Food for Thought – A Woman's Perspective
A Women’s Guide to Staying Healthy through Nutrition
Women are faced with different health challenges at all stages of life – through adolescence to pregnancy to menopause and beyond – and healthy lifestyle choices are essential to optimize your health during each of these stages. Physical, mental, emotional and environmental factors are all equally important contributors to overall health at any age. Nutritional health is related to each of these factors, thus a healthy diet is crucial to achieving optimal health for women at all ages.
Balance is Key
The basics of any healthy diet starts with eating a balanced diet containing lean protein (think chicken, turkey or tofu), complex carbohydrates from whole grains and vibrant fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats from fish, olive oil or flaxseeds. These foods all provide essential nutrients and also have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that serve to maintain optimal health as well as prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and cancer in both men and women.
Beyond a healthy diet, women require specific nutrients during each stage of their lives to maintain optimal health. For example, optimal levels of calcium, iron, zinc and folic acid are critical for adolescent women to develop healthy bones, teeth, skin, nerves, muscles and immune function. Low levels of these and other nutrients early in the developmental stage sets the stage for health complications such as osteoporosis, immune deficiencies, anemia, and cognitive deficits. Folic acid is needed for DNA synthesis and is critical both during the developmental years for proper growth, and during pregnancy to prevent serious birth defects such as spina bifida.
Beat those Monthly Blues
But a healthy diet isn’t only necessary for basic development and function of our physiological systems. Nutrition also plays a large role in mental health in both men and women, but where it comes into particular significance for women is its role in managing symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). PMS is a major factor in quality of life for many women, and proper management through a healthy diet is essential to combat the monthly blues.
For example, research suggests that increasing vitamin D and calcium intake may reduce PMS symptoms; magnesium also plays a role in PMS management by helping to relieve breast tenderness and control the dreaded carbohydrate cravings. Omega 3 fats, such as from fish or flaxseeds, relieves symptoms of depression and manage cramping due to their potent anti-inflammatory effects.
But PMS management through nutrition is a two-sided coin; it is equally important what is and isn’t consumed during this time. Processed salty foods should be avoided due to their bloating potential and omega-6 and saturated fat content, which can aggravate PMS symptoms). Other foods to avoid include refined sugars, which can worsen mood swings and fatigue, as well as caffeine and alcohol.
Don't be a Statistic
As women age, their risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart diseases increases. In fact, recent Health Canada statistics indicate that a woman's risk of death from heart disease increases 4-fold after menopause (the stroke rate is also dramatically higher after menopause.) The risk of diabetes more than doubles, 6% to 13%, in women 65 and older, and women with type 2 diabetes have an 8-fold greater risk of heart disease than women without diabetes. One more striking statistic is the vast increase in high blood pressure with aging - around 21% for women 45 to 64, which also more than doubles to 48% in women 65 and older. Those women with high blood pressure have a 3.5 times greater risk of heart disease than women in the normal range.
But, as alarming as these statistics are, remember that these are only numbers and there are many nutritional options available to beat the odds. This is where, above a healthy balanced diet and optimal nutrient levels, phytonutrients (medicinal plant chemicals) come into the picture. There are many important classes of these vital compounds in the foods we eat, and many of them are also available in supplement form. It is vital to consume a wide range of phytonutrients in conjunction with a healthy diet during all stages of life to ensure the greatest protection against these debilitating diseases.
Prevention with Phytonutrients
Phytonutrients such as anthocyanins, color compounds in red/blue fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, bilberries and cherries are potent antioxidants that help protect against a wide range of degenerative diseases, include heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Other colorful compounds in plants, such as beta-carotene in carrots and lycopene in tomatoes and watermelon, also have potent antioxidant effects, and help protect cells against oxidative damage leading to disease.
Phytoestrogens are plant-based estrogenic compounds found in soy foods such as soy nuts and tofu, as well as whole-grain cereals, nuts, beans, peas and red clover are heart healthy foods as they help to lower blood cholesterol. These compounds also help relieve symptoms of estrogen depletion related to perimenopause, such as dry skin, wrinkles, fatigue, sleep disturbances, moodiness and weight gain.
Garlic also contains potent medicinal compounds, namely alliin, allicin, and allyl disulfide, which have a multitude of therapeutic effects including antioxidant, anticoagulant (prevents blood clots), antihypertensive (prevents high blood pressure) and antimicrobial properties. In addition to their protective antioxidant effects, detoxifying compounds found in dark greens such as kale and dandelion leaves also help safely eliminate toxins found in common consumer products such as cosmetics and detergents.
Whether young or old, eating a healthy balanced diet that provides optimal levels of essential nutrients and a wide variety of health-promoting phytonutrients is an excellent foundation for good health. Good dietary habits started early in life will support a lifetime of health and wellness – so ladies, use these recommendations to make your “Golden Years” truly shimmer!
Sarah Holvik at Meinhart's in Vancouver
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