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5 Tips: Eating Well for Women’s Health
Eating well is vital for everyone. Women have particular needs depending what stage of life they are in. Here are 5 tips.
Exercise Every Day
Include some exercise in your day to day in order to boost your energy. Women tend to have less muscle mass than men, which results in a slower metabolism. This means they have lower energy needs and can gain weight easier than men. Exercise contributes to the maintenance of a healthy weight, muscle mass, and general wellbeing.
Eat Iron-Rich Foods
Iron is an essential mineral for the body’s oxygen circulation. An iron deficiency can cause extreme fatigue, pale complexion and irritability. Young children, pregnant women, premenopausal women, certain athletes and vegetarian women are more at risk of becoming anemic.
Dietary sources of iron: red meat, poultry, pork, spinach, legumes and lentils.
For more information, check out my article Iron Deficiency Anemia.
For an iron-rich meal, try this recipe: Chili con carne.
Get Enough Calcium
Vital for the development and maintenance of healthy bones and teeth, calcium is important throughout life to prevent osteoporosis. Osteoporosis makes bones thinner and more fragile because of loss of calcium. This leads to a higher risk of fractures. Calcium also plays other roles in the body. It helps maintain healthy muscle and heart function.
Dietary sources of calcium: dairy products and enriched dairy substitutes such as soy or rice milk, tofu (made with calcium sulfate), sardines.
Try our No-Cook Banana-Nuts Oatmeal, it’s a great source of calcium.
Folic Acid for Women of Childbearing
The body cannot store large reserves of folic acid (vitamin B9). It is therefore necessary to regularly eat foods rich in this vitamin in order to maintain normal levels. Before conception and during pregnancy, it’s very important to take supplements of this vitamin every day. It can reduce the risk of the baby developing a neural tube anomaly during the first few months of pregnancy.
Dietary sources of folic acid: asparagus, cooked spinach, roman lettuce, soy beans, orange juice and sunflower seeds.
For more information, check out the following articles:
Foods to Eat in Moderation
To avoid gaining weight, boost your nutritional profile and improve your absorption of nutrients, eat the following foods in moderation:
Sugar: all concentrated sugar adds empty calories. The result is a reduced daily intake of good quality nutrients, because these empty calories have replaced healthy foods.
Fat: because it is energy dense, it’s important to favor better sources to ensure an adequate intake of good fats without exceeding your energy needs.
Alcohol: impairs the absorption of nutrients when it is consumed in high quantities, and it adds a lot of liquid calories. It’s preferable to consume calories in a solid form, as these will satiate you.
Author
Changing eating habits gradually and adapting to the needs of my clients is the cornerstone of my approach. Eating well for fun and for health is the goal and everything begins with a return to simplicity in our habits. I am a nutritionist and have offered counselling in nutrition for 10 years.
I never knew how essential iron is for the body’s oxygen circulation. My mom is looking to find a women’s health physician so she can get healthier to possibly fun a half marathon in the future. I think I will also talk to her about watching her iron consumption.