Are you a woman? Here are the top nutrition tips to optimise your health!

Isn’t it great to have a day to celebrate women, the many roles they play, the jobs they do and the amazing things their body’s do.

Don’t worry men, you have a day and are wonderful in your own ways too.

With International Women’s Day coming up this week it’s a great opportunity to focus on the health and nutritional needs of women and how we can stay on top of our health.

Here nutritionist Laurann O’Reilly and owner of Nutrition By Laurann guides us through her top recommendations and nutrition tips to optimise women’s health.

Health Screening
The best way to stay on top of our health whether we’re a man or a woman is regular health screening.

Blood Testing: It can be helpful to get your bloods done annually, to make sure everything is in check such as your cholesterol and iron levels.

Bowel Screening: A free national screening programme, provides free bowel screening for men and women aged 60 to 69 every two years. For more information Freephone 1800 45 45 55 or visit www.bowelscreen.ie

Cervical Check: This is a free national cervical screening test (previously known as a smear test) checks to see if you might be at greater risk of developing cervical cancer. To register, to see when your next cervical test is due, to update your contact details or for information on cervical screening visit https://www2.hse.ie/conditions /cervical-screening/

Breast Check: This is a free national breast screening programme for the over 50s and involves having a mammogram of your breasts at a BreastCheck clinic or mobile screening unit. As the risk of breast cancer increases as you get older, if you are aged between 50 and 69 you'll be offered breast screening every 2 years. If you are within the age criteria, your name should already be on the register, however for more information visit https://www2.hse.ie/ conditions/breast- creening/information/ or freephone  1800 45 45 55

Eye Testing For Diabetics: Another free national screening programme, providing diabetic retinopathy screening for anyone with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes aged 12 and over. For more information Freephone 1800 45 45 55 or visit www.diabeticretinascreen.ie
Remember if you’re not feeling well, it’s always best to contact your GP or pharmacist who can guide you in the right direction. If in doubt check it out.

Nutrition Requirements & Tips For Women
- Energy Requirements: As a reference, the Irish energy requirement for adult females is between 2000 and 2500 kcals per day depending on their levels of activity (HSE).

- Carbohydrates: Our main source of energy or fuel, but it’s important to eat the right types.
Include: Opt for brown/wholegrain carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, rice, oats. Potatoes are a great choice here too. These options help to keep your blood sugar levels balanced, are filling and are a great source of fibre too for a healthy digestive system.

- Protein: Holds many functions in the body including repair, building of new cells and muscles, hormone production to name a few. Protein is made up of building blocks called ‘amino acids’. Different combinations of protein containing foods are required to get a good spectrum of these building blocks to meet these various functions.
Include: A variety of 1) Plant-Based Proteins: Include chia seeds, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, rice, oats and beans (such as soybeans/products, chickpeas and kidney beans) and 2) Animal Based Proteins: Include lean meat, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs and dairy products.

- Choose The Right Types of Fat: Whilst people may think that fats are bad, it’s important to include some fat in our diets as it’s required for producing and regulating hormones, they’re an important component of our cells, for absorbing our fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. The ‘healthy’ fats also help to maintain healthy joints, eyes, brain health and cholesterol levels.
Avoid: Saturated and trans fats found in hard fats/margarines, many fried and processed foods
Include: Unsaturated fats such as extra virgin olive oil, rapeseed oil, nuts, seeds, oily fish (trout, mackerel, tuna, herring, sardines, and salmon)

- Remember The Portion Sizes: Establishing healthy portion sizes can often be a challenge and ‘portion distortion’ is a real thing. A simple way of establishing your food portion sizes is by using your hands as a visual aid: Palm of your hand: 1 portion of protein (1/4 of your plate), A Fist: A portion of cooked carbohydrates (1/4 of your plate) and 2 Fists Vegetables (1/4 of your plate). Also, a portion of cheese is 2 thumbs and a portion of nuts is a ¼ Cup (measuring cup)

- Limit The Salt: Too much salt in our diet can cause our blood pressure to increase. Our requirement for salt is 4g per day (a teaspoon) which may already be naturally occurring in foods.
Tip: Although the habit of adding salt may be hard to shake, why not try adding herbs and spices to season your foods instead.

- Limit The Alcohol: Alcohol doesn’t just put pressure on our liver but the hidden calories in alcohol can result in unwanted weight gain too.

