Healthy for Women



Healthy Eating for Women

Being overweight is a risk factor for a number of chronic conditions. Developing healthy eating habits, being physically active and maintaining a healthy weight will assist in reducing the risk of heart disease, some cancers, obesity, osteoporosis, kidney disease and Type 2 Diabetes.

Consuming a wide range of nutritious foods every day like vegetables, fruits, bread and cereals, lean meat, fish, poultry or meat alternatives, milk products and water is essential to good health.

 

The Dietary Guidelines for Australian and New Zealand Adults are:

  • Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods
  • Eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruits
  • Eat plenty of cereals (including bread, rice, pasta and noodles), preferably wholegrain
  • Include lean meat, fish, poultry and/or alternatives
  • Include milk, yoghurts, cheeses and/or alternatives
  • Reduced-fat varieties should be chosen, where possible
  • Drink plenty of water

Care should be taken to:

  • Limit saturated fat and moderate total fat intake
  • Choose foods low in salt
  • Limit your alcohol intake if you choose to drink
  • Consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars
  • Prevent weight gain: be physically active and eat according to your energy needs
  • Care for your food: prepare and store it safely
  • Encourage and support breastfeeding

Because it is difficult to assess an individual’s exact requirement for a particular nutrient, you might like to aim for the upper figure to maximise the certainty that a sufficient amount of the nutrient is obtained from food.

 

Iron

Iron forms part of haemoglobin, a compound that carries oxygen in the blood. Women need extra iron compared to men because of blood losses in menstruation. Insufficient iron in the body can lead to tiredness and breathlessness, and can eventually lead to anaemia. The average requirement for iron for women aged 31-50 years is 8mg/day, but as there is great variability in needs because of variations in menstrual loss, some women with heavy menstrual loss may need as much as 18mg/day.

A mixed diet of animal and plant foods can help you achieve your iron intake. Absorption of iron is better from animal foods compared to plant sources. The recommended dietary intakes are based on a mixed western diet.

Red meat is the best source of iron as well as also being a good source of protein and zinc. Other meats like chicken and fish also contain iron, however, not as much as red meat. Iron can also be found in leafy green vegetables, legumes and iron-enriched breakfast cereals.

Adding a glass of fresh fruit juice or other foods rich in vitamin C (such as tomato, broccoli or capsicum) to a meal will increase the amount of iron the body absorbs. Some things, which are likely to reduce your body's absorption of iron, include very high fibre diets, alcohol and tannic acid in tea.

Some women may benefit from taking an iron supplement if they are iron deficient. However, it is best to take them according to your doctor's advice as supplementation can cause symptoms like constipation and be harmful in excessive amounts.

A note to vegetarians: because the absorption of iron is better from animal foods compared to plant sources, it is recommended that women who are strict vegetarians need to consume 80% more iron than non-vegetarians.

 

Water

Water is essential for good health. All biochemical reactions in the body occur in water and it is required for digestion, absorption and transportation, dissolving nutrients, elimination of waste and temperature regulation. Chronic mild dehydration increases the risk of kidney stones, urinary tract cancers, colon cancer, mitral valve (in the heart) collapse, constipation, as well as diminished physical and mental performance.

Pure water should be everyone’s main drink. Other drinks will also contribute to fluid requirements but caffeine (found in some beverages and soft drinks) and alcohol act as diuretics. This means the body is actually losing some of the water in order to get rid of caffeine and alcohol in these drinks through urination.

Requirements for fluids differ depending on climate, physical activity and metabolism. However, an adequate intake for women aged 31-50 is 2.1 litres a day or about eight cups (this does not include water obtained from food).

 

Healthy Weight

In a culture where most young women are weight conscious, it is important to emphasise healthy eating which promotes healthy body weight. Dieting, especially fad diets can be dangerous to your health. They can lead to poor eating patterns or even develop into an eating disorder. Low body weight in the teenage years and as a young adult increases the risk of developing osteoporosis later in life. Being underweight may also lower your body's ability to fight infections and stay healthy.

