Women Take On Healthy Eating
Do you want to feel your best? Protect your health and vitality by eating well and keeping active. Take control of your healthy eating and activity challenges by following the solutions suggested below. The leading health concerns of women include heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis. The key strategies to reduce your risk for each of these conditions are the same – eating well, keeping physically active, maintaining a healthy body weight and not smoking.
Eating Well
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No special diet is required! Eating well means…
- enjoying a variety of different foods
- emphasizing whole grain cereal, bread and other grain products, vegetables and fruit
- choosing lower fat dairy products, leaner meats, and foods prepared with little or no fat
- limiting intake of salt, alcohol and caffeine.
Getting enough calcium and vitamin D to maintain strong bones and protect against osteoporosis
Women 19-50 years of age should consume 1000 mg of calcium and 5 ug (200 IU) of Vitamin D per day. Milk and milk products, such as cheese and yogurt provide the most readily available source of calcium and other bone building nutrients. Other sources include calcium-fortified beverages (soy, rice, and orange juice) tofu made with calcium sulfate, salmon and sardines with bones, sesame seeds and almonds.
Bok choy, kale and broccoli also provide calcium but in smaller amounts. Vitamin D is found in fluid milk, eggs, fish and fish liver oils, margarine as well as in soy and rice beverages fortified with vitamin D. Sunlight on the skin can be a major source of vitamin D but is limited in Canada from October to March and by use of sunscreens. To prevent osteoporosis women are encouraged to get enough calcium, vitamin D and protein, limit caffeine, have sodium in moderation, and keep active particularly with weight bearing activity.
Getting enough iron to help feel energetic and prevent iron deficiency anemia
Women 19-50 years of age should aim for 18 mg of iron per day. For iron, choose red meats, clams, oysters, cooked dried beans and lentils, iron-fortified breakfast cereals, soybeans and tofu. You can also get iron from other meats, fish, poultry, eggs, pasta, bread, oatmeal, oat and wheat bran, nuts and seeds, dried fruit, prunes and prune juice.
Getting enough fibre to promote a healthy digestive system and help control blood sugar and cholesterol levels
High fibre foods are generally lower in fat and may also help with weight control as they provide bulk to make you feel full. Women up to the age of 50 should aim for 25 grams of fibre per day. Check labels for foods containing more than 4 grams of fibre per serving to help you boost your intake. Fibre-rich foods include dried cooked beans and lentils, green peas, papayas, pears with skin, mangoes, potatoes with skin, dried fruit, berries, nuts and seeds, whole grain breads and cereals.
Finding the time to be active for sixty minutes per day
Spread physical activity throughout your daily routine to work up to 60 minutes. As you progress to more intense exercise you can cut back to 30 minutes 4 times per week. Get started by:
- Walking for 10 minutes several times a day – walk instead of taking the car to the store, or mailbox, slip out for a walk at lunchtime, or join a friend for a morning or evening walk.
- Walking briskly, jogging, cycling, swimming, skipping or dancing for 20 minutes or more.
- Substituting an activity break for a coffee break – bend, stretch, and flex to keep your muscles relaxed and joints mobile for 10 minutes at a time. You can do this at home, at work or out in the great outdoors.
- Trying 10 minutes of muscle strengthening or weight resistance activities such as sit ups, push-ups or weights while you watch TV or before going to bed.
- Taking a break and play actively with your kids for 10 minutes or more
Maintaining a healthy weight
If you need to lose weight know that short-term diets for weight loss are not the answer. In most cases, weight is lost initially but regained along with a few extra pounds. Successful strategies for achieving a healthy weight include adopting life-long healthy lifestyle habits such as:
- Eating breakfast every day to get energized and prevent hunger attacks which may lead to overeating or snacking on less nutritious choices later in the day.
- Eating meals that include a variety of foods.
- Focusing on high fibre foods such as breads, cereals, grain products, vegetables and fruit, and legumes.
- Choosing lower fat foods more often such as lower fat dairy products and leaner cuts of meat. Removing visible fat from meat and the skin from poultry. Cutting back on high fat snacks, rich desserts, sauces and gravies, and salad dressings and spreads.
- Preparing foods with little or no fat and choosing cooking methods such as baking, braising, broiling, roasting, steaming, micro-waving or poaching.
- Including meals featuring meat alternatives such as soy products, legumes and eggs.
- Combine healthy eating with regular physical activity.
Banana Berry Wake-Up Shake
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Here’s a quick shake that’s perfect for a breakfast-to-go or for a snack anytime. Enjoy with a whole-grain or bran muffin. Serves 2 1 banana 1 cup (250 mL) fresh or frozen berries (any combination) 1 cup (250 mL) milk 3/4 cup (175 mL) lower-fat vanilla yogurt Optional: sprinkling of 100% bran cereal |
Finding time to eat well on the run
Stock up on some tasty foods that are easy to grab on the go such as raw fruit and vegetables, yogurt, milk, cheese, whole grain muffins or crackers, and bite-sized cereals. Keep whole grain breads, bagels, pita bread or tortilla wraps handy; stuff them with salad greens and low fat salad dressing topped with cooked eggs, poultry or meat, tuna, salmon, or beans (chickpeas, black or kidney beans). Take along a travel mug or thermos of soup.
