Women's Nutritional Needs

Chances are you find yourself standing in line or sitting in the drive-through some days for a quick meal. You are not alone. Every day about one out of five Americans eats takeout from a fast-food restaurant. As convenient as this is, most of the time, this food does not give a woman's body what she needs to be healthy and fit.

Eating healthy does much more than give your body fuel to keep going. It can help prevent disease and improve your quality of life. The better your diet, the better your health. A healthy diet has the correct amount of nutrients (vitamins, minerals) and calories. Too much or too little of nutrients and calories can affect a woman's health. An easy way to find out if you are eating healthy is to look at what you are eating. Choose a diet with a wide variety of foods such as plenty of vegetables, fruits, and grains. Cut back on the use of sugar and salt. If you drink alcohol, limit yourself to no more than 1 to 2 drinks a day. If you are a smoker, you need to take steps to quit. See www.4woman.gov/QuitSmoking for resources to help you stop smoking.

As a woman, the nutrients and calories your body needs will change during the different stages, such as pregnancy and menopause, in your life. Women need more calcium, iron and folic acid, than do men. The risks of osteoporosis (bone loss) and iron deficiency (anemia) are greater for women than men. By simply changing your diet, you can reduce your risk for these conditions. Whether you are 8 or 80, it is never too late to start. Any changes you make in your diet today will help to improve your overall health. The National Women's Health Information Center has provided the following resources to help women eat healthy and achieve or maintain a good diet and proper nutrition.

Publications
Action Guide For Healthy Eating
Most people are busy these days. They have less time than they used to for shopping and for planning what to eat. This booklet is designed to make it easy to fit low-fat, high-fiber eating into busy schedules.

Aim For A Healthy Weight! - NHLBI Obesity Education Initiative
These guidelines from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute present a new approach for the assessment of overweight and obesity and establish principles of safe and effective weight loss. Calculate your obesity risk online. If you need to lose weight or need help to maintain your current weight, there are items to help you get started, including recipes, shopping tips, and advice on choosing an exercise program.

'Daily Values' Encourage Healthy Diet
This pamphlet contains information on the Daily Value, a new dietary value reference to help consumers use food label information to plan a healthy overall diet.

Food Guide Pyramid, The
This pamphlet introduces you to the Food Guide Pyramid. The Pyramid illustrates the research-based food guidance system developed by the USDA and supported by DHHS. It goes beyond the 'basic four food groups' to help you put the dietary guidelines into action.

Healthy Eating Tips
This publication contains some tips for healthy eating at home, work, and elsewhere to help you get started.

Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans
The Dietary Guidelines provide easily understood, science-based information on how Americans can choose diets that promote good health.

Recipes and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals
This colorful book provides information to assist families in purchasing and preparing healthy, thrifty meals that meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the Food Guide Pyramid. The book contains two sample meal plans (consisting of two weekly menus, 40 recipes, and two food lists), tips for shopping, cooking healthfully and keeping food safe.

Very Low Calorie Diets
This fact sheet presents information on very low-calorie diets, formulas of 800 calories or less that replace all usual food intake and are used to promote short-term weight loss in moderately to severely obese patients.

A Nutritious New Year: Resolutions From A to Z (Copyright © The Physician and Sportsmedicine)
This on-line publication contains information on healthful eating tips that can help you feel great, perform well, and invest in your well-being for many new years to come.

Organizations
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, FCS, FNCS, USDA

Food and Nutrition Information Center, NAL, USDA

Food and Nutrition Service, USDA

Weight Control Information Network, NIDDK, NIH, HHS

Food and Nutrition Board

= Federal government resources