- Limit High Sugar Foods/Added Sugars: Foods high in sugar such as chocolate, sweets and biscuits can cause unbalanced blood sugar levels, resulting in us crashing and craving.
Tip: Instead opt for snacks such as whole fruit, nuts, rice/corn cakes or wholegrain bread/crackers.

- Meet Your Fluid Requirements: We must not underestimate the importance of drinking enough water as it makes up almost 60% of our body as well as having some essential functions to our health.
Recommendation: Aim for a minimum of 35ml x kg bodyweight/day of water

Period Support
For the majority of their female lives, women will have this familiar monthly visitor, the period. For some they know it’s coming with pre-menstrual syndrome or PMS, along with what can be a bloaty and painful few days. For others it may be a breeze, they may be irregular, light or heavy, with every woman’s experience being different.

Period Support Tips:
1) Heat For Pain: One of the best treatments for pain is heat, my favourite is the ‘Boots Direct To Skin Heat Patch’, which can be worn underneath your top whilst you go about your day and stays warm for hours.
2) Magnesium For Pain: Taken daily, magnesium (specifically ‘magnesium glycinate’) may prevent menstrual cramps in some, by relaxing the smooth muscle of the uterus and by reducing the substances that cause period pain. I recommend ‘Nutri-Advanced Magnesium Glycinate’.

Peri-Menopause/ Menopause/Post Menopause Support:
Later in life women deal with another visitor, the menopause. This happens in different stages with ‘peri-menopause’ being where the ovaries gradually begin to make less oestrogen, to ‘menopause’ where the ovaries stop releasing eggs (the end of the reproductive cycle) and ‘post menopause’ where a woman has transitioned through menopause and the hot flushes and symptoms usually ease. With this comes huge biological changes and symptoms which often aren’t spoken about. I’ll cover a column specifically on this topic in the upcoming weeks.

Menopause Support Tips:
1) Meet Your Calcium Requirements: Women aged 19-64 years should aim 800 mg per day through diet and supplements if required.
2) Meet Your Vitamin D Requirements: This is needed to absorb calcium. Women Aged 19-49 years should aim for 10-20µ/400-800 IU per day, whilst women Aged 50+ years should increase this to 20-30µ/800-1000 IU per day.

Top Vitamins & Supplements For Women
It’s always recommended that we first aim to get our nutrients through our diet, however for some who don’t have a hugely varied diet or struggle to meet their nutrition requirements through diet alone so I’ve also included some supplements below.

Calcium: This mineral supports healthy muscles, nerves, and bones. It’s especially important again at the menopausal stage (due to a decrease in the hormone oestrogen which regulates calcium absorption) to maintain healthy bones and to prevent osteopenia and osteoporosis.

- Vitamin D: Not only is this vitamin important for supporting the immune system, bone and joint health. This vitamin is important for the whole population but particularly for women at the menopausal stage to maintain bone density as it’s required for calcium absorption.
Dietary Sources: Milk, yogurts, cheese, oily fish and fortified foods such as some brands of cereals and plant-based milks.
Recommended Supplement: Pharma Nord Vitamin D Pearls 1520/3000 IU (opt for the higher amount during the winter months)
Dietary Sources: milk; yogurt; cheese; canned salmon and sardines with soft, edible bones; dark green leafy vegetables; and calcium-fortified cereals and juices
Recommended Supplement: Solgar Calcium and Vitamin D3

- Magnesium: Magnesium is a mineral that is important for blood glucose control, protein synthesis, supporting healthy muscles, nerves, and bones, immune health and for calcium absorption and as mentioned above can play a role in easing period cramps.
Dietary Sources: spinach and other green leafy vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.
Recommended Supplement: Sona Magnesium 250mg or if you prefer magnesium in liquid there’s the Floradix magnesium. Again, if required specifically for period cramps then Nutri-Advanced Magnesium Glycinate is a good one.

- Zinc: This mineral helps make proteins throughout the body as well as playing an important role in immune health and hormone balance.
Dietary Sources: Red meat, seafood, and poultry, beans and whole grain foods.
Recommended Supplement: Pharma Nord Selenium & Zinc

- Chromium: An essential mineral which plays a role in regulating blood sugar levels and also helps to improve insulin function.
Dietary Sources: Wholegrain foods, broccoli, green peas, potatoes, apples, bananas, shellfish and liver.
Recommended Supplement: Pharma Nord BioActive Chromium