Women are busy people. From keeping up with anything from family life to work or school to self-care, maintaining your health can seem difficult.
Female bodies go through lots of physical and hormonal changes as you age which means your nutritional needs change too. In general, women don’t need as many calories as men but they do need more of certain vitamins and minerals.
The key to nutrition and health for women is finding what works best for them individually. Finding ways to improve your energy, decrease stress, boost fertility, or enjoy a healthy life can be difficult. There are different things both nutritional and physical that women should add to their daily routines in order to feel more optimal.
A balanced diet is the key to health. Incorporating a variety of healthy foods from different food groups into a diet is very important. Eating healthy can help to improve your overall health as well as prevent diseases. Eating healthy allows one to get essential nutrients without having to take vitamins or supplements, which are often full of chemicals and synthetic vitamins. Women are more likely to be low in iron, folate, calcium, and vitamin D. A balanced diet can help to fill in these low nutrients. A balanced diet includes:
- Fruits and vegetables: Eat a variety of colors
- Protein: Include seafood, lean meat, poultry, eggs, beans, nuts, and soy
- Grains: Whole grains like brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, and whole-wheat bread
- Dairy: Calcium is essential, get this by drinking milk, eating low-fat yogurt, low-fat cheese. If you prefer to not have dairy you can try getting calcium from things such as kale, broccoli, and fortified foods
- Oils: Try to use oil from plants rather than solid fats, don’t get fat through packaged foods
- Fiber: Getting fiber from whole-grains, beans, fruits, dark green vegetables, squash, and nuts will help to reduce inflammation and help you stay regulated
Physical activity is important for women of all ages. Regular exercise can help you to maintain weight, have more energy, reduce stress, boost confidence, and more. It is important to do strengthening exercises as well as cardiovascular exercises. These will help you to maintain health and reach your health goals. Some simple ways to incorporate physical exercise into your daily routine include:
- Go for walks
- Play actively with your children or grandchildren
- Turn on music and dance through the house
- Gather family or friends and go for hikes, go swimming, go on bike rides, or play sports together
- Park farther away at the grocery store
Set achievable goals to eat better and get more exercise. Benefits will come to you now and in the future.
Sources:
eatright.org/food/nutrition/dietary-guidelines-and-myplate/healthy-eating-for-women
womenshealth.gov/healthy-eating/healthy-eating-and-women
womenshealth.gov/getting-active/physical-activity-all-women
betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/HealthyLiving/physical-activity-for-women