Women today are balancing between the demands of family and career, along with the pressure to look healthy and to eat a certain way, many women are finding it very difficult to maintain a healthy diet.
A balanced diet is a basic essential for a women’s health. Women likewise men should enjoy a wide variety of foods, such as the fruits, whole grains, vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats and low-fat dairy products.
Eating healthy helps woman have an easy pregnancy and benefits nursing, which in turn helps in reducing Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS). It also keeps the bones resilient and also builds up a strong immunity to resist the symptoms of menopause.
Women are prone to neglect their own dietary needs, prioritising the needs of their family first. They must not ignore their health and should start focusing on their diet now to avoid complications later.
Here are some tips for working women to stay healthy and fit:
Don’t skip breakfast: In whatever hurry you are, you must not avoid breakfast. A good healthy breakfast, starting with fruits will always help in keeping oneself energetic throughout the day.
Homemade lunch: Home prepared food is always healthy and without getting bored by a monotonous food every day, lunch can be cooked differently by adding enough proteins and vitamins to it.
Have enough water: Women needs to keep themselves hydrated, ensuring that they carry a bottle of water to their office every day, as dehydration can make them tiring and exhausted.
Avoid processed food: Drinks and processed foods should always be an option to opt out. Foods like sugary snacks and extra salted cookies which contain white flour and added preservatives are an invitation to lifestyle diseases.
5 foods women should include in their diet:
- Apples act as an antioxidant which strengthens the body’s immune system. Apples are most effective in reducing coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease and the risk of deaths among women.
- Dark chocolate benefits health by its high concentrations of polyphenols and flavones, which protects the heart.
- Olive oil helps women in lowering their ‘bad’ cholesterol levels and raise ‘good’ cholesterol, which in turn helps in reducing the risk of heart diseases.
- Oats can help women cope against the odds of developing type 2 diabetes and heart diseases.
- Avocados also known as butter fruit, are rich in monounsaturated fat, which helps women to nourish their skin, nails and hairs. These are also very high in potassium, which aids in lower blood pressure.
The author is the Dietician Executive at Columbia Asia Referral Hospital in Yeshwanthpur, Karnataka