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Women's Health - What We Need to Stay Healthy

Women's Health - What We Need to Stay Healthy

by Niamh Lonergan | 11th Mar 2021

As we know, International Women’s Day took place on Monday. So we decided to focus this week’s blog post specifically on Women's Health - What We Need to Stay Healthy, which includes the key vitamins and minerals a woman needs to stay healthy.

Women, like men, should follow a healthy balanced diet including a variety of foods from all the food groups. But women also have special nutrient needs, and during each stage of a woman’s life, these needs will change.

So, what are the key nutrients that women should include in their diet?

Iron

Women's Health - What We Need to Stay Healthy

Iron is an important nutrient for our health and is needed for the development of red blood cells which carry oxygen around the body. It also helps our immune systems to work properly and can help reduce tiredness and keep our energy levels up!

The amount of iron we need varies depending on a woman's stage of life. Women of child-bearing age have much higher iron requirements than men and older women due to menstruation and not eating enough iron-rich foods to replace the losses. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 14.8mg/day for adult women aged 19-50 years compared to 8.7mg/day for men and older women. Not getting enough iron in your diet can put you at risk of iron deficiency anaemia. In fact, it is estimated that 42% of Irish women could be at risk of iron deficiency.

How to Increase Your Iron Intake:

There are two types of iron: haem iron which is found in animal sources and non-haem iron which is found in plant-based sources. Animal sources of haem iron include chicken, fish, turkey and red meat. Non-haem iron is found in plant foods including nuts, seeds, quinoa, spinach, beans and lentils.

Our bodies absorb animal sources of iron easier than plant-based sources. Vitamin C can help the absorption of plant-based sources of iron so maybe try to combine these two together. To get both nutrients together, add tomatoes and lentils to your soup/casserole or squeeze some lemon or orange onto a spinach salad.

Why not try our iron-rich dinners such as the Fusilli Bolognese or Beef, Spinach and Chickpea curry? Or for the plant-based eaters, our Superfood Falafel Salad is a powerhouse of nutrition. It contains broccoli, beetroot and asparagus which are all great sources of iron and Vitamin C combined!

Calcium

Another key nutrient to consider is calcium as it helps keep our bones and teeth strong as well as keeping blood pressure controlled. Calcium is particularly important for women because they are at higher risk of osteoporosis (brittle bones) as we get older. Calcium requirements for women increase from 800mg/day for children, adult men and older women to 1200mg/day for teenage girls, pregnant and lactating women.

How to Increase Your Calcium Intake:

Calcium is found in dairy products (milk, cheese, yoghurt) and non-dairy sources include green, leafy veg such as spinach and kale, nuts, canned fish, calcium-fortified dairy alternatives and fortified bread. Our Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi and Falafel Salad Wrap are a great way to introduce some more calcium into your day!

Vitamin D

Vitamin D aids the absorption of calcium and the requirements for both

vitamin D and calcium increase as a woman gets older. There are a few dietary sources of vitamin D such as oily fish, eggs and fortified foods like plant-based milk.

However, vitamin D is mostly made on our skin in response to sunlight which is why we call it “The Sunshine Vitamin”. We don't get enough sunlight here in Ireland from the months of March to October (in case that was not obvious!). It's recommended that we supplement with vitamin D during those winter months. However, we can increase our exposure to the sun by being outdoors as much as possible. So maybe take a walk on your lunch break from work, do your HIIT workout in the garden or if you are an early bird why not go for a morning run!

Folic Acid

Folic acid, or folate, is essential for both men and women. Foods that are high in folic acid include chickpeas, asparagus, brown rice, eggs and brussel sprouts.

Folic acid is particularly important for women who are pregnant or looking to become pregnant. It's recommended that women of childbearing age take a 400µg folic acid supplement daily until the 12th week of pregnancy. Folic acid helps to reduce the risk of birth defects such as spina bifida in unborn babies.

Omega 3’s

Heart disease was once considered a “mans disease” but in fact, the number of deaths from heart disease and stroke are now virtually the same for men and women. Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death for women in Ireland.

Including healthy fats in the diet, particularly omega 3's can promote heart health and reduce the risk of heart disease in both men and women. In addition, Omega 3's are also thought to be good for bone/joint health and for our skin.

Aim to eat two portions of fish per week, one of which should be oily fish. Plant-based sources of omega 3’s include nuts, seeds, green leafy veg, soy and soya products and flaxseed. Our Flaked Cajun Salmon with Asian Greens is rich in omega-3s and packed with tonnes of other vitamins and minerals!

Exercise

According to Healthy Ireland, only 38% of women are achieving the National Physical Activity levels compared to 54% of men. It is recommended that adults should have at least 30 minutes a day of moderate activity on 5 days a week (or 150 minutes a week). Even small 10-minute bouts of exercise during the day can be a great start. Start small and build up gradually, doing something is better than doing nothing!

Calorie requirements for women

Our bodies need enough fuel to allow us to perform our everyday activities, to keep our heart pumping and for producing hormones. There are also certain stages of a woman’s life cycle, like menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause that nutrition is so important and calorie requirements can change. Having the dedicated support of a nutritionist can help you cater your diet to suit your individual needs.

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