Djimon Hounsou, whom you probably first noticed when in the film Amistad, or when he spoke words of wisdom to Russell Crowe in Gladiator. Either way, the once homeless Hounsou’s movie roles call for a certain physical presence–and he eats with that in mind. The result: He looks amazing at age 50, when a lot of men are shopping for a better car to compensate for the decline in their own chassis. But that’s also not an either/or proposition. Why not have a great body and all the rest, especially if high-octane food can fuel you along the way?
“There’s a huge difference in the way you look when you focus on both nutrition and conditioning,” says Hounsou. We won’t argue the point.
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What follows is a meal plan that Hounsou used to combine weight-loss potential and muscle-making power, wrapped up in food he wouldn’t get sick of. So instead of trying to go “meal-for-meal” with Hounsou’s specific diet, here are some meal planning tips that he and other men around the world can follow to look their best in their 5o’s.
For Weight
Adopt a point system. Assign these values to menu items: 2 points for a salad; 3 points for an appetizer; 2 points for an entrée; 4 points for a dessert; and 2 points for an alcoholic beverage. Order whatever you want, but limit yourself to a total of 6 points. To follow this system, choose from a category only once.
For Skin
Eat two sweet potatoes every week. This will provide you with the same amount of weekly beta-carotene as in men who demonstrated the lowest skin-cancer risk. Other top sources are carrots and cantaloupe.
For Muscles
Eat more protein. While you don’t have to go overboard on protein, there’s proof that a high protein diet helps when pushing your muscles to the limit. Tuna. Ounce for ounce, it’s one of the best sources of protein—and contains zero saturated fat.
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