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Food For The Sexes

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Eating right is largely regarded as an important part of staying healthy, but research reveals that gender might play a role in what you should be including in your diet. In other words, what's beneficial for men might not be beneficial for women and vice versa.

"I love tomatoes, I love meatballs with tomato sauce," said dieter Adam Gelnick.

These are good foods for Gelnick, who recently overhauled his diet with the help of nutritionist Lauren Slayton, who paid close attention to his gender.

"Tomatoes are great for men in terms of prostate health," said Slayton. "The nutrient for prostate cancer that can result in a lower incidence and slow progression is lycopene."

Lycopene is a plant chemical found in tomatoes and other red produce like watermelon and red grapefruit.

"I'm designing a food plan for a man and a woman and they're going to be different," explained Slayton.

For Gelnick and other men, Slayton suggests starting the day with a heartier, more calorie dense breakfast, for increased energy and focus.

"It seems minor but it really sets my day up in the appropriate way," said Gelnick.

"These are sprouted English muffins, higher protein content, higher B vitamin content, and put an egg on there and you're going to have a happy guy who's also going to be healthy," said Slayton.

When it comes to the gym, there's cherry juice.

"I might use something like a beet juice which increases athletic performance or cherry juice which shortens recovery time for men and for women we might say you're gonna get a better weight benefit working out on empty and eating as soon as you can afterwards.," said Slayton.

A female focused diet helped Emily Bohanan regulate her hormones, and she said the pounds just fell off

"I did start losing weight effortlessly when I made these changes in order to impact my health and the way I was feeling," explained Bohanan.

Nutritionist Alisa Vitti had Bohanan switch her diet to hearty greens, and protein heavy foods like lentil soup and grilled chicken for better hormone health.

"Chick peas and buckwheat, cinnamon and honey, all of these things contain nutrients that allow the body to have healthier ovulation," said Vitti.

Women who have monthly emotional issues might want to try sweet potato.

"If you're eating more sweet potatoes it helps maintain levels of blood sugar that keep your mood better," explained Vitti.

Vitti also said Brazil nuts can help increase sperm production in men.

Another food that can improve your love life is celery. It boosts a pheromone that makes them more attractive to the ladies.

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