Unique Nutritional Needs for Women's Health

UNIQUE NUTRITIONAL NEEDS FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH

Boys and girls typically have similar dietary needs until they hit puberty. Though a balanced diet is the bedrock of healthy living for both genders, women develop unique nutritional requirements after puberty.  While men generally need more daily calories than women, women require higher amounts of certain nutrients.

As a woman, your nutritional requirements evolve as you go through various stages of life. This is because your body goes through many physical and hormonal changes. The hormonal changes that come with menstruation, childbearing, and menopause put you at a higher risk of anemia, weak bones, osteoporosis, among other things.

Despite these unique needs, many women tend to neglect their dietary needs. Either because of a busy schedule or in an attempt to stick to an extreme diet plan. This can deprive you of vital nutrients and even mess with your mood and energy levels. Furthermore, women’s unique needs are often neglected in dietary research. Many nutritional studies are based on male subjects who have more stable and predictable hormone levels. So, the results of such studies are sometimes irrelevant or even misleading to your specific needs. All these can lead to severe deficiencies in your daily nutrition and set you up for distressing conditions.

Sticking to a diet that supports your needs at every stage in your life can help you:

• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Control unhealthy cravings.
• Boost your energy and productivity.
• Reduce your risk for certain medical conditions.

There is no one-size-fits-all nutrition formula for women, but you must build your diet around your special nutritional needs. Improving your intake of the following nutrients can help optimize your health throughout your ever-changing life.

Iron

You need iron to produce the hemoglobin that carries oxygen in your blood. Iron also plays a significant role in maintaining healthy skin, hair, and nails. You typically need more iron than men because you lose blood during menstruation.

While you are within the childbearing age, you need twice the amount of iron that men need. You need even more when you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. But many women usually don’t get enough dietary iron. This is why iron deficiency anemia is the most common form of deficiency in women. Iron deficiency can mess with your energy level, leaving you weak and out of breath even after minimal physical exertion. It can also affect your mood and make it difficult to concentrate.

One of the reasons women don’t get enough iron is because a superb source of iron-red meat – contains a lot of saturated fat. So, many women tend to consume it in moderation. In addition, plant-based protein is not well absorbed by the body. But you can improve your absorption of plant-based iron by taking such foods with vitamin C-rich foods.

Some rich sources of iron include red meat, seafood, spinach, dried fruits (like raisins), poultry, and iron-fortified foods.

The daily iron recommendation is as follows:

• Adolescents (14-18 years): 15 mg daily. It changes to 27 mg during pregnancy and 10 mg during lactation.
• Adult (19-50 years): 18mg daily. It changes to 27 mg during pregnancy and 9 mg during lactation.
• Older Women (51+ years): 8 mg daily is enough.

Folate/Folic Acid

Folate plays a vital role in decreasing the risk of neurological birth defects in women of childbearing age. So, whether you’re planning to get pregnant or not, you should take folate if you are of childbearing age. This is because many pregnancies are unplanned. Folate can also lower your risk for heart disease and certain cancers.

In addition, your body typically reduces estrogen production during menopause. Leading to many unpleasant symptoms like hot flashes, altered mood, and so on. But folate can help your body manufacture estrogen, thereby making menopausal symptoms more bearable.

When you’re not pregnant, you need 400 micrograms (mcg) of folate per day. But this requirement increases to 500 mcg and 600 mcg when you are pregnant or breastfeeding, respectively.

Folate-rich foods include fruits, leafy green vegetables, beans, and peas. You can also consume folate-fortified foods such as cereals, some rice, and bread. A dietary supplement with folic acid may be necessary, especially when pregnant or breastfeeding, because of the higher daily requirement.

Calcium

Calcium plays a crucial role in keeping your bones strong and reducing your risk of osteoporosis as you grow older. It also works with other nutrients to regulate your heart rhythm and support proper nervous system function. Insufficient calcium can lead to one or more of the following problems:

• Sleep difficulties.
• Mood issues like depression and anxiety.
• Your body taking calcium from your bones to support normal cell function. Leading to weakened bones or osteoporosis.

