CHOOSE TO CHALLENGE: WOMEN’S HEALTH AT DIFFERENT STAGES
CHOOSE TO CHALLENGE: WOMEN’S HEALTH AT DIFFERENT STAGES
The past year has brought changes to the lives of everyone, especially women. Despite spending the majority of their time at home, they find themselves leading busier lives – juggling new set-ups for work or school with raising a family or managing home, keeping in touch with family and friends, fulfilling their own professional or personal goals, or making money. This busy lifestyle that most women live puts them in a position where they find it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle, deprioritizing their own wellbeing.
As we celebrated International Women’s Day last March 8, a global day celebrating socio-economic, cultural, and political achievements of women from all over the world, we were given a mission. As this year’s theme goes #ChoosetoChallenge, women are called to the challenge of making informed choices about their health.
As women go through different stages in life, they experience different changes in their bodies. These changes are accompanied by a need to focus on specific nutrients that are key to keeping their body healthy at every stage of their lives, starting from childhood and early teens, childbearing years until the senior years.
Here are the essential nutrients women needs in each life stage to function properly:
STAGE |
NUTRIENTS AND BENEFITS |
SOURCES |
Childhood and early teens, child-bearing and senior years |
CALCIUM – For healthy bones and teeth; helps reduce the risk for osteoporosis; heart rate regulation; muscle contraction |
Low-fat dairy products, milk, yogurt, and cheese |
IRON – Essential for healthy blood cells; oxygen transport; Immune function |
Red meat, chicken, turkey, pork, fish, spinach, beans, lentils, and some fortified ready-to-eat cereals |
|
VITAMIN D – Calcium absorption; bone mineralization |
Fatty fish, such as salmon, eggs, and fortified foods and beverages, such as some yogurts and juices. |
|
Child-bearing years |
FOLIC ACID – prevent neural tube defects, especially spina bifida and anencephaly |
Citrus fruits, leafy greens, beans, and peas |
OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS – prevent preterm births – reduce the risk of heart disease |
Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna), seafood, nuts, and seeds |
|
Child-bearing and senior years |
VITAMIN B12 – Essential for healthy nervous system development and function |
Animal sources such as meats from pork, beef and fish. |
Aside from obtaining these essential nutrients, women should also learn to choose to participate in a positive active lifestyle. Learning how to manage stress is very important. Stress-management doesn’t have to take up much time. Doing breathing exercises or meditation for a couple of minutes; writing a to-do list or diary to organize one’s thoughts; chatting with a friend, relative, or partner about anything that’s on your mind and even making your favorite guilt-free favorite food can be simple ways to relieve the daily stress.
Good thing! We have a product that can be a treat to both your mind and body. Gardenia offers a variety of healthy bread to choose from. You may want to try Gardenia Wheat Cranberry Loaf in its new and better formulation with the combined benefits of whole wheat as a good source of fiber, and cranberries that boost our immunity. Check out this recipe for a healthylicious treat:
Gardenia Breakfast Trio on Cranberry Toast
Tuna, corn, and cheese combination topped on toast and baked until melted
Ingredients:
2 slices Gardenia Wheat Cranberry Loaf
¼ cup Smoked tinapa, shredded
1 pc tomato, chopped
1 pc salted egg, chopped
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp spring onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
- Toast the Gardenia Wheaten Cranberry Loaf until golden brown and crispy.
- Chop the tomato and salted egg and place in a bowl.
- Add in the mayonnaise, and season with salt and pepper then mix well.
- Slice the toast into and top with the smoked fish mixture.
- Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve.
This year’s International Women’s Day challengeD everyone to create an environment where women can become the best version of themselves. Women who are stronger, healthier, and well-informed about nutrition can make better choices that can benefit their own needs and most especially the needs of their families. Better nutrition can unlock and maximize women’s potential by improving their overall health and well-being.
References:
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Mission/Health
https://www.eatright.org/food/nutrition/dietary-guidelines-and-myplate/healthy-eating-for-women
https://www.webmd.com/women/features/women-nutrition