There's good news about how diet can positively influence a woman's health from childhood until she is savoring her golden years. Developing and maintaining wise dietary habits can affect the way every woman looks and feels about herself. Often, simple changes in what you eat not only affect your appearance, but may also reduce your risk for developing heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and certain types of cancer, diseases that strike millions of women each year.

Women’s nutritional needs change at each stage of life:

Childhood

Childhood is a time of rapid growth, so it is important that children are physically active and get sufficient calories, protein and essential vitamins and minerals in their diets. Parents should be aware of the basic principles of selecting a good diet, teaching children about the Food Guide Pyramid. Incorporating physical activity into the child's daily life is also important.

Offer foods to children using the Food Guide Pyramid.  Building on a base of grains, fruits and vegetables, you can add dairy foods like milk, yogurt, and cheese and protein foods such as meats, poultry, fish, dried beans, eggs, and nuts in moderate portions. The top of the pyramid--fats and sweets--may be eaten sparingly.

Adolescence

An increased need for nutrients for rapid growth is a key feature of this life stage. Adequate dietary intake of protein, iron, calcium and other nutrients helps to support bone growth during this critical period. Throughout a woman's reproductive years, daily intake of 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid is critical for preventing neural tube defects. Eating disorders are common among adolescents. They are best handled by getting help from a team of health professionals specializing in this area. One source of care is Arkansas Children's Hospital.

Young Adulthood

This is a time when most women want advice about diet during pregnancy and lactation. Include plenty of calcium. Girls from 9 to 18 years need 1300 milligrams (mg) per day. Women from 19 to 50 years need 1000 mg per day. Women older than 50 years need 1200 mg each day. Pregnant or nursing women who are less than 18 years need 1300 mg. Pregnanet and nursing women who are older than 18 years need 1000 mg. This means eating several servings of calcium-rich foods every day like milk, cheese, and yogurt (choose low-fat varieties), canned sardines and salmon with bones, and leafy green vegetables like broccoli and kale.

Young adulthood is also the prime time to focus on maintaining or achieving a healthy weight. That goal may be more attainable than you think. If you are overweight, losing just 5 percent to 10 percent of your total body weight can have positive health benefits. As a result, experts recommend that you create a realistic goal and aim to lose just 10 percent of your total body weight. Being realistic about your weight goal also makes it easier to maintain, so you can continue to reap the benefits. Even a small weight loss combined with regular physical activity can reduce health risks. Studies show that in some overweight people, losing as little as two pounds lowers blood cholesterol; and for others, losing seven pounds can reduce high blood pressure.

Middle Age

You can protect yourself from heart disease--the leading cause of death in women, through diet and exercise. These two factors influence your blood cholesterol as well as your blood pressure and weight

To reduce your chances for heart disease, choose a diet lower in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol and high in complex carbohydrates, such as breads, cereals, pasta and rice and fruits and vegetables.

The role of diet in preventing breast cancer is less clear, but still promising. In studies of women from different racial and ethnic groups, it seems that eating low-fat diets reduces risk of developing breast cancer.

Diet and exercise also work together to improve diabetes control. A diet that is low in saturated fat is recommended for persons with diabetes.

Old Age

Osteoporosis is a major disease among older women that affects not only bone health but your vitality. This disease causes decreased bone density or strength and makes bone fractures much more likely later in life.

The good news is you can reduce your risk of osteoporosis by getting enough calcium and vitamin D and weight-bearing exercise. Surprisingly, this is especially important for young girls between the ages of 8 and 16 when most bone density is formed, a process that continues until around age 35. Getting adequate calcium and vitamin D is essential for women of all ages; even after menopause.

The vitamin B-12 is important for cell growth and division, brain function, and healthy blood. However, women older than 50 years should not rely solely on dietary sources for vitamin B-12 because they may not absorb the vitamin as well. Women in this age range should use fortified foods or supplements to be sure that they get the daily minimum of 2.4 mcg of this important vitamin.

This material has been made available by the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition in the UAMS College of Health Related Professions and by the Arkansas Department of Health.

Related Sites

U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines:
www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/dga/dguide95.html