EVERY year on March 8, we celebrate International Women’s Day. What a long way we’ve come, ladies! Our challenges and achievements are a work-in-progress in this ever evolving world we live in. We will never give up as we collectively strive to improve the status and wellbeing of women.
But when it comes to valuing your OWN health and wellbeing, no one is more pivotal than YOU. Truth is, even if you had a day to remind yourself to value your health, you’re the only one who can put it into practice to truly make a difference.
So what are some of the ways you can improve your diet right now? Say these statements as a reminder to yourself to always value your health and nutrition:
VALUE STATEMENT #1: “I’M GOING TO START EATING BETTER FOR MYSELF!”
Take a good, hard look at what you are currently eating. Are you constantly rushing around and skipping meals? Do you cook healthy meals for your family but only end up picking on the foods as you try to complete all you have set out to do for the day? I know many women who do this and it is at the expense of their own health.
One of my clients was shocked to see how much weight she had gained over the last two years because she was not eating right, had no time for exercise and was sleeping very little. She was literally burning the candles at both ends to do everything for everyone else. Realising it helped her to refocus on what she needed to do and reschedule her days better so she could eat proper meals and do things that benefitted her health.
VALUE STATEMENT #2: “I WILL ADD ONE MORE SERVING OF VEGETABLES TO MY MEALS!”
Folic acid is an important B-vitamin nutrient that is part of the formation and synthesis of DNA material. Its intake is extra important in women of a child-bearing age and those who are pregnant as deficiency in folic acid can cause mental impairment in babies known as neural tube defect.
Folic acid is abundant in leafy green vegetables, citrus fruit, beans and whole grains. The simplest thing you can do is to add an extra serving of vegetables at each meal. A serving of vegetables is half cup cooked, half cup raw or a cup of pure vegetable juice.
It’s easy to add vegetables to your meal – add some salad leaves in your sandwich, chop up some vegetables into your egg omelette or request for an additional portion of vegetables when you order noodle soup or your favourite economy rice. Not a fan of the taste of vegetables? Then juice your vegetables with fruit and you’ll never be able to taste them!
VALUE STATEMENT #3: “I CHOOSE FOODS THAT FUEL ME!”
One of the major energy zappers for women is not getting sufficient iron in your diet. Iron is an important mineral for the production of haemoglobin that transports much needed oxygen to our cells. When your iron level is low, you end up with a condition called anaemia, which means your haemoglobin level is low. Women also tend to lose iron due to menstruation. Eating food rich in iron is a good way to ensure that we maintain adequate iron levels for our body to function well.
Common foods rich in iron are red meat (beef, lamb), mutton, chicken, liver, shellfish, fish, leafy green vegetables, lentils and iron- fortified cereals. So be sure to include at least one serving of an iron-rich food daily. Remember that caffeine in coffee, tea and colas reduce the absorption of iron in your body.
VALUE STATEMENT #4 : “I’M KEEPING MY BODY STRONG BECAUSE IT’S MY SANCTUARY!”
At the heart of our physical body are our bones that make up our skeletal frame. Calcium and Vitamin D are nutrients that work in tandem to provide our bones with the nutrients they need to maintain density. Not getting adequate calcium and Vitamin D from your diet can result in your bones becoming more brittle, which makes it susceptible to fractures from the slightest fall. Good food sources for calcium are milk, cheese, yogurt, fish with small bones that you can eat such as sardine or anchovies, calcium fortified cereals and juices.
Vitamin D, on the other hand, is abundant in cold water fish that are naturally rich in healthy oils and eggs. Be sure to include calcium rich foods in your daily diet and at least two glasses of milk. Most children stop drinking milk as soon as they hit their teens and young adulthood – only to replace it with sweet drinks with no nutritional value. Some assume that condensed milk is their milk intake for the day. Condensed milk is not considered a milk serving as it does not have the same significant nutritional content as a serving of milk and dairy. Hence, treat condensed milk as a sweetener, and not as a milk.
VALUE STATEMENT #5: “I’M GOING TO MOVE MORE AND HAVE FUN!”
Apart from your diet, weight-bearing activities such as walking, jogging and resistance-training also helps to maintain strong bones and lean muscle mass. Lean muscle mass is particularly important as we age. It’s a known fact that our body fat accumulates as we get older, due to a reduction in our metabolic rate. You will feel it even more so if you remain a couch potato. Having more lean muscle mass helps us to maintain a higher metabolic rate and strength. So make sure you make time to move more. Women are naturally social beings, but we tend to stifle that when family commitments come along. Make working out your new leisure activity where you can relieve stress and socialise. By keeping exercise in this perspective, it becomes something you look forward to, instead of just being yet another tedious chore that you dread to do.
* Indra Balaratnam is a consultant dietitian who believes in simple, practical ways to eating well and living healthy. She can be reached at indra.balaratnam@gmail.com