Throughout their lives, men's health compares badly to that of women. This article looks at healthy eating for men, whose energy and nutritional requirements differ from women's. It outlines the changes in food and alcohol intake that some males need to make in order to reduce their risk of ill-health and disease. A healthy diet in adolescence is also important as this is the period of rapid growth when much of the body's bone mass is laid down. Since men attend health centres and visit their general practitioners less often than women, health professionals should consider raising nutritional issues opportunistically.