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Essential Nutrition for Women
While everyone can benefit from a healthy, balanced diet, women’s bodies have special nutritional needs. Are you eating what your body requires? It’s not as hard as you might think; vital nutrients are easy to add to your diet with a little forethought and a willingness to try new things.
“People often focus on what they can’t have when they eat. Maybe they should try to focus, instead, on what they can have,” says Patricia Groziak, M.S., R.D. senior lead nutrition manager, USA for Unilever. “A few changes in your diet can provide you with more nutrients than you think.”
Specifically, women ages 19 to 50 need to focus on getting the essential nutrients listed here with their recommended daily intake.
- Iron, 18 mg. Iron is needed for red blood cell production, and many women of menstruating age fail to get enough. Left unchecked, iron deficiency can lead to anemia. Add iron to your diet with beans, eggs, lean red meat, poultry, fortified breakfast cereals, whole grains and seafood such as tuna, salmon and oysters. And remember that vitamin C helps enhance the body’s absorption iron.
- Calcium, 1,000 mg.Calcium helps build sturdy bones and helps reduce bone loss. As osteoporosis affects four times as many women as men, calcium is essential in protecting bone strength in women. Excellent sources of this nutrient are milk, yogurt, cheese and tofu.
- Folic acid, 400 mcg. This vitamin is required for a healthy heart and proper cell function. Pregnant women need 600 mcg daily to help reduce the risk of neural tube defects in their baby. The best sources of folic acid are fortified breakfast cereals, lentils, broccoli, spinach and orange juice.
- Fiber, 25 g. Fiber is good for gastrointestinal regularity and heart health — an important consideration, as heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. To boost your fiber intake, try whole grains, 100% bran cereal, legumes, fruits and vegetables.
- Vitamin C, 75 mg. Like other antioxidants, vitamin C may help prevent cell damage and support the immune system. It also aids in producing collagen, an important component of bone and cartilage. Vitamin C is abundant in all citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruit, as well as strawberries, cantaloupe, red pepper, broccoli and kiwi fruit.
- Potassium, 4,700 mg. Potassium plays an important role in helping to control blood pressure and regulate fluid balance. Good sources include bananas, orange juice, baked potatoes (with skin), beans and low-fat dairy products, like yogurt.
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