or severely restricted. This results in an inability to achieve an erection.

The cause of this circulatory slowdown, or lack of blood flow, is atherosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries.

Hardening of the arteries can occur when cholesterol from the foods we eat “sticks” to the inner walls of blood vessels and creates a hard layer of plaque, thereby obstructing normal, healthy circulation.

A lifestyle rich in a diet of meat and dairy products is likely to lead to high levels of cholesterol. This leads to blockages and ultimately erectile dysfunction in men.

On the other hand, vegetarians have an average cholesterol level 23 percent lower than non-vegetarians. Vegans who, in addition to being vegetarians, do not eat dairy products or eggs, have an average cholesterol level that is 37 percent lower than that of the general population.

A low fat vegetarian diet is the best way to start clearing the arteries and therefore the ideal diet for erectile dysfunction.

According to the National Institutes of Health, erectile dysfunction is also a symptom of many disorders and diseases.

Direct risk factors for erectile dysfunction can include the following: 

type 2 diabetes high blood pressure prostate problems depression alcohol high cholesterol smoking

Being overweight or even obese leads to diabetes, which can damage the nerves and arteries in the genital area, disrupting the blood flow necessary for an erection.

You should also keep in mind that a diet high in meat can expose a man to many synthetic hormones used in meat production. It could cause a man’s testosterone levels to drop. 

Keep in mind that the benefits of switching to a vegetarian diet for erectile dysfunction are even better realized when a person is simultaneously taking a moderate exercise program. 

Being a vegetarian may not be easy for you, however, if you add more fruits, vegetables, and fiber to your diet, you will improve your overall health.

What to include in your daily diet.

Limit meat or dairy to low-fat alternatives such as skim milk or turkey, and cut out red meat.

FRUIT – 3 or more servings per day  BEANS – 2 or more servings per day WHOLE GRAINS – 5 or more servings per day VEGETABLES – 4 or more servings per day. 

In addition to inaction, men can change other risk factors, including obesity and smoking.

Men can significantly reduce their risk of erectile dysfunction by doing regular cardiovascular exercise, losing weight, and not smoking.

What’s your ED story?