A nudge for nutritional intervention 

During the later stages of life, as in the menopausal stages, women need to concentrate more on the intake of calcium-rich foods to prevent conditions such as osteoporosis.
Image used for representational purpose only.
Image used for representational purpose only.

CHENNAI: It is extremely important to address and assess women’s nutrition because women fill multiple roles more effectively starting from generating income, ensuring their families’ nutrition, and having healthy children — and thereby helping advance countries’ socio-economic development. Women are the ones who prepare the food at home and take care of the meals in a household, so all women must have a certain amount of nutrition knowledge to ensure optimal health for themselves and their families. Let us see how we can ensure better health for the women in our household. 

Nutrition according to the life stages
Women from different life stages have different nutritional requirements. Adolescent girls need more nutrients such as iron and folic acid to prevent iron deficiency anaemia. Pregnant women require a surplus amount of calories during their pregnancy along with supplementation of folic acid before conception and during pregnancy. Lactating mothers require a certain group of foods known as galactagogues to ensure proper and healthy breast milk production. During the later stages of life, as in the menopausal stages, women need to concentrate more on the intake of calcium-rich foods to prevent conditions such as osteoporosis.

Physical activity
Regular physical activity provides health benefits, including the reduction in risks of coronary heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, colon cancer, and premature mortality. Despite this information, most women are physically inactive. Engaging in physical activity also improves mood, reduces irritability and improves overall energy levels. Exercising for at least 30-45 minutes per day, for five days a week is ideal.

Consume a low fat- high fibre diet:
Less than 30% of the total daily calories should come from fat. Reduction in dietary fat with a corresponding increase in vegetables, fruits and grains leads to benefits related to breast cancer, coronary heart disease and diabetes, without adverse side effects.

Improve the quantity and quality of meals at home
Women are often too tied up with balancing their household chores and career that they either have no time or forget to give themselves some attention and care. They usually end up eating the leftovers and prioritise what is made for the other members of the family. Each woman must consume at least 1,600 calories and 50g of protein per day (values vary on individual body weight and type of work). The quality of nutrition that one consumes also plays a major role. Food should be nutrient dense and should be of good quality.

 Ensuring adequate micronutrient intake 

Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals. All vitamins and minerals are important for good health. Vitamins and minerals often work together in your body. It’s usually best to get your vitamins and minerals from many different types of food in all of the food groups. Essential micronutrients for women include:

i) Folate: This nutrient helps the body make blood cells and the DNA for new cells and helps to prevent certain birth defects called neural tube defects, which happen in the first three months of pregnancy, helps prevent premature births and low birth weight in the baby. 
Sources: Green leafy vegetables, roasted Bengal gram dal, orange juice, chicken, lean meats.

ii) Vitamin D: Vitamin D when taken with calcium aids to build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis. It also helps in reducing inflammation in the cells and enhances the immune system’s activity in fighting foreign agents.
Sources: Fish, mushrooms, fortified oil and cereals.

iii) Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 helps to make the red blood cells which are essential in preventing anaemia and is also essential for vegetarians because the nutrient is majorly present in animal sources hence, vegetarians may require a supplement, which can be taken only after a prescription from a nutritionist/physician.
Sources: Animal meats, spirulina, fortified foods.

iv) Calcium: Helps protect and build strong bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. The body stores calcium in your bones, so if one does not get enough calcium from food, the body will take calcium from the bones, making them weak and easily broken.
Sources: Green leafy vegetables, milk and milk products, soy beverages, tofu.

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