By Donna Myers, About.com

In American culture, eating green leafy vegetables, or any vegetables really, just isn’t considered manly. Meat and potatoes? Man food. Hamburgers, hot dogs, beer: man food. Barbecued chicken? Healthy man food. The only manly character I can think of who’s known for eating his green leafy vegetables is Popeye, and frankly, there’s just something weird about him.

So when I saw a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology that determined men could reduce their risk of colorectal cancer by eating more green leafy vegetables, I thought "good luck." But you know what? It just isn’t that hard. Kale, collard greens, and mustard greens are all excellent choices. Spinach, arugula, and Swiss chard are all good options, too, and quite versatile. You can put them in salads, stir-fry, and even hide them in pasta sauce.

How Can You Apply This Research to Your Life?

Very few people will go from hardly eating vegetables to eating a lot overnight; of those that do, even fewer will stick with it. But, if you think you fall into the category of benefiting from more green leafy vegetables in your diet, just walk over to the lettuce section in the grocery store and look at what’s there. Then, buy one thing and use it. See if you like it, and if you don’t, try something else next week.

Studies have consistently indicated that a healthy lifestyle, including eating well, tends to reduce colorectal cancer risk in particular and cancer risk in general. For more detailed information, please read Prevention Tip: Eat a Balanced Diet.

Source: Park, Y. and Subar, A. "Fruit and Vegetable Intakes and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in the NIH–AARP Diet and Health Study." American Journal of Epidemiology Published online ahead of print 7 May 2007. Accessed 12 May 2007.