Your body needs vitamins and minerals for good health. Each vitamin and mineral have specific benefits and is essential for keeping your body functioning well. “Generally, the goal is to get all the nutrients from a nutritionally balanced and complete diet,” says Shana Terhart Young at Cape Dieticians. “This is achieved by eating a diet that does not exclude or restrict any food group, and having regular meals daily.”
However, different bodies need different nutrients, and for female bodies, some nutrients are extra important, and at different times in their lives. Here are five nutrients women may want to pay attention to.
1. Folate (B9)
Folate (or folic acid) helps your body make blood cells and the DNA for new cells. It also helps prevent certain birth defects called neural tube defects, which happen in the first three months of pregnancy, and it helps prevent premature births and low birth weight. “Folate is an essential nutrient needed within the first few weeks of conception in pregnancy to reduce the risk of neural tube defects,” says Terhart Young. “This supplement should ideally be taken one month before conception, so women who are trying to conceive are recommended a folate supplement.” All women who might get pregnant or are pregnant need to get 400–800mcg of folic acid each day.
2. Calcium
Calcium helps protect and build strong bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Your body stores calcium in your bones, so if you don’t get enough calcium from food, your body will take calcium from your bones, making them weak and easily broken.
Calcium also plays a role in regulating heart beats and muscle contractions, blood clotting, and normal cell function. The recommended amount of calcium for adult women is 1,000mg of calcium per day. After menopause, the recommendation is 1,200mg of calcium each day, to help slow the bone loss that comes as the body ages and produces less oestrogen. “Calcium, magnesium and vitamin D are recommended for woman over the age of 50 years of age, who are going through menopause. This is because the requirement of calcium needed in the body increases to above the general dietary intake amount, and it’s usually coupled with magnesium and vitamin D to aid in absorption,” says Terhart Young.
3. Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps our bodies absorb calcium – we can’t properly use calcium without it. It also enables the immune system to fight off viruses and bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Our bodies make vitamin D on their own when exposed to sunlight. So ideally, people get vitamin D through sun exposure and diet, but some may need supplements to meet their daily needs. Women who don’t get much direct exposure to sunlight may need it, or those who are over 50 years old, since with age, the body becomes less efficient at processing vitamin D.
4. Iron
Iron builds healthy blood cells that carry oxygen in your body and helps make certain hormones and connective tissue in your body. For women, heavy menstruation, being active and pregnancy can all be factors that can cause iron deficiency known as anaemia. Terhart Young says that iron is also needed in pregnancy, either in the second or third trimester, as the requirements of this nutrient increases as the baby is growing.
“For those who are following a vegan or vegetarian diet, iron, vitamin B12 and calcium can also be recommended.” Terhart Young explains that it’s important to do blood tests for those who do follow any restrictive diet, like a vegan or vegetarian diet. Often iron deficiencies can show up 10-15 years into following this type of diet as the iron stores take a few years to become depleted beyond normal and healthy replenishment.
5. Omega-3s
Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to many health benefits. They may help promote brain and heart health, reduce inflammation, and protect against several chronic conditions. “Omega-3s are an important nutrient to supplement for those who are not consuming oily fish at least once or twice a week, who struggle with inflammation conditions, or who have high stress jobs,” says Terhart Young.
And if you are going to supplement, she says, don’t get the omega-3s and omega-6s combination – most people get adequate omega-6s from their diet. Terhart Young says that when choosing a supplement brand, look for one that offers up to 100% RDA. “This will prevent taking in too much of the nutrient – most people don’t account for the nutrients that they are getting from their diet too.”
Also read: Supplements for men
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