Nutrients That Women Must Include in Their Daily Diet

The nutritional needs of women are different as they go through different stages of physiological development and biological changes. Menstruating women need higher amounts of iron, calcium and vitamins; this requirement increases during pregnancy and after menopause. Adequate nutrition and active lifestyle are the cornerstones for women health and wellbeing. Eating the right foods including a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and protein-rich foods along with natural nutritional supplements can effectively cater to their nutritional necessity.

Let us understand the key nutrients that are must-haves for every woman to keep up her energy levels and body in good health.

Vital Nutrients for Women

Some of the vital nutrients for women are as follows:

Calcium & Vitamin D

Bones are like the structural beams and pillars of a building. Calcium is an important component of your bones, accounting for about 30-35% of its mass. This essential nutrient is needed to make strong bones, which enables proper functioning of the body. The body also needs calcium for muscles to move and for nerves to carry messages between the brain and different parts of the body.

As per ICMR -National Institute of Nutrition, women need 1000 mg dietary calcium daily. For lactating & post-menopausal women an additional 200mg allowance is added. However, low intake of dietary calcium is common among women, leading to weak bones and osteoporosis. Also, menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding and menopause are the times when one needs an increased amount of calcium. This is why an intake of calcium-rich foods is highly recommended to attain nutritional adequacy as well as an overall sound health and wellbeing.

But is that enough?

In order to effectively absorb calcium through diet our body needs an adequate amount of vitamin D as well as it increases calcium absorption and is required for normal bone metabolism. Sunlight is the best source for Vitamin D but our hectic lifestyle keeps us boxed up indoors most of the time. This coupled with poor diets deplete the supply of vitamin D in the body.

Natural Vitamin D3 melts by Wellbeing Nutrition contains 100% natural plant-based extracts that effectively supplements the nutritional need and promotes bone health by enhancing calcium absorption. Melts^® are rapid dissolving nano strips that convert key plant-based extracts into nano particles. These strips 'melt' upon coming in contact with one’s tongue to ensure easy and complete absorption of all the goodness and nutrients in an extremely enjoyable and fun manner.

Iron and Folic Acid

According to the National Family Health Survey, in India, more than 50 per cent of women belonging to the age group of 15 and 49 years, suffers from iron deficiency. This deficiency is more prevalent among women due to inadequate quantity of iron and iron enhancers (like vitamin C-rich foods) in the diet along with low bioavailability of dietary iron. Iron is an essential nutrient needed by women to make up for the amount of iron lost during menstruation and childbirth.

The amount of iron an average adult woman under the age of 50 needs at least is 14.8 mg a day and for women over 50, the minimum requirement is 8.7 mg a day. The physiological requirements of iron are higher in women during pregnancy and lactating period, which increases to about 27mg daily. Iron deficiency is the most common cause of nutritional anemia, which adversely affects health and functions of body.

Intake of Iron and folate-rich foods like dark-green leafy vegetables, iron-fortified cereals or bread, pulses and beans, fish, eggs etc., are essential to provide adequate iron to the body and produce healthy red blood cells that prevent anemia. Studies suggest that intake of vitamin C-rich foods or supplements enhance absorption of iron. Hence it is important to pair vitamin C- rich foods with iron-rich foods in our diet to maximize iron absorption.

We have an advanced science-based solution that effectively caters to your triple needs of iron, folate and vitamin C. Nano Iron Melts by Wellbeing Nutrition is an all-natural formula with bioactive ingredients that work in absolute synergy. These oral strips dissolve in your mouth and work from within to boost iron absorption in the body in an all-natural way!

The Unison Effect formula contains clinically researched AB Fortis™ iron that delivers 100% RDA of the nutrient, which further improves the hemoglobin content of RBCs along with folic acid that boosts the production of RBCs. Extracts from organic Swiss chard and acerola cherry provide the most potent form of natural Vitamin C.

