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| Healthy Eating For Women |
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Breast cancer. Osteoporosis. Iron deficiency. Weight reduction. What do these things have in
common? They are either unique to women, or are more prevalent in women. And they affect
current recommendations on what women should eat for optimum health.
While new information on what's good and what's bad seems to surface almost daily, some basic
guidelines have taken root over the past several years.
The bottom line is:
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- Eat a variety of foods
- Maintain healthy weight
- Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
- Choose a diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits and grain products
- Use sugar and salt/sodium only in moderation
- If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.
That sounds simple enough. Except, what exactly is variety? Cake one day, cookies the next?
What is a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol? And, finally, what parts of a
healthy diet have special importance for women?
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| Vitamins and Minerals |
| There are several vitamins and minerals essential to a healthy diet. A well-balanced diet
will usually meet women's allowances for them. However, for good health, women need to
pay special attention to two minerals, calcium and iron.
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| Calcium |
Both women and men need enough calcium to build peak (maximum) bone mass during their early
years of life. Low calcium intake appears to be an important factor in the development of
osteoporosis. Women have a greater risk than men of developing osteoporosis.
A condition in which progressive loss of bone mass occurs with aging, osteoporosis causes the
bones to be more susceptible to fracture. If a woman has a high level of bone mass when her
skeleton matures, this may modify her risk of developing osteoporosis.
Therefore, particularly during adolescence and early adulthood, women should increase their
food sources of calcium. "The most important time to get a sufficient amount of calcium is
while bone growth and consolidation are occurring, a period that continues until approximately
age 30 to 35," says Marilyn Stephenson, a registered dietitian with FDA's Center for Food
Safety and Applied Nutrition. "The idea is, if you can build a maximum peak of calcium
deposits early on, this may delay fractures that occur later in life."
In Singapore, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for calcium for woman 19 to 64 is 500
milligrams per day. The American RDA breaks it down for women 19 to 24 to have 1,200 mg of
calcium; the allowance drops to 800 milligrams for women 25 and older. "That is still a
significant amount." says Stephenson. "The need for good dietary sources of calcium continues
throughout life," she says.
How do you get enough calcium without too many calories and fat? After all, the foods that top
the calcium charts--milk, cheese, ice cream--are also high in calorie and fat.
There are lower fat choices such as HiLo or skim milk instead of homogenized (whole) milk,
and lower fat cheeses, yoghurts, and ice milk.
In addition to dairy foods, other good sources of calcium
include fish with bones (ikan bilis or sardines), tofu (soybean curd), certain vegetables,
dried peas and beans, seeds, and nuts.
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| Iron |
For women, the RDA for iron is 11 milligrams per day, 5 milligrams more than the RDA for men.
Women need more of this mineral because they lose an average of 15 to 20 milligrams of iron
each month during menstruation. Without enough iron, iron deficiency anemia can develop and
cause symptoms that include pallor, fatigue and headaches.
After menopause, body iron stores generally begin to increase. Therefore, iron deficiency in
women over 50 may indicate blood loss from another source, and should be checked by a
physician.
Animal products--meat, fish and poultry--are good and important sources of iron. In addition,
the type of iron, known as heme iron, in these foods is well absorbed in the human intestine.
Dietary iron from plant sources, called non-heme, are found in peas and beans, spinach and
other green leafy vegetables, potatoes, and whole-grain and iron-fortified cereal products.
Although non-heme iron is not as well absorbed as heme iron, the amount of non-heme iron
absorbed from a meal is influenced by other constituents in the diet. The addition of even
relatively small amounts of meat or foods containing vitamin C substantially increases the
total amount of iron absorbed from the entire meal.
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| Calories and Weight Control |
Weight control is often a concern for women. There is a lot of pressure in our society to be a
certain body size; we see tall, underweight models splashed across the front page of glamour
magazines suggesting that they should be the norm. Weight alone is not the only determinant
of health, body shape, amount of fat to lean body mass, familial history, and other factors
all contribute to your overall health. Use the calculators to
see how you rate.
On the other hand, a woman's metabolism slows down from 2 to 8 percent every decade, which
means women need 100 fewer calories a day than she did 10 years ago. It is no surprise then
to find ourselves putting on weight even if we are eating the same or maybe less than before.
Cutting back on calories is not always the answer to losing weight. It is important that you
are meeting all your daily requirements for a healthy diet by having the minimum number of
servings per day from the Healthy Diet Pyramid.
If you find you are gaining weight, do not only focus on cutting calories, but also about
increasing activity and exercise. Calories are only half of the equation for weight control.
Physical activity burns calories, increases the proportion of lean to fat body mass, and
raises your metabolism. Include strength-training and weight-bearing exercise in your routine
to preserve bone density and combat the loss of muscle. So, a combination of both calorie
control and increased physical activity is important for attaining healthy weight.
If, however, you are been pigging out--well, you know what you have to do.
