Table of contents:
- Recommendations for the nutritional needs of adult women
- Healthy eating portions for adult women
- Healthy breakfast for adult women
- Healthy snacking for adult women
- A filling lunch for grown women
- Have a healthy dinner without having to worry
- A healthy diet is important, but don't forget to fulfill these three important nutrients
- Iron
- Folic acid
- Calcium
- A healthy diet doesn't mean it's boring
For women, a healthy diet gives you energy, supports your mood, maintains your weight, and can be a great support for going through the different stages of life. Healthy food can also help reduce the suffering of PMS, increase fertility, make it easier for you to undergo pregnancy and breastfeeding, and relieve menopause symptoms. Regardless of your age, having a healthy diet will help you embrace the best version of yourself so that you can enjoy life to the fullest.
Keep reading this article and start planning your healthy diet right now.
Recommendations for the nutritional needs of adult women
Women have different nutritional needs than men, and the nutritional needs of each woman will vary depending on your height and weight, age, and activity level respectively. So, use the guidelines below as a general yardstick only.
According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines released by the US Ministry of Health:
- Women between the ages of 19 and 30 should limit their daily calorie intake to a maximum of 2,000 if inactive, 2,200 if moderately active, and 2,400 if very active.
- Women between 31 and 50 years of age should limit their daily calorie intake to a maximum of 1,800 calories if inactive, 2,000 if moderately active, and 2,200 if very active.
- Women aged 51 and over should limit their daily calorie intake to 1,600 if inactive, 1,800 if moderately active, and 2,200 if very active.
Healthy eating portions for adult women
Another key to maintaining the health of your body as an adult woman is to eat food in appropriate portions. Nutrient-rich foods provide energy to support your busy life and help prevent disease.
Use the list of single measurements (per 1 serving) below as a general guide to your healthy diet:
- At least three 1-ounce servings of whole-grains such as whole-grain bread, cereal, pasta, brown rice, or oats.
- Three servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy products including low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt, or cheese.
- Five to 6 ounces of protein such as lean meat, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, or legumes and string beans and soybeans.
- Two cups of fruit - fresh, frozen, or canned without added sugar.
- Two and a half cups of multicolored vegetables - fresh, frozen, or canned with no added sugar.
Note: 1 cup = 1 tennis ball, and 3 ounces = one bar of soap
But, how does this relate to you? Modify your portions with our style guide to find the right portion for you.
- Carbs (cereal, rice, pasta, tubers) = one cup of your hand
- Protein (meat / chicken / fish / meat alternatives) = one palm of your hand
- Vegetables = your one fist
- Savory snack (popcorn / chips / alternatives) = two cups of your hands
- Cake and bread = 2 of your fingers
- Fat (butter, margarine / butter, oil, and jam) = the tip of your thumb
The 3-4 meals of the guide above will provide you with 1,200 - 1,500 calories per day.
In general, approximately 2,000 calories should be consumed per day. If you exercise for at least 30 minutes per day, you can lose between 0.5 and 1 kilogram per week with a daily intake of 1,200 calories.
Healthy breakfast for adult women
You will burn more calories digesting protein than carbohydrates. So, start your morning with a high protein breakfast; eggs, salmon, avocado, chicken breast, or dairy products. And because protein keeps you full longer, it makes you less hungry throughout the day, so you'll eat fewer calories.
A high protein breakfast is nothing to bother with. Enjoy a serving of a veggie-filled omelette, or a bowl of granola cereal and skim milk. Overnight oats with chia seeds, perhaps? Add chopped fruit to your cereal or eat it separately. You can make coffee or tea as a companion for breakfast (optional - recommended best coffee time is above 9 am). If your mornings are a little more frenetic, stack your favorite whole wheat toast with a serving of scrambled egg and bacon slices on top; or with avocado slices, soft boiled eggs, and tomato salsa. Accompanied by a glass of skim milk and a plate of fresh fruit.
Whatever you do, don't skip breakfast because skipping meals (whenever it is) will sway your blood sugar levels, which means you'll end up choosing the wrong foods for the rest of the day. Remember, breakfast makes an important contribution to your daily intake and plays a key role in maintaining a healthy weight.
Healthy snacking for adult women
Many people stick to the principle of eating "small portions" and often, this habit helps them manage their blood sugar levels - not that they eat more, but rather dividing their daily intake portions evenly throughout the day. One of them is a snack. But, what kind of snacks are healthy?