Your body needs vitamin D and magnesium to absorb any ingested calcium. So you must take lots of calcium with adequate magnesium and vitamin D for optimal bone health. The recommended daily allowance is 1000 mg if you are below 50 and 1200 mg if you are above 50 years. Taking more than the recommended daily amount does not offer you any additional benefit.

Some good sources of calcium include low-fat milk, leafy green vegetables, yogurt, cheese, sardines, and calcium-fortified foods and beverages.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential for your bone health as it helps improve calcium absorption. Beyond bone health, research has found that people with low blood levels of vitamin D are at greater risk of heart diseases, diabetes, and hypertension. Low levels in pregnancy have also been linked to pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. So, you cannot underestimate the need to get enough vitamin D.

The daily recommended amount is 600 International Units. You can get Vitamin D from about 30 minutes of exposure to direct sunlight and foods like fatty fishes like salmon, eggs, and vitamin D-fortified foods.

Magnesium

Magnesium helps improve calcium absorption from your blood into your bone. In fact, without magnesium, your body cannot use any ingested calcium. You need 320 to 400 milligrams of magnesium every day.

Magnesium-rich foods include green beans, celery, seeds, cucumber, and leafy green vegetables.

Helpful Diet Tips in Some Hormonal Situations.

Hormonal changes that come with menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause can cause myriads of unpleasant symptoms. But an appropriately tailored diet can help you to better deal with these symptoms.

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) Symptoms

The bloating, cramping, and fatigue you experience before your period is usually due to fluctuating hormones. But your diet can help alleviate these and other PMS symptoms.

• Eat iron-rich foods.
• Increase your calcium intake.
• Reduce your salt intake to help ease bloating.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol before your period as they both worsen PMS symptoms.
• Avoid sugar, deep-fried foods, and trans fat. They are inflammatory and can trigger PMS symptoms.
• Consume more omega-3 fatty acids in foods like fatty fishes. They have been shown to help ease cramps.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

You should consume more calories to cater to your baby’s needs. But you only need about 300 extra calories per day to optimally nourish you and your baby. Here are some helpful dietary tips for pregnant and lactating women:

• Take more Omega-3 fatty acids as they are essential for your baby’s neurological and early visual development, as well as making breast milk after birth.
• Avoid alcohol and nicotine (smoking) – no quantity is safe for your little one.
• Reduce your caffeine intake as it has been linked to a higher risk of miscarriage. It can also interfere with iron absorption.
• Eat small frequent meals as against a few large ones. This will help prevent/reduce morning sickness and heartburn.
• Beware of foods that contain high amounts of mercury. These include king mackerel, sushi, soft cheeses, raw sprouts, and swordfish.
• Take high-quality protein – both animal- and plant-based – for your baby’s brain and nervous system development.

Menopausal Symptoms

In preparation for menopause, your reproductive system changes the way it produces hormones. This can cause symptoms like hot flashes, osteoporosis, and so on. The following dietary tips can help prevent/relieve these symptoms:

• Limit your intake of wine, coffee, sugar, and flour products to ease hot flashes.
• Increase calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D intake to support your bone health and prevent osteoporosis.
• Consume more healthy fats:
  • Omega-3 and 6 essential fatty acids (in fish, nuts, and seeds) can help boost your hormone production and give you healthy glowing skin.
  • Evening primrose oil and black currant oil are rich in gamma-linolenic acid. This essential fatty acid helps balance your hormones and ease hot flashes.
• Eat more soy products. Some studies suggest that soy may help alleviate menopausal symptoms. This is due to its high phytoestrogen content. Phytoestrogens are plant-based estrogens that are similar to your body’s estrogen.

Key Take Away - Supplements Are Not Always Enough

Though you can make up for these critical nutrients by taking dietary supplements, these supplements cannot make up for an unbalanced or unhealthy diet. So, you should aim for a balanced diet rich in proteins, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats to ensure that you get all the necessary nutrients from your diet. You should also limit your consumption of processed, fried, and sugary foods.