Women fulfill a lot of roles and go through a lot of physical and emotional changes. From mothers to homemakers, from careers goals to caregivers, the energy needed for fulfilling all these roles is hard to get from your regular diet. Deficiencies of vital nutrients can lead to serious health issues both physical and emotional.
A few changes in your diet are all it takes to hit the daily quota of nutrients that are extremely important to maintain your health and well-being.
So here are the most important nutrients that you need on a daily basis:
1. CALCIUM
Women lose more calcium compared to men; pregnancy, and menopause all leech calcium from your bones, making you more prone to conditions like Osteoporosis.
Daily requirement
-Women between the age of 25-50 need about upto 1000 mg/day.
Women above age 50 require 1200 mg or more as suggested by doctor.
-For pregnant and lactating women, the daily requirement is at least 1500 mg.
Sources
-Have milk and milk-based products like curd, cheese, chaach to increase your calcium stores.
-Green vegetables like spinach, sarson, and broccoli are packed with calcium. 1 cup of boiled or steamed green vegetables can give up to 80 mg of calcium.
-White beans are a powerhouse of calcium, one serving of boiled bean salad, sprinkled with calcium-rich dried herbs like oregano, thyme, and basil can give close to 200 mg of calcium.
-Oranges are packed with calcium and vitamin C, and vitamin C helps the body better absorb calcium.
2. IRON
Women lose iron on a regular basis through monthly menstrual bleeding. A deficiency of iron leads to low energy, a pale pallor to the skin, shortness of breath, headaches, anxiety, hair loss, and anemia.
Daily Requirement
The daily requirement of iron for women in the age group 25-50 is 12 mg, during periods a woman needs 18 mg a day. Women above 50 require 10 mg a day. During pregnancy, a woman needs 27 mg a day, but once a woman is breastfeeding, she needs only 8-10 mg a day.
Sources
-Supplement your diet with vegetables like beetroot, spinach, mushrooms, dried raisins, dates, apricots, peas, beans, dark meat, and seafood.
-Spirulina (a plant extract) is an excellent source of iron, 15 grams of powdered spirulina a day takes care of 24% of your daily requirement.
3. VITAMIN D
About 83% of females and 85% of males in India are reported to have low Vitamin D levels. Your body needs Vitamin D to absorb calcium. Vitamin D deficiency can cause bone problems (osteoporosis), heart disease, diabetes, and even an increased risk of cancer.
Daily Requirement
The recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 600 IU for those 1-70 years of age and pregnant or breastfeeding women, and 800 IU for those over 71 years of age.
Sources
Most people get some vitamin D from sunlight. When the sun shines on your bare skin, your body makes its own vitamin D. The paler your skin type the more easily your skin can produce vitamin D.
-Fair-skinned people need around 5-10 minutes on a sunny day, a few times a week. People with darker skin tones and the elderly need around 20-30 minutes of sun exposure
– Expose a large area of your skin, such as your back, rather than your face or arms, to make the most of the sunlight
-Dietary sources are very limited and include milk fortified with vitamin D, mushrooms, fortified cereals, egg yolk, and fish
4 . VITAMIN B COMPLEX
B complex vitamins are one of the most important sets of vitamins that help in preventing diabetes, anemia, and heart disease, maintaining mental health and the nervous system. These include riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, niacin, biotin, thiamine, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12.
Daily Requirement
Most healthy women require approximately 2.4 mcg of vitamin B-12, 1.3 mg of vitamin B-6, 400 mcg of folate, 5 mg of pantothenic acid, 30 mcg of biotin, 14 mg of niacin, 1.1 mg of thiamin and 1.1 mg of riboflavin.
Sources
-Get your daily dose of B complex vitamins from green leafy vegetables, kidney beans, hard-boiled eggs, bananas, baked potatoes, almonds & spinach.
So, go ahead and add these essential nutrients to your diet for a strong body and an agile mind. Stay Healthy, Stay Happy!