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| Folic Acid |
| Folate is important for women who are considering getting pregnant. Folic acid, the synthetic
form of folate, a B vitamin protects fetuses from birth defects such as neural tube defects.
Folate-deficient diets have also been linked to heart disease, colon cancer and dementia
in the elderly. Good sources of folate include green, leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, folic
acid-fortified cereal, and supplements. It is important to have enough folate even before you
find out that you are pregnant because most of us do not find out that we are pregnant until
a month into the pregnancy. It is in the first few weeks of fetal development that the folate
is most important as the foundation for nerve generation is laid down.
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| Cholesterol & Fats |
Women tend to have higher levels than men of a desirable type of cholesterol called HDLs
(high-density lipoproteins) until menopause, leading some researchers to believe there is
a link between HDLs and estrogen levels. But this does not let women off the hook--a diet
high in saturated fat and cholesterol can still mean trouble.
For both women and men, blood cholesterol levels of below 5.2 mmol/l (200 mg/dl) are
desirable. Levels between 5.2-6.2 mmol/l (200-240 mg/dl) are considered borderline, and
anything over 6.2 mmol/l (240 mg/dl) is high. High levels of blood cholesterol
increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
To keep levels in the good range, the Dietary Guidelines recommends eating no more than
300 milligrams of cholesterol a day. Cholesterol is found only in food from animal sources,
such as egg yolks, dairy products, meat, poultry, shellfish, and--in smaller
amounts--fish and some processed products containing animal foods.
Even more important than limiting dietary cholesterol to under 300 milligrams is keeping
saturated fat to under 10 percent of total calories. Saturated fat is found in fat on meats,
full-fat dairy products, coconut milk & oil, lard, ghee and palm oil. Also follow
general guidelines to keep total fat in the diet to less than 30% of total calories.
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| During Pregnancy |
Your health and nutritional state before you become pregnant not only affect your ability to
conceive but also the health of your baby and your own health down the road. To help ensure
conception and delivery of a healthy baby and to protect your own health, you should get your
weight into a healthy range even before trying to conceive.
If you're undernourished and underweight, you may stop menstruating and become unable to
conceive. If you do become pregnant while malnourished, you're starting off with inadequate
stores of nutrients for both you and your baby. To lessen your chances of giving
birth to a premature, underweight baby with a higher than normal risk of birth defects, it's
important for you to start eating well before you decide to become pregnant.
Overweight women also run the risk of developing more complications during pregnancy and tend
to gain more weight than normal-weight women during pregnancy. If you're obese, you have a
higher risk of developing high blood pressure or gestational diabetes, a form of diabetes
that develops during pregnancy, usually disappears afterward and poses risks for both mother
and baby. You may also deliver an overweight baby. If, however, you are overweight and do
become pregnant, now is not the time to try losing weight. Instead, you'll have to work a
little harder to gain no more than the appropriate amount of weight throughout your
pregnancy.
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| Weight |
| Pregnant women who start off at a healthy weight are advised to gain 25 to 35 pounds.
Underweight women may need to gain up to 40 pounds and overweight women only 15. Your doctor
will tell you which end of the range you should aim for, depending on your age, height and
weight when you become pregnant. You can determine if you are at a healthy weight
pre-pregnancy by using the Body Mass Index calculator.
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| Energy (Calorie) Requirements |
To get the all nutrients you need without overeating during pregnancy, choose your foods
carefully. Stick to the Healthy Diet Pyramid but add 2 daily serving
of milk and milk products (Meat & Alternatives Food group) in the first trimester.
During the second and third trimesters, you need 300 extra calories a day, so add
an extra serving from each of the four food group. Adequate energy intake is important for
growth and development of the fetus and for the mother's ability to adapt to stresses such
as infections or episodes of bleeding. Additional energy during pregnancy is required for the
development of the baby and growth of maternal tissues, the additional metabolism the new
tissues require, and the increased energy needed to move the added body tissue. Since a woman
body increases about 20% during pregnancy, work involving a lot of movement will cost as much
as 20% more in energy. Given these considerations, the total caloric cost of pregnancy has
been calculated to be about 80,000 kcal or 300 calories per day. A further adjustment of
energy requirement should be based on physical activity. Since energy expenditure varies so
widely, the best index of adequate intake is a satisfactory weight gain.
Since you also need extra protein, B-vitamins, vitamin D and minerals, such as calcium,
phosphorus, iron and zinc, these 300 calories should come from nonfat milk and dairy products,
lean meats, beans, whole grain breads and cereals, citrus fruits, dark green, leafy
vegetables and other nutrient-rich foods. If you are a vegetarian, you should be especially
careful about getting enough protein, iron and vitamin B-12 during pregnancy. Your doctor
may prescribe or recommend a multivitamin-mineral supplement with iron to ensure that you
meet your extra nutritional needs.