A dieting regime where you cut out major food groups, such as bread and grains, dairy or meat (without alternatives), will increase the risk of malnutrition. Some signs of malnutrition include brittle nails, dry skin, thinning hair, lack of concentration, fatigue, anaemia or ceasing of menstrual periods. In some cases, individuals may have low mineral levels in the blood, such as low potassium, which can cause fatigue and disturbances to heart rhythm.

Sometimes dieting can also lead to the starve-binge cycle. This cycle often starts with a significant reduction in food intake. Because this cannot be sustained for long, it can be followed by bingeing i.e. eating more than usual, because of extreme hunger or feelings of deprivation. Many people then feel guilty for 'breaking' their diet, so they go back and restrict their food intake again. This leads to a cycle of periods of restricting intake and overeating. People who find themselves in this pattern often experience low self-esteem and depression.

Yo-yo dieting is another concern for those individuals who lose weight quickly. When dieting and restricting the intake of kilojoules, the body responds by lowering its metabolic rate in order to survive on the reduced amount of food. When a person goes back to eating their usual intake of kilojoules, a lower metabolic rate persists causing the weight to be regained and often more weight than was originally lost. Yo-yo dieting occurs when people lose weight only to regain it (and more) and then have to go on another diet.

For people who are overweight and want to lose some weight, a healthy rate of weight loss is ½ to 1kg per week. If you like to get on the scales to check your weight, ideally you should weigh yourself once a month, at the same time of each menstrual cycle. Weighing yourself more often than this may not give an accurate picture of your true body weight, as small weight changes from one day to the next can be related to fluid shifts in the body.

 

Alcohol

Alcohol is high in energy (kilojoules) and can lead to weight gain, obesity and high blood pressure. Women should limit their alcohol to a maximum of two standard drinks per day, with two alcohol-free days per week.

1 standard drink
= 10g alcohol
= 1 small glass of wine (120mL)
= 375ml can lite beer
= 250ml regular beer
= 60ml fortified wine
= 30ml spirits

Binge drinking should be avoided. Drinking too much alcohol can cause damage to the liver, pancreas and the brain. It also increases the risk of developing some cancers such as cancer of the throat or tongue.

 

The Contraceptive Pill

Many young women take the Oral Contraceptive Pill (OCP) for contraception or to help manage their menstrual cycles. It may depend on the pill you are taking, however, there are some common side effects which are related to the hormones in the pill.

Progesterone in the pill may cause an increase in appetite, which can lead to weight gain and oestrogen may cause some fluid retention. Oestrogen also binds with vitamin B6 and may cause a vitamin B6 deficiency in some women.

To maintain a healthy attitude to your body, participate in regular physical activity and be mindful of what you choose to eat. Eat a balanced variety of nutritious foods and limit foods that are high in 'empty' calories.

 

The importance of fruit and vegetables 

Fruit and vegetables contain many vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre essential for good health. People who consume diets high in fruit and vegetables have a lower risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, some forms of cancer, obesity and cataracts. Fruit and vegetables also contain antioxidants. A diet high in foods containing antioxidants may reduce the risk of disease, including heart disease and some cancers.

Both fruit and vegetables also contain dietary fibre. Fruit and some vegetables contain soluble fibre which may help lower blood cholesterol levels. Insoluble fibre is found in vegetables and helps to prevent constipation. Fruit and vegetables are also low in fat and therefore have low energy (kilojoule) content, yet are filling so help with satiety.

