7 Food Rules for Women ...

As we age, our bodies’ store of calcium is depleted, leaving us with brittle bones, often leading to osteoporosis. That’s why it’s so important that, as young women, we get plenty of calcium to build that store. Calcium is best absorbed in conjunction with Vitamin D, and both, together, are found in most dairy products. Dairy can be fattening, I know, which is why it’s important to eat and drink dairy that’s marked as low-fat, like skim or 2% milk, yoghurt, and cheese.

Have you ever looked at the label on a bottle or can of soda? I mean, we all know it’s loaded with sugar, and often caffeine, but other than water, do we know that’s inside, or even how many calories are in there? The bad news is that as delicious as soda may be (it’s my dietary equivalent of Kryptonite), it’s incredibly nasty stuff, loaded with chemicals I can’t even pronounce and high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners, none of which our bodies know how to process. Soda is especially bad for women, who need the calcium to keep our bones strong… and don’t need soda to sap it from our bodies… or cancer, which may be caused by some artificial sweeteners… yikes!

This is an easy rule to remember, and it’s so important! Did you know that the more colorful your meal, the more healthful it is? Let’s think about this — the reds, yellow, and greens that make a meal brilliant are the colors that signify a fruit or veggie that’s loaded with valuable vitamins without all the nasty stuff we don’t really need. Yum!

Those diets that tell you to quit eating carbs are ridiculous. Simply put, your body needs carbs, including sugar and fiber. Why is fiber so important? It helps cleanse your body of excess hormones and aids in motility. The average person needs 150 grams 25 grams of fiber each day, but most of us get far less than that.

When I was younger, I used to suffer terribly from urinary tract infections, caused by my body’s inclination for kidney stones (ouch!). But a lot of young women suffer from them too, and most of them can be avoided simply by urinating after sex, wiping front to back after using the toilet, and drinking one 8-ounce glass of pure cranberry juice every day. More than that can cause other issues, but that one small glass can keep urinary tract infections at bay… and it’s loaded with Vitamin C, too, a powerful antioxidant.

Aside from the need for dairy, mentioned in item 1, yoghurt is amazing, especially for women. Why? It’s loaded with protein, full of Vitamin D and calcium, but it also contains live, active cultures like lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus, which aid in digestion. Just be sure to check labels of yoghurt before you buy, looking out for too much fat or sugar…

Let’s not forget to drink water, too! Unless we’re really, really active, we ought to be drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day, or a little less than 2 liters. Drinking plenty of water keeps you healthy and hydrated, and can also make you even more gorgeous! Yes!

Look, sweetie, we’re not men, we’re girls! So let’s not eat like them, right? Follow these food rules just for us women, and you’ll feel and even look better! Or maybe you already knew all of this… which of these food rules do you follow? Or is there another one I ought to add to my list? Please share!

Top Photo Credit: macandmae.com