Many health problems in the United States are linked to poor diet and lack of exercise. These include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, obesity, constipation, and
certain cancers. By maintaining a healthy lifestyle that combines good food choices and exercise, many of these conditions can be prevented or controlled.
A well-balanced diet is crucial to good health. Your body needs a regular supply of nutrients to grow, replace worn-out tissue, and provide energy. How much of each nutrient you need each day is called the recommended daily allowance (RDA) or, more recently, the dietary reference intake (DRI). You can get your DRI of nutrients from food as well as from supplements. However, most of the nutrients you need should come from the foods you eat.
To be sure that your diet gives you enough nutrients, you need to know which ones are in the foods you eat. MyPyramid (www.MyPyramid.gov) can help you make healthy food choices. MyPyramid takes into account your age, sex, and how much you exercise every day. It shows the number of servings you should have each day from each of these six food groups:
On packaged foods, you can use the food labels to find out what nutrients they provide. A food label lists the serving size of the product and how many servings are in the package. This will help you decide how much of the product you should have for one serving. A label also will show how much of the DRI of each nutrient the serving supplies. Your daily goal is to reach 100% of each nutrient. One way of making healthy food choices is to compare food labels of similar products (see "Get the Facts").
Special Needs
Every diet should include proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fat. You can get most of these nutrients from a well-balanced diet. Most women need to be sure they get enough calcium, iron, and folic acid and not too much fat (saturated and trans fats), sodium, and added sugars. Sometimes women may need more or less than the DRI of a certain nutrient, especially those who are pregnant or in menopause, or have certain health problems, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
Calcium
Bone is made up of calcium and protein. Bones can become thin and brittle if your diet is low in calcium. This may cause osteoporosis. Most women need 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium per day. To get your DRI of calcium, you need to drink about 3 cups of non-fat milk a day. Other dairy foods, such as low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese, also are high in calcium. If you prefer non-dairy products or are lactose intolerant, consider these sources of calcium:
- Dark greens (collards, spinach, turnip greens, and kale)
- Soybeans and some soy products
- Certain canned fish and seafood (sardines, pink salmon with bone, blue crab, and clams)
- Cereals and juices with added calcium
It also is important to get enough vitamin D, which helps the body to absorb calcium. For this reason vitamin D often is added to milk. Exposure to sun also can help the body make vitamin D.
Iron
Iron is needed to make new blood cells. If you are not getting enough iron, anemia may occur. Women may become anemic because of loss of blood during menstruation or childbirth. Anemia may make you feel tired. If it becomes severe, it can make you feel weak and look pale.
Most women of childbearing age need 18 mg of iron per day. During and after menopause, women may not need such high levels of iron. If you are aged 51 years or older, you need only 8 mg of iron per day. Talk with your doctor if you are concerned that you are not getting the recommended amount of iron.
One serving of most breakfast cereals with added iron should provide your DRI of iron. Other foods that are good sources of iron include:
- Spinach
- Beans (soybeans, white beans, lentils, kidney beans, chick peas)
- Clams and oysters
- Meats (beef, duck, lamb)
- Organ meats (liver, giblets)
It helps to eat foods rich in vitamin C, like oranges and tomatoes, at the same meal with an iron-rich food. Vitamin C helps your body use iron better.
|
Get The Facts
Compare the labels for reduced-fat milk and non-fat milk. Which is the healthier choice?
Non-fat milk is a healthier choice if you are trying to lose or maintain weight and prevent heart disease. Both types of milk have the same amount of calcium, but the non-fat milk has no saturated fat and has 40 calories less per serving than the reduced-fat milk.
Source: Modified from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/vltlabel.html |
Folic Acid
Folic acid is important for all women. It also is needed for healthy growth of a baby during pregnancy, especially during the first months. Not getting enough folic acid in your diet increases the risk of having a baby with certain birth defects of the spine and skull. Because many pregnancies are unplanned, it is best for any woman who can become pregnant to eat foods rich in folic acid every day.
Women who can get pregnant or who are pregnant should take 0.4 mg of folic acid daily. Women who have had a child with a spine or skull defect need even higher doses of folic acid (4 mg per day) based on their doctor's recommendation. They should start taking this amount of folic acid before they have another baby.
The richest food sources of folic acid are those that have it added to them, such as breakfast cereals, bread, pasta, flour, crackers, and orange juice. Other foods that are good sources of folic acid include dark leafy greens (such as spinach and collard greens) and citrus fruit (such as oranges and lemons). It may be hard to get all the folic acid you need just from your diet, so you may have to take a supplement. If you do not think you are getting enough folic acid, talk to your doctor.
Fat
Fat is a part of a healthy diet. It is needed to carry vitamins through the body and help manage body functions. How much and what type of fat you eat may make a difference.
There are two basic kinds of fat found in food—saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fat is solid at room temperature. An example of saturated fat is butter. Unsaturated fat is liquid at room temperature. Examples of unsaturated fat are olive oil or canola oil. Unsaturated fats are better choices than saturated fats—they do not raise your cholesterol levels as much. You can find how much fat (total fat as well as saturated and unsaturated fat) is in a product by reading its food label.
A different kind of fat—trans fat—also is listed on food labels. Trans fat is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oils to improve their smell, taste, and shelf life. It often is found in french fries, potato chips, store-bought baked goods, and microwave meals. Trans fat also can increase your cholesterol levels. You can decrease your cholesterol levels by eating foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. Regular exercise also can decrease your cholesterol levels.