Multivitamins and Antioxidants

Women tend to have higher nutritional gaps due to the physiological changes they undergo between menstrual to post menopausal age. Nutrient deficient diets and a busy lifestyle can cause serious health conditions and poor reproductive function. Multivitamins and antioxidants are essential to maintain health, strengthen immunity, prevent disorders caused by oxidative stress and inflammation. A minimum 500 gram-variety of fresh fruits & vegetables must be consumed to obtain adequate amounts of dietary multivitamins and antioxidants. However, studies show up to 83% Indians don’t get their daily minimum requirement of greens, fruits, or veggies.

This nutritional gap can be effectively filled by increasing the intake of a deliciously effervescent tablet called Daily Greens by Wellbeing Nutrition.

This new-age 100% natural supplement contains multivitamins from 39 farm-fresh greens, veggies, fruits and anti-oxidant-rich super foods that provide adequate whole food nutrition, stimulate micro-flora in the gut and restore digestive health and boost immunity. Besides, the nutritive awesomeness that this bubbly and refreshing energy booster has to offer makes it one of the must-have nutritional additions to one’s daily routine. And the best thing about it is that it can be taken anytime and anywhere on the go.

Daily Greens will make you stronger from within and beautiful from outside as its packed with vitamin C from berries & fruits along with proteins and other nutrients that aid in the upkeep of your skin. It helps in collagen production and nourishes your skin from the inside out as well.

Another product Multivitamins Melts is made using advanced nano-science technology and bioactive ingredients that play a vital role in improving one’s holistic wellbeing. Melts Multivitamins comprises essential nutrients such as vitamin A, B complex, C, D3 and K2, magnesium as a mineral and other functional foods and herbs like ashwagandha and ginseng, all of which provide the body with the necessary energy and health boost.

Final Takeaway

Eating well is the key to staying in the best of health and strength, always well protected from diseases. Women must pay attention to their regular intake of essential nutrients through their diet and supplements. Women’s bodies undergo many changes all through the different life stages like menstruation, child birth, lactation and menopause and requires additional supply of nutrition essential for her as well as her baby’s health and wellbeing. A well-balanced diet provides the much-needed nutrition that prevent many nutritive deficiencies, which cause life deteriorating disorders like osteoporosis, diabetes, hypo/hyper thyroidism and other serious maladies even like cancer. That is why, a regular intake of a good dietary supplement is highly recommended as it happens to plug in the nutritional gaps, if any.

Women make the world meaningful; they are the foundation of every family and an asset to the nation. They are the ones who bring new life on earth and their health and wellbeing have a great impact on the society. That is why, women belonging to all age groups must take care of themselves, because healthy and strong women can change the world!

References

• https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)32804-0/fulltext

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• Smith EL, Gilligan C, Smith PE, Sempos CT. Calcium supplementation and bone loss in middle-aged women. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Oct;50(4):833-42. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/50.4.833. PMID: 2801589. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2801589/)

• AUTHOR=Harinarayan Chittari Venkata, Akhila Harinarayan, Shanthisree Edara, TITLE=Modern India and Dietary Calcium Deficiency—Half a Century Nutrition Data—Retrospect–Introspect and the Road Ahead. (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2021.583654/full)

• Rammohan, Anu, Niyi Awofeso, and Marie-Claire Robitaille. "Addressing female iron-deficiency anaemia in india: is vegetarianism the major obstacle?." International Scholarly Research Notices2012 (2012). (https://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2012/765476/)

• Hallberg L, Brune M, Rossander L. The role of vitamin C in iron absorption. Int J Vitam Nutr Res Suppl. 1989;30:103-8. PMID: 2507689. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2507689/)

• Blumberg JB, Bailey RL, Sesso HD, Ulrich CM. The Evolving Role of Multivitamin/Multimineral Supplement Use among Adults in the Age of Personalized Nutrition. Nutrients. 2018;10(2):248. Published 2018 Feb 22. doi:10.3390/nu10020248. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5852824/)