Super Food for the Super Women

In between all the daily chores, pushing through the deadlines and work piles, running after the kids and everything in rush, the Super Women at our home neglect the most important thing in their life - their own selves. It's time to shine the limelight on the proper nutrition for these Super Women.

- The 1st meal is a big deal : One of the most common mistakes every woman does is skip the most

important meal of the day- The breakfast. Breakfast kick-starts your metabolism, lower chances of getting diabetes, heart disease, and being overweight. A healthy breakfast provides at least 20-25 % of our daily nutrient requirements. A quick meal of stuffed paratha with curd, vegetable idli with sambar or breakfast cereal with milk and fruits ought to do the trick.

- Focus on the fats : Though fat is an vital part of the diet, it is important to take into consideration the

type of fat that is being consumed. A diet containing healthy fats coming from cooking oil (mustard oil, rice bran oil, etc.), nuts (almond, walnut, etc.), oil seed (flaxseed, pumpkin seed, etc.), fish, skimmed / toned dairy products, poultry is important for balanced fats as they ensure that we get our daily requirement of 20gm of fats.

-The Bone Health Squad "Captain Calcium and Co-Captains Vitamin D & Magnesium": With

age, bone mineral density decreases thus deteriorating bone health. Magnesium and Vitamin D help better absorption of calcium which in turn helps maintain the bone density and keeps the bones strong. We require around 600mg of Calcium, 310mg of Magnesium and 400IU of Vitamin D in our daily diet. Including foods like dairy and dairy products, eggs, nuts and oil seeds, beans and broccoli, green vegetables should be a part of the daily diet as much as possible to keep the bones “prim and prop”.

-Iron for Stree Shakti : Every superhero has their weakness - in our case it is anaemia caused due to Iron deficiency. Iron is a key component of hemoglobin which helps in carrying oxygen in your blood. Women are more vulnerable to anaemia due to blood loss through menstruation, leaving them lethargic,

exhausted and cause depression-like symptoms. Consuming good sources of iron like organ meats like liver, spinach, eggs, oil seeds (pumpkin, sunflower seed,etc.), whole cereals, legumes coupled with vitamin C rich foods like lime, lemon, orange, amla, etc. should help meet the daily iron requirement of 21mg. It should be particularly kept in mind that iron rich foods should not be had along with dairy products, tea or coffee as they decrease iron absorption.

-Smart snacking : In our fast paced life, we tend to skip meals to save time which in turn hampers our

health and productivity in the long run. Small, frequent and healthy meals in between breakfast, lunch and dinner are important to keep the metabolism up. Foods on the go like nuts, fruits, milkshakes , fruit juice, snack bars, etc. are easy yet smart snack options. You can also go for snacks like masala papad, khakra, popcorn, homemade chaats - corn chaat, sprout chaat, etc. Taking a small snack will not only help curb cravings, manage portion sizes but it will also help to reduce binge eating through out the day.

- Don't Forget the Fluids : 2- 3 lit. of fluids daily is important to flush out toxins from the body, aids

digestive and absorptive processes. Apart from regular water, fluids like milk, lassi, buttermilk, soup, fruit juice, shakes and smoothies should also be a part of the daily fluids. Infused water & detox water are also great options to boost your water intake. You can go for ginger water, jeera water, lime & mint infused water, berry infused water, cucumber mint water, etc.

- All work and no play : Uninterrupted 7-8 hours of sleep and 45-60 mins of daily physical activity are

optimal for a healthy mind and body. It might be difficult to do a 60 minute workout at a stretch so it can be broken down into small packs of 15 - 20 minutes for easier execution. It can be something like hitting the gym, swimming, dancing, aerobics or even brisk walking, cycling, yoga, etc. You can also include home workouts like stretching, crunches, etc. Don't forget to practice meditation before bed to get a great quality sleep.

Healthy - balanced nutrition, physical activity and sleep act as the perfect trifecta for healthy well being.

- Authored by

Nikita Mitra, Senior Nutritionist