You should limit or even remove foods that have saturated and trans fats from your diet. If you choose to eat foods such as meat, poultry, fried goods, pastries, or milk products, look for products that are lean, low-fat or non-fat. You also can change the way you prepare foods:
- Broil or bake instead of frying
- Skim fat from soups
- Trim all fat from meats
- Remove skin from poultry
- Cut back on butter, margarine, cream, oil, and mayonnaise made from trans fat
Sodium
Sodium, or salt, is linked to the risk of high blood pressure. Typically, the more salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure gets. That means that salt should be used in small amounts—usually not more than 1 teaspoonful a day. Choose and prepare foods with little salt. At the same time, eat potassium-rich foods, such as orange vegetables. Potassium may help lower your blood pressure. Check the salt content of a product by looking on its food label. Different brands of similar products may contain different amounts of salt. Try to choose the brand that is lower in salt.
Added Sugars
Food sugars—carbohydrates—are the body's main source of energy. Sugars can be natural or added. Natural sugars are those found in fruit, vegetables, or in milk. Added sugars are added to the food at the table (for instance, sugar in coffee or syrup on pancakes) or during processing at a factory (corn syrup added to soda or baked goods). It is important to choose sugars wisely. Besides energy, many natural sugars, especially those from fruit and vegetables, are good sources of fiber. Added sugars supply calories, but few or no nutrients.
Healthy Weight
Your weight is the result of how many calories you eat versus the number of calories you burn. The energy we get from food is measured in calories. The number of calories we need each day differs from woman to woman. It depends on your age, how active you are, and your body size. Most women should eat and drink about 2,000 calories per day. Unused calories turn into body fat. This is why people who burn fewer calories than they eat often gain weight.
| Body Mass Index
To calculate your body mass index, find your height in inches in the left column. Then look across the line to find your weight in pounds. The number at the top of that column is your BMI.
Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1998 June: 139 |
You should keep your weight at the range that is healthy for your height. The body mass index is used to compare a person's height with her weight to see if she is overweight. Having a body mass index of 19–24.9 is healthy and 25–29.9 is overweight. A person with a score of 30 or higher is obese.
If your weight is not in the healthy range, try to lose the extra pounds. You can lose weight by balancing your diet with exercise. The more you exercise, the more you can eat without gaining weight. Talk to your doctor about a weight loss plan that is right for you. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers the following guidelines:
- To reduce your risk of chronic disease, exercise at least 30 minutes most days of the week.
- To maintain your weight, exercise a total of 60 minutes most days of week and take in fewer calories than you burn.
- To sustain weight loss, exercise a total of 60 to 90 minutes most days of the week and take in fewer calories than you burn.
Finally . . .
Healthy eating is one of the best things you can do for yourself. To ensure that your diet provides all of the nutrients you need, eat a variety of foods. Balance the food you eat with exercise for weight control. When making food choices:
- Eat a variety of foods within the food groups.
- Choose fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
- Choose some enriched grains.
- Eat more dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, beans, fruits, whole grains, and non-fat milk and milk products.
- Eat fewer foods with added sugars.
- Eat less cholesterol.
- Avoid trans fats.
- Limit your intake of sodium.
- Eat potassium-rich foods.
- Limit your intake of alcohol.
Glossary
Anemia: Abnormally low levels of blood or red blood cells in the bloodstream. Most cases are caused by iron deficiency, or lack of iron.
Cardiovascular Disease: Disease of the heart and blood vessels.
Cholesterol: A natural substance that serves as a building block for cells and hormones and helps to carry fat through the blood vessels for use or storage in other parts of the body.
Diabetes: A condition in which the levels of sugar in the blood are too high.
Lactose Intolerant: Being unable to digest dairy products.
Menopause: The process in a woman's life when the ovaries stop functioning and menstruation stops.
Nutrients: Nourishing substances supplied through food, such as vitamins and minerals.
Osteoporosis: A condition in which the bones become so fragile that they break more easily.
This Patient Education Pamphlet was developed under the direction of the Committee on Patient Education of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Designed as an aid to patients, it sets forth current information and opinions on subjects related to women's health. The average readability level of the series, based on the Fry formula, is grade 6–8. The Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) instrument rates the pamphlets as "superior." To ensure the information is current and accurate, the pamphlets are reviewed every 18 months. The information in this pamphlet does not dictate an exclusive course of treatment or procedure to be followed and should not be construed as excluding other acceptable methods of practice. Variations taking into account the needs of the individual patient, resources, and limitations unique to the institution or type of practice may be appropriate.
Copyright © October 2006 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, posted on the Internet, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.
ISSN 1074-8601
Requests for authorization to make photocopies should be directed to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923.
To reorder Patient Education Pamphlets in packs of 50, please call 800-762-2264 or order online at sales.acog.org.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
409 12th Street, SW
PO Box 96920
Washington, DC 20090-6920
12345/09876
| Find an Ob-Gyn
| Contact Us
| About Us
| ACOG Home
|
Eating well is one of the best things you can do to stay healthy. A good diet gives you more energy, improves your physical and mental well-being, and decreases your risk of disease. This pamphlet will help you learn more about:
All packaged foods must be clearly labeled with nutrition information. Reading all food labels can help you make smart food choices. The labels will tell you how many grams of fat and how many calories are in each serving.