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| Protein Requirements |
| Complex new tissues are produced in pregnancy at a rate greater than at any other time during
a woman's life. Protein is essential for this purpose, but during pregnancy protein
requirements cannot be separated from needs for calories and other nutrients. As energy
needs take first priority in metabolism during pregnancy, protein will be used for energy if
carbohydrates and fat are not consumed in sufficient amounts. Conversely, increasing energy
intake will improve utilization of protein. It is recommended that pregnant women consume
an additional 10 grams of protein a day that is an extra 1½ ounce of meat, fish,
poultry or in 2 cups of low-fat milk.
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| Vitamins and Minerals |
Three vitamin in particular is of utmost importance during pregnancy: folate, iron &
calcium. The role of folate has been discussed above. Talk to your doctor about supplementing
the diet with folate if there is a question about adequate folate in the diet. Iron is needed
during pregnancy for increased blood supply in the mother, as well as for the baby. For
iron, small amounts of lean red meat are the best source, or combine beans, green leafy
vegetables and iron-fortified or whole-grain cereals with vitamin C to improve absorption.
Limit tea and coffee at mealtimes, as it can interfere with iron absorption. Calcium
helps build bones for mother and child, so don't forget to include rich sources of calcium
in your diet.
Further, when unusual dietary practices or restrictions exist, other supplements may be
needed. For women consuming a poor diet and for those in high risk categories--carrying more
than one fetus, smoking heavily or using alcohol and drugs--a multivitamin-mineral
preparation (containing iron, zinc, copper, calcium, vitamin B6, folate and vitamins C and D)
is recommended.
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| Other Considerations |
Artificial sweeteners are best avoided. There has been some debate about the safety of
diet sodas and other foods that contain the artificial sweetener aspartame. While there is no
evidence that aspartame is hazardous to pregnant women or their unborn babies, a mother-to-be
is better off drinking milk, water and fruit juices than diet soda. Low-fat foods are always
recommended, but pregnancy generally is not a time to use artificially sweetened diet foods.
Caffeine may cause heartburn and nausea, but there is no convincing evidence that
coffee or caffeine causes birth defects in humans. Still, many doctors recommend that
pregnant women consume only moderate amounts of caffeine-containing beverages, such as
coffee, tea, cola drinks, cocoa, etc. during their pregnancy because there is a suggestion
that heavy and even moderate intake can lower infant birth weight.
Alcohol can act as a potent agent on the young fetus. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
was first described in 1973. Since then we have learned that there is a direct dose-response
effect. While heavy drinking by alcohol abusers can result in FAS, lower levels of alcohol
consumption can lead to fetal growth retardation. The data, although inconsistent, suggest
that even one or two drinks per day can interfere with fetal growth.
Smoking may affect maternal and fetal nutrition as well as produce harmful chemicals
that result in a decrease in birth weight. The adverse effects are proportional to the
frequency of smoking.
Exercise during pregnancy is safe in the absence of medical or health conditions or
problems that would preclude exercising. An exercise program can include large muscle
exercises. You can exercise regularly -- 3 to 5 days a week. If in doubt or you experience
any undesirable affects, stop and check with your doctor before continuing.
Food cravings may be caused by hormonal changes in pregnancy, which can make some
women more or less sensitive to tastes and smells. There is no evidence, however, that a
craving indicates a need for any particular nutrient. If you crave pickles, for instance,
it does not mean you need salt, and if you crave ice cream, you are not short on calcium.
You may simply want the comfort associated with certain types of foods. If your cravings
for junk food get out of hand, try to substitute foods that are more nutritious but similar
in some way.
- If you're looking for something cool and creamy, have ice milk or low-fat frozen yogurt
instead of ice cream.
- If you're looking for crunch, have baby carrots or unsalted pretzels instead of prawn
crackers or potato chips.
- If you're looking for a sweet taste, have fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruit instead
of candy, cake or cookies.
Pica is an unusual, rare but serious condition that leads to cravings for foods that
are not normally eaten, such as raw flour and cornstarch, and nonfoods including clay and
paste. It may be related to an iron deficiency, and it also occurs in some pregnant women.
Some people have even been known to crave toxic substances such as lead. If you find
yourself craving unusual substances, call your doctor right away.
Morning (noon and night) sickness is something of a misnomer for the nausea or vomiting
that may occur in the early months of pregnancy at any time of day. It is probably
caused by hormonal changes that upset the gastrointestinal tract. If you find yourself
vomiting more than twice a day, call your doctor.
To help you through this uncomfortable rite of passage:
- Eat smaller, more frequent meals, and do not let your stomach get empty.
- Avoid spicy and fried foods and eat plain, easy-to-digest foods, such as crackers,
pasta, potatoes and rice.
- Drink fluids between meals, not with them--and not before breakfast.
- Eat a snack such as cereal with milk, cheese or fruit before going to bed at night.
- Eat a snack of crackers, dry toast or plain bisuit before you get out of bed.
- Get up slowly from bed; rushing is tough on your digestive system.
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