What is considered as a healthy food for woman 

            Women nowadays are busier than ever as most of them are driven by career or family and even both. Taking care of their own health and wellbeing can be difficult when they have so many things to do in their daily life. However, women need to understand that only by being healthy, they can be active and get all the daily tasks and jobs done. Hence, consumption of healthy food for woman is essential and knowing healthy eating habits can be the key for a blissful life.

            Generally, there is not much difference in terms of what healthy food to be eaten by a woman or man. Food from all of the groups in the food pyramid, that is enjoyed by men, should also be enjoyed by women. Although, the difference will be in the woman’s stage of life. A pregnant woman will need more certain nutrients than usual such as iron, folic acid, protein and calcium to support their own health and provide enough nutrition for a good baby’s development. This is why doctors will usually advise them to take dietary supplements since their usual meal probably provides insufficient nutrition. When a woman hits menopause, their oestrogen level becomes low and risk for diseases such as heart diseases and osteoporosis increased. Hence, women should be practising a low calorie diet since around this age they might do less physical activity and probably consider adding vitamin D and calcium supplements to support their bone health.

            Eating healthy food is part of healthy eating. Practising healthy eating means for a person to get essential nutrients mainly from food and drinks rather than supplements but in certain conditions or stages of life, supplements can help cover what is lacking from daily meals. Below are some of healthy food and eating plan that is guaranteed to support a woman’s health:

1-  Fruit. Take one and a half to two cups of fruits everyday, either fresh, frozen, canned or dried. It is good to eat your favourite kind of fruits but it would be better to eat a variety of types. Remember to eat fruit as a whole and not just juice. Do be careful when choosing dried and canned fruits because some of them contain additional sugar or syrups. Try opting for fruit packed in water or the fruit juice itself.

2-  Vegetables. Take two and a half cups of colourful vegetables everyday. It can be fresh, frozen or canned without additional salt, butter or cream sauces. Variety of vegetables not only gives colour, it also adds good flavour and interesting textures for a more enjoyable meal.

3-  Grains. Make sure the total grain you have for everyday meals, half of it is whole grains. Example of whole grain: brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, oats, quinoa.

4-  Protein. Incorporate at least 220 to 280 grams of protein (equivalent to two servings) in a week.  Good protein can be from lean meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and beans.

5-  Dairy products. Get 3 cups of dairy everyday. Try low-fat or fat-free milk, yoghurt or cheese. Dairy products are the best source for calcium. Fret not, if you hate dairy or are unable to have dairy products, some vegetables like kale and broccoli or fortified soymilk should be able to provide calcium too.

            Healthy eating might seem terrifying especially for those with picky eating habits. It is not wrong to have comfort foods that might be high in calories, fat or added sugars, provided to have it only once in a while and with few modifications. For instance, if you usually have these foods everyday, try having it once a week or once a month and eat in smaller amounts. If it is possible to cook the food differently, try making one by using lower calorie ingredients, less sugar and salt.