Here are some suggestions to ensure an adequate intake of fruit and vegetables:

  • Always serve main meals with cooked vegetables or a salad
  • Make meat go further by adding extra vegetables in a stir-fry or casserole
  • Add vegetables in season or legumes (e.g. dried beans, peas or lentils) to soups for added flavour and taste
  • Include fruit juice and fresh fruit at breakfast, either by itself or on top of cereal or porridge
  • Have fruit salad or baked fruit for dessert
  • Puree stewed fruit as a topping for desserts or swirl into yoghurt
  • If there is a lack of time to cook, use tinned or frozen fruit and vegetables in meals

 

Salt

High salt diets can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart failure, osteoporosis and stomach cancers. Overweight individuals may be more sensitive to the effect of salt on their blood pressure, so it is especially important for them to reduce the salt in their diet. In some cases, reducing dietary salt may reduce the requirements for blood pressure medication; however, medical advice must be sought prior to changing medication levels.

It is therefore important for adult women to be aware of the salt content of foods in their diet to ensure they are not eating too much. Women should aim to keep their daily intake of sodium between 920-2300 mg/day.

Foods high in salt are largely commercial or processed foods. Low amounts of salt are found in natural unprocessed foods. Foods high in salt or sodium include; table, sea and vegetable salts, anchovies, monosodium glutamate (MSG), soy sauce, bottled sauces, gravy, stock cubes, deli meats, canned vegetables and packet soups.

Reducing salt in the diet can be easy, it just involves making a few small changes to the foods you choose and the methods you use to cook them. Try these ideas:

  • Leave the salt-shaker off the table. This will remove the temptation to add it to your plate
  • Use herbs, spices and a variety of foods to flavour meals rather than adding salt
  • Choose fresh foods rather than packaged varieties where possible
  • Cut down on the salt you are eating gradually. Your taste will slowly adapt to eating less salty foods
  • Look at the salt (sodium) levels on product labels and choose salt-reduced products where possible
  • As bread and cereals are a major contributor to salt intake in Australia and New Zealand, look for salt-reduced varieties

 

Smoking

Smoking is a major risk factor for the three diseases that cause most deaths in Australia and New Zealand. These include heart disease, stroke and cancer. Quitting smoking is one of the most basic ways of reducing your risk of ill health.

Most people that smoke is aware that they are damaging their health. However, many smokers become concerned that they will gain weight if they try to quit smoking. About 80% put on weight when they quit, of these, most only gain a modest amount of weight. The causes of weight gain may include the effect of nicotine withdrawal on the body and the ex-smoker’s inclination to eat more food.

If you are ready to quit smoking, you can minimise your weight gain by eating a healthy diet and engaging in regular exercise. It may be difficult to attempt to quit smoking and maintain a healthy diet at the same time. However, if you are a smoker, it is important to concentrate on quitting first. Many people adopt the philosophy that the weight they will gain after they quit will cancel out any health benefits from quitting. However, you would have to gain over 40kg above your recommended weight to equal the risk of heart disease posed by smoking. Stopping smoking should be the first priority in achieving a healthy heart and a healthy body.


Healthy options for eating out

Sometimes takeaway food can be a convenient option, however, fast foods are often high in saturated fat, salt and sugar. By making better choices when eating out, it is possible to have takeaway occasionally without doing damage to your body. To avoid putting on weight, you need to balance any excess intake of kilojoules with healthy food choices for the rest of the day. It may also be necessary to plan some extra physical activity to account for any added energy intake from takeaway food.

When getting takeaway, choose a healthier option or order a little less and add your own salad or vegetables at home:

  • Hamburgers with only a single meat layer, no cheese or low-fat cheese, with lots of salad and vegetables
  • BBQ chicken with the skin removed, with a salad and vegetables
  • Kebabs with only a little meat and lots of salad
  • Thin crust pizza with more vegetables (ask for less cheese) and make a salad at home to go with it
  • For fish and chips ask for grilled fish and order fewer chips and add a home-made salad or vegetables
  • Some Asian foods are a good choice, e.g. nori or sushi rolls, steamed and braised dishes (not fried)
  • Sandwiches with lean meat, fish or chicken and salad
  • Avoid foods such as deep-fried battered fish, onion rings, calamari rings and scallops, cakes and pastries, creamy sauces, sour cream and mayonnaise

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