Showing posts with label Women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Women. Show all posts

Super foods for Women's Health

Superfoods for optimal skin?

Your skin needs nutrients from the food we eat to be healthy. While there is no one food that will give you healthy skin, the nutrients your skin needs are found in a variety of foods so your best bet for healthy skin is to eat a variety of food from each of the five food groups. Here are some nutrition tips for healthy skin:

• Keep hydrated, not drinking enough will leave your skin dry and the best drink is water.
• If you drink alcohol, limit the amount you drink as alcohol can dry out the skin and cause redness.
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables as they are great sources of antioxidants known to protect skin.
• Choose wholegrain cereals like wholegrain bread, pasta and rice.
• Eat lean meats, fish and legumes
• Use healthy oils and eat foods with healthy oils such as olive oil, sunflower oil, fish, nuts and seeds.
• Eat reduced fat dairy foods.

Tips for achieving health and general body wellbeing?

The best way to make sure you are eating the right foods for good health and wellbeing is to eat foods from each of the five food groups and to choose a variety from within each food group. The easiest way to do this is to plan what you are going to eat for the week and make sure you’ve got all the food you need ready to go.

Everyday you should:
• Eat at least 2 serves of fruit
• Eat at least 5 serves of vegetables
• Choose wholegrain cereals, for example wholegrain bread and pasta, brown rice and cereals like untoasted muesli or oats
• Choose reduced fat dairy foods like cheese, yoghurt, milk
• Choose lean meats
• Limit foods high in saturated fat, salt or sugar
• Choose water to drink
What foods are best avoided?

All foods can be included in moderation as part of a healthy diet. No food or food group should be avoided as often this can lead to an unbalanced diet or bingeing. But you should try and at least limit foods high in salt, sugar and fat to at least once a week or less.

Women's camel coat

Long a staple for men and normally relegated to our Winter wardrobes, the camel coat featured prominently amongst women's Autumn / Fall 2009 collections. On the streets, however, it proved impractical for the season's coldest days and wasn't worn en force until we were already on the verge of Spring 2010. But the late appearance of women's camel coats has done them no harm. Instead, as fashion shifted its focus from blacks and greys the camel coat has proved the perfect layering piece for the cold days we're still facing.
If you haven't laid your hands on one already, do so: perfect for early Spring, you'll be able to keep it for Fall 2010 as well.

Diet Tips for Every Age

In Your 20s

"Your body is in build-up mode," says Ashley Koff, a dietician in Los Angeles. "Having a balanced eating routine will improve your weight and health."

Let go of your college ways. Still eating your first

meal at 3:00 p.m.? Not a good idea if you're trying

to lose weight. "Eating every three to four hours will maintain optimal metabolic efficiency," advises Stephen Gullo, president of New York's Center for Health and Weight Sciences. And forget

about the drive-through. "You cut out extra salts, sugars, and preservatives when you cook at home," says Koff.

Eat right for energy. Bagels are convenient in a rush, but white, refined carbs metabolize quickly, causing blood sugar to spike and tumble down, explains Joy Bauer, a New York nutritionist and author of Slim & Scrumptious. She suggests whole grains coupled with protein for breakfast, as protein slows down the carbohydrate-absorption rate. And to keep your energy up during the day, eat greens like broccoli and spinach or drink green juices. "They have a tremendous energizing component," notes Koff.

Cut down on caffeine. You may have survived midterms with Red Bull, but caffeine causes the body to excrete calcium, which you need for bone

density, says Koff. She suggests reducing your overall caffeine fix and switching to tea.

Watch your alcohol intake. Abstain from sugary mixes and drink wine, light beer, or hard liquor mixed with club soda in moderation. Warns Koff, "Be sure to hydrate not only with water but with water-based fruits and veggies and potassiu


m-rich coconut water and avocado."

In Your 30s

You'll begin to notice the effects of aging on your body. "As your metabolism slows, you may find it hard to lose or maintain weight," says vice chair and professor of surgery at Columbia University in New York.

Avoid mommy syndrome. "This means becoming a compactor for your children's leftovers or skipping meals because your needs come second now," notes Gullo. "Carry a Ziploc bag of GG Bran Crispbread, Laughing Cow light cheese, or a protein bar."

Enhance energy. Tired from balancing your kids, career, and social life? High-quality carbs and protein provide a prolonged energy effect, explains Bauer. Try to incorporate edamame, black beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas into your snacks and meals.

Restore nutrients. During pregnancy, your stored nutrients become depleted. It's important to replenish with nutrient-dense healthy fats like almonds, flaxseed oil, olives, and nut butter.

Boost your metabolism. If you're having trouble dropping extra weight, Oz has a few tricks to help shed pounds: "Eating a tablespoon of chopped red or green chili pepper can temporarily boost your metabolic rate by 23 percent. Green tea is known to rev up your metabolism for a few hours. Digesting fish, a great source of protein, will burn twice as many calories as digesting fat or carbohydrates."

In Your 40s

"As you go into a perimenopause period and eventually reach menopause, estrogen levels start to decline and make you more prone to water retention," says Gullo. He adds, "Your metabolic efficiency will continue to decline."

Limit carbohydrates to beat bloating. "Every gram of a carbohydrate binds with three to five grams of water, which creates additional bloat," notes Gullo. "To minimize retention, focus your diet heavily on vegetables that are low in starch and high in fiber." Try mustard greens, asparagus, endive, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Don't crash diet. "Anything with short-term consequences won't help," says Koff. "Your body is losing elasticity and will not recover as well from constantly dropping and gaining weight."

Clear out estrogen. As you go through hormonal changes, it's important to properly metabolize hormones like estrogen to help prevent certain cancers. Koff recommends adding ground flaxseed and apples to your diet, as well as a balance of vegetable and animal proteins like tofu, beans, lentils, and wild fish.

In Your 50s

At this age, your risk for diseases increases. Experts agree that being mindful of your diet can help keep you healthy.

Help your heart. "Your risk of having cardiovascular disease goes up to almost 40 percent," warns Oz. Adds Koff, "After menopause, women carry more weight in their abdomen, which affects the heart. Omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins play a key role in heart health." Try wild fish, soybeans, whole grains, and broccoli.

Battle breast cancer. "About 75 percent of cases occur in women 50 or older," says Oz. "Limit alcohol to less than one drink a day and fat intake to less than 35 percent of your daily calories, and restrict foods high in saturated fat. There is a clear link between obesity and breast cancer."

Add antioxidants. Your body is gradually slowing down, so keep it strong with cancer-fighting antioxidants found in berries and beans.

In Your 60s+

"This is where you will reap the benefits of a life well lived," says Oz. But it's never too late to start. "Within three months of shifting your lifestyle, your survival curve shifts to a new level."

Eat meals more often. "Spreading three meals out into five or six can reduce the stress of eating on your body and keep your metabolism from being overworked," explains Oz.

Fill up on fruits and veggies. Look for ones high in vitamins C and E, which can lower your risk for Alzheimer's disease, notes Oz. Try citrus fruits, broccoli, tomatoes, chard, and mustard greens.

Strengthen your immune system. "Aging can cause you to become immunocompromised," explains Koff. Shiitake mushrooms, wild salmon, and vitamin D supplements help support your system.

Ease aches. "Foods that reduce inflammation will help ease pain," says Bauer. Try pure pumpkin (not the pie mix), red bell peppers, turmeric, and ginger.