Nutrition is vital to female wellness, whether you’re working on the wellbeing of your bones, belly or future baby. The good news is, with a healthy, balanced diet you’re already getting everything you need, says Women’s Health Nutrition Expert and Registered Dietitian Keri Glassman : ‘We get a wide variety of nutrients from eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, often in perfect proportions. We rarely over or under do it.’
Still, sometimes you need a little extra nutrient power here and there, and that’s where supplements come in. You might need to take certain vitamins or minerals if you’re unwell, pregnant or a vegetarian, or as an insurance policy for those times you eat a bag of doughnuts for breakfast instead of your usual whole-wheat toast. According to Glassman, ‘When considering supplements, women need to think bones, babies, and bellies. Sufficient bone density is needed to prevent osteoporosis, an adequate store of folate is essential for fertility and foetal development, and a healthy waistline lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. Women must also load up on the nutrients that are essential to prevent chronic diseases in the future.’
Bones – As you were told as a kid, calcium is vital for keeping bones strong, but your need for it doesn’t stop just because you’ve stopped growing. Mary Ellen Camire, PhD, a nutrition professor at the University of Maine at Orono, explains, ‘Women start losing bone density in their twenties. Calcium is your single best defence, and you should start taking it now.’
Babies – If you’re pregnant, folate is absolutely essential. A deficiency in this B vitamin can lead to serious complications, such as your baby being born prematurely or with neural tube defects. Taking 600mg of folate when pregnant can reduce your baby’s chances of neural tube defects by 72-100%!
Belly – As the most studied and most active antioxidant in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) may help reduce your waistline by fighting weight-causing free radicals. Plus, the antioxidant properties of green tea work to lower your cholesterol (which reduces your heart disease risk) and may help prevent the development and growth of skin tumors.