FOODS WOMEN SHOULD EAT OFTEN

Men and women also have their own set of dietary requirements as well as their own unique health concerns. Here are foods that women should eat.

1   .   Tomatoes

Another vibrant carotenoid beneficial for women's health is lycopene, a pigment found in tomatoes. Studies have suggested that lycopene may be effective in preventing breast cancer. Furthermore, there has been considerable evidence to suggest that the powerful antioxidant can help reduce risk of heart disease — the leading cause of death in women in the US, Australia, England and Wales.

2  .    Butternut squash

Butternut squash — like many other yellow/orange fruit and vegetables — is packed with carotenoids such as alpha-carotene and beta-carotene and thefore ranks highly in the list of foods that women should eat. While carotenes should be included in everybody's diet for optimum health, they may prove essential to women's health as a high-carotenoid diet has been linked to lowered risks of both breast and ovarian cancer.

3   .    Flax Seeds

Flax seeds are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids and have been linked to reduced risk of breast cancer and heart disease. The seeds' anti-inflammatory properties are also good for preventing arthritis, while their digestive benefits can help irritable bowel syndrome; two painful conditions which are more prevalent in women than men.

4    .    Salmon

Salmon has a multitude of positive health benefits for women. Not only is it rich in iron — which is integral to the diets of premenopausal women — but it is packed with omega-3 fatty acids, known for their mood-enhancing effects. Studies have suggested that omega-3 can help beat depression (something that affects twice as many women as men) and prevent mood swings, while salmon can also boost babies' intelligence when eaten during pregnancy. If you can’t get Salmon take Pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplement

The omega-3s in fish and quality fish oil help your body burn fat more efficiently, make your mind more focused and spiritually inclined, and improve your mood. Fish oil raises serotonin levels which is especially important for women because women have half the level of serotonin in their brains as compared to men. This explains why women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression. As a bonus, fish oil also makes your hair and skin healthy.

5   .    Cranberries

Various studies have suggested strong links between consuming cranberries and reduced risks of breast cancer and heart disease. However, the most notorious benefit of cranberries is their ability to prevent and cure urinary tract infections such as cystitis, which is eight times more likely to occur in women than men. One study suggests that drinking two glasses of cranberry juice a day can prevent the symptoms of common UTIs in women, making cranberries a food that women should consume.

6   .    Spinach

Spinach is rich in many different vitamins and minerals, but one thing that makes it great for women is its high content of magnesium. Research has shown that magnesium may be beneficial in reducing many of the physical symptoms of PMS which plague women, including reduction of swelling, breast tenderness, bloating and weight gain.

7  .    Figs

Figs are a great health food, containing many vital minerals and vitamins as well as contributing to your daily portions of fruit and veg. Two minerals found in figs that are particularly beneficial to women's health are iron, which is often deficient in menstruating women, and calcium, which is important for post-menopausal women, who are more prone to osteoporosis.

8  .    Milk

Milk is a great source of calcium, which is extremely beneficial to women's health, particularly when combined with vitamin D (found in some varieties of milk and many fortified milk products). Consumption of the combined nutrients is not only good for warding off osteoporosis, but a study has suggested that a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D could ease, or even prevent, symptoms of PMS.

9  .    Oats

Oats are literally packed with health-boosting nutrients, many of which have great impacts on female health. Oats are not only great for heart health, digestion and blood pressure levels (with hypertension affecting many women over 50), but they contain vitamin B6, which can help prevent PMS and mood swings, and folic acid, which is important for women to consume before and during pregnancy to prevent birth defects in babies.

10   . Walnuts

While all nuts are great for our health, walnuts have many great individual benefits for women. A study has recently found that walnuts, which are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols, may help to reduce women's risk of developing breast cancer, while their high omega-3 content may also help bone health, arthritis pain and depression. Walnuts also contain many nutrients essential for female health, such as calcium, magnesium and folic

11   . Berries

Berries contain huge amounts of anti-oxidants and other phytochemicals (anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins and more) which help prevent cancer, aging, maintain healthy vision, lower cholesterol and total blood lipids and keep the circulatory system healthy. Berries may prevent and treat urinary tract infections, help age related cognitive decline and lower amounts of brain damage in strokes. They also contain large amounts of vitamins, minerals and fiber with very few calories and no fat.

Berries are easