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Medical Video: HOW TO EAT RIGHT FOR YOUR BODY TYPE
For women, a healthy diet gives you energy, supports your mood, maintains your weight, and can be a great support for going through different stages in life. Healthy foods can also help reduce the suffering of PMS, increase fertility, make it easier for you to go through pregnancy and lactation, and relieve menopausal symptoms. Whatever your age, a healthy diet will help you embrace the best version of yourself so you can enjoy life to the fullest.
Continue reading this article and start planning your healthy diet right now.
Recommended nutritional needs of adult women
Women have different nutritional needs from men, and the nutritional needs of each woman will vary depending on your individual height and weight, age, and level of activity. So, just use the guide below as a general benchmark.
According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines released by US Ministry of Health:
- Women between the ages of 19 and 30 must limit their maximum daily calorie intake to 2,000 if inactive, 2,200 if somewhat active, and 2,400 if very active.
- Women between 31 and 50 years old must limit the daily calorie intake to a maximum of 1,800 calories if inactive, 2,000 if somewhat active, and 2,200 if very active.
- Women aged 51 and over must limit their daily calorie intake to 1,600 if it's not active, 1,800 if it's active enough, and 2,200 if it's very active.
The portion of healthy eating for adult women
Another key to maintaining your body's health as an adult woman is to eat food in the right portion. Nutritious-rich foods provide energy to support your daily activities and help prevent disease.
Use a 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 wheat bread, cereal, pasta, brown rice, or wheat.
- Three servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy products include 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 peas and beans and soybeans.
- Two cups of fruit - fresh, frozen, or canned without added sugar.
- Two and a half cups of colorful vegetables - fresh, frozen, or canned without added sugar.
Note: 1 cup = 1 tennis ball, and 3 ounces = one bar of soap
But how is this related to you? Modify your portion with our style guide to find the right portion for you.
- Carbohydrates (cereals, rice, pasta, tubers) = one hand in your hand
- Protein (meat / chicken / fish / alternative meat) = one palm of your hand
- Vegetables = one fist
- Savory snacks (popcorn / chips / alternatives) = two cups of your hands
- Cakes and bread = 2 of your fingers
- Fat (butter, margarine / butter, oil, and jam) = the tip of your thumb
3-4 meals from the guide above will provide you with 1,200 - 1,500 calories per day.
In general, approximately 2,000 calories must be consumed per day. If you exercise at least 30 minutes per day, you can lose weight between 0.5 to 1 kilogram per week with a daily intake of 1,200 calories.
Healthy breakfast for adult women
You will burn more calories when 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, you don't get hungry all day long so you will eat fewer calories.
High protein breakfast does not need to bother. Enjoy a serving of vegetable fillings, or a bowl of seral granola and skim milk. Overnight oats with chia seeds, maybe? Add pieces of fruit in your cereal or gently devour. You can brew coffee or tea as a breakfast friend (optional - the best coffee recommendation is above 9am). If your morning is a little more free, arrange your favorite toasted wheat bread with one serving of scrambled eggs and sliced bacon on top; or with avocado slices, half-boiled eggs and tomato salsa sauce. Accompany with a glass of skim milk and a plate of fresh fruit.
Whatever you do, don't skip breakfast because skipping meals (whenever that is) will sway your blood sugar levels, which means you will end up choosing the wrong food for the rest of the day. Remember, breakfast contributes to your daily intake and plays a key role in maintaining a healthy body weight.
Healthy snacking for adult women
Many people cling to the principle of eating "small portions" and often, these habits help them manage their blood sugar levels - that doesn't mean they eat more, but rather divide the portion of daily intake to be even throughout the day. One of them is a snack. But, what kind of snack is healthy?
Make every session you snack at a fun and healthy moment by choosing the type of food that not only makes the mood better, but also provides complete nutrition. You can choose fresh biscuits with a spread of peanut butter and banana slices, a cup of greek low-fat yogurt with fruit and honey toppings, one low-fat ice cream scoop, a plate of rujak, fruit / vegetable salad with low-fat dressing, savory popcorn or fruit dry ingredients (such as raisins); one banana or apple slices and peanut butter; or protein shakes combined with your favorite fruit. Whatever it is, keep yourself away from sugary drinks and soda.
Lunch is filling for adult women
Racik your lunch menu with a healthy blend of protein and carbohydrate starch. Carbohydrate-rich foods will provide you with enough energy - without them, you will be easier to get tired and tired in the afternoon. The important thing is to choose carbohydrate foods that are able to provide a steady increase in blood sugar. Stay away from rice or white bread, and exchange it with wheat, beans 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 reliever. If you're not in the mood to eat rice, choose a wheat bread sandwich coated with sliced beef, salmon, tuna, turkey, or chicken breast, accompanied by a bowl of fresh salads or try a healthy version of kebabs: fill in slices of wet tortilla with lean beef or chicken slices along with cucumber slices, tomatoes, and salsa or guacamole sauce. Avoid sodas or sugary coffee or creams.
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 with a splash of tomato sauce - tomatoes are rich in lycopene which is good for preventing lung and stomach cancer, as well as skin and hair health. These foods are low in fat, high in fiber, still sufficient for your daily carbohydrate needs, while preparing your body to relax at night.
Combine these healthy carbohydrates with the intake of essential fats that you can find in oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines, as well as nuts and seeds. Your body needs essential fat 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 fill 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 fat intake and protein, your menstrual cycle can be disrupted which has the potential to affect fertility and bone health in the future. You will lose a lot of iron every time in your menstrual cycle.
That means you should try to replace this lost amount by eating iron-rich foods in your diet, such as lean lean red meat, eggs, fortified cereals, dried apricots, spinach, kale, broccoli, oats, and seeds. 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 strawberry pieces 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 their risk of birth defects. The requirements are: approximately 400 micrograms of folic acid per day. Be sure to consume enough folic acid every day from fortified foods (bread, cereals, flour, corn flour, pasta, rice) or supplements, apart from food sources rich in natural folic acid such as: eggs, oranges, green vegetables, beans, and peas. Beef liver also contains high levels of folate, but you should be very careful about consuming this innards when you are pregnant.
Calcium
For healthy bones and teeth, women need to eat a variety of calcium-rich foods every day. Calcium makes bones strong and prevents osteoporosis, a disease in which bones become weak and porous; broken easily. Some calcium-rich foods include low fat or fat-free milk, yogurt and cheese, sardines, tofu (if made with calcium sulfate), and calcium fortified foods, including juices and cereals.
A healthy diet does not mean boring
Planning a healthy diet is only one way to better manage your life. To stay healthy and keep your body in its best condition, you should start eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and do it consistently. It's not exact science, it's just about changing your eating habits so you don't switch to potato chips, chocolate, or other 'empty' snacks when you're hungry.
However, having a healthy diet does not mean you can no longer spoil yourself with favorite foods. Once you are used to rigorous planning for four weeks, start introducing a "day off" in a week - whether it's Saturday on a weekly night with friends or partners, or in the middle of the week as a fun escape from stressful daily routines. If you spend six days eating healthy (or five, in a few weeks), pampering yourself with a pizza pan, fast food fried chicken, or burger and fries is not a big problem. But still, most importantly and important: avoid sugary drinks as much as possible.
Don't forget to exercise, huh!
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