Nutrition is a core path to a healthy lifestyle and overall wellbeing. It helps us stay healthy and fit at every stage of life. While healthy eating habits depend on factors such as age, lifestyle, gender, food literacy, physical activity, etc., the basic idea of nutrition remains the same for everyone.
Talking about nutritional requirement of men & women, both need enough nutrients to function properly. However, research into nutrition is often limited to the male perspective, leading to confusion in the nutritional needs of women.
Women have special nutritional needs because of hormonal changes during different stages of life, such as pregnancy, menopause, unlike men, whose hormones are usually stable and predictable.
While women’s caloric intake is lower than that of men, the need for macronutrients such as proteins, vitamins, minerals, etc., increases after puberty. Juggling between work, home, children, women often neglect their nutritional needs, making them subject to various problems such as anemia, weakening of bones, muscles, breast cancer, depression, etc.
Following are some important nutrients women should add to their diet for good health.
- Iron plays a crucial role in women’s body. However, their needs changes at various stages of life. For example, iron needs are more during pregnancy, and decreases after menopause.
- Calcium is essential for strong bone health. It should be a must in diet, especially during adolescence and old age to have healthy bones.
- Vitamin D is an important nutrient that helps balance calcium and phosphate levels in the bloodstream, and also has anti-inflammatory properties.
In addition to good nutrition, women should focus on being physically fit as well. It will help boost bone health and reduce the chances of contracting diseases like osteoporosis as you age.