Make each of your snack sessions a fun and healthy moment by choosing types of foods that not only make the mood better, but also provide complete nutrition. You can choose plain biscuits with peanut butter spread and banana slices, a cup of low-fat greek yogurt topped with fruit and honey, one scoop of low-fat ice cream, a plate of salad, fruit / vegetable salad with low-fat dressing, savory popcorn, or fruit. -dried ingredients (eg raisins); a banana or apple slice and peanut butter; or a protein shake paired with your favorite fruit. Whatever it is, stay away from sugary drinks and sodas.
A filling lunch for grown women
Mix up your lunch menu with a healthy blend of protein and starchy carbohydrates. Carbohydrate-rich foods will provide you with an adequate supply of energy - without them, you will find it easier to tire and tire in the afternoon. What is important, choose the type of carbohydrate food that can provide a steady increase in blood sugar. Stay away from rice or white bread, and swap them for whole grain, nuts, and high-fiber grains to help you avoid snacking on empty calorie snacks.
Fill your lunch plate with a serving of brown rice, colorful vegetables, and white meat. Drink a glass of water or real fruit juice (without sugar and milk) as a thirst quencher. If you're not in the mood for rice, opt for a whole wheat bread sandwich covered with shredded beef, salmon, tuna, turkey, or chicken breast, accompanied by a bowl of fresh salad or try a healthy version of kebab: fill a moist tortilla sheet with slices of lean beef or chicken. along with cucumber, tomato slices, and salsa or guacamole. Avoid sodas or sugary coffee or creamer.
Have a healthy dinner without having to worry
Who says dinner is always fattening? But you also have to be smart in choosing which foods are good for you. Eat one serving of brown rice or whole-wheat pasta topped with tomato sauce - tomatoes are rich in lycopene which is good for the prevention of lung and stomach cancer, as well as healthy skin and hair. These foods are low in fat, high in fiber, still meet your daily carbohydrate needs, while also preparing your body to relax at night.
Combine these healthy carbohydrates with essential fats you can find in oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, as well as nuts and seeds. Your body needs essential fats at night to speed up cell regeneration and repair, which is important for maintaining healthy skin and hair.
A healthy diet is important, but don't forget to fulfill these three important nutrients
Iron
Iron is one of the keys to good health and energy levels for women. If you are planning to lose weight by limiting your intake of fat and protein, your menstrual cycle could be disrupted which has the potential to affect future fertility and bone health. You will lose a fair amount of iron each of your menstrual cycles.
This means that you should seek to make up for this lost amount by eating iron-rich foods in your diet, such as lean red meat, eggs, fortified cereals, dried apricots, spinach, kale, broccoli, oats, and whole grains. Vegetable sources of iron are more easily absorbed by the body when consumed with foods rich in vitamin C. So, eat a bowl of fortified cereal with skim milk with a piece of strawberry on top; spinach salad with mandarin orange slices; or add tomatoes to your chicken soup.
Folic acid
When women reach childbearing age, they will need enough folic acid to reduce the risk of birth defects. The requirements are: approximately 400 micrograms of folic acid per day. Make sure to consume enough folic acid every day from fortified foods (bread, cereal, flour, cornstarch, pasta, rice) or supplements, apart from natural sources of folic acid such as eggs, oranges, leafy greens, nuts, and peas. Beef liver also contains high levels of folate, but you have to be very careful about consuming this offal when you are pregnant.
Calcium
For healthy bones and teeth, women need to eat a variety of foods rich in calcium every day. Calcium keeps bones strong and prevents osteoporosis, a disease in which bones become weak and porous; break easily. Some calcium-rich foods include low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt and cheese, sardines, tofu (when made with calcium sulfate), and calcium fortified foods, including juices and cereals.
A healthy diet doesn't mean it's boring
Planning a healthy diet is only one way to better manage your life. To stay healthy and keep your body at its best, you need to start eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and do this consistently. It's not an exact science, just about changing your eating habits so you don't turn to potato chips, chocolate, or other "empty" snacks when you're hungry.
However, having a healthy diet does not mean you can no longer indulge yourself in your favorite foods. Once you've gotten used to four weeks of rigorous planning, start introducing one "off" day a week - whether it's a Saturday night of the week with a friend or partner, or in the middle of the week as a nice escape from the stress of everyday routine. If you spend six days eating healthy (or five, in certain weeks), indulging yourself in a pizza pan, fast food restaurant fried chicken, or burger and fries is no big deal. But still, first and foremost: avoid sugary drinks as much as possible.
Don't forget to exercise, OK!