What makes women’s nutrition needs unique? Perhaps less food energy (calories) to support a smaller body frame than men have and certainly the physiology of childbearing. Women: That said, keep this nutrition advice in mind:
- During your childbearing years, consume enough folate (400 micrograms daily) to protect against birth defects, enough calcium (1,000 milligrams daily) to help maintain healthy bones, enough iron (18 milligrams daily) to replace menstrual losses.
- During and after your menopausal years, consume enough calcium (1,200 to 1,500 milligrams daily) and more vitamin D (10 micrograms daily) to reduce bone loss with menopause, enough folate (400 micrograms daily) for protection from heart disease (like men, women are at high risk).
Another women’s nutrition tip: soy foods, with their phytoestro-gens (isoflavones), may help relieve the discomforts of premenstrual syndrome and menopause, and may help protect against breast cancer and bone loss after menopause. For more on soy foods, see April 2.
Women: During National Women’s Health Week, commit to your best health.
- For enough calcium: low-fat milk, yogurt, calcium-fortified soy beverage, cheese, tofu processed with calcium sulfate, canned salmon with edible bones, kale, broccoli, calcium-fortified foods such as orange juice
- For enough folate: fortified grain foods, spinach, navy beans, peas, nuts, lentils, oranges
- For enough iron: meat, poultry, legumes, fortified breakfast cereal, enriched grain products, soybeans—plus vitamin C-rich foods for better iron absorption from plant-based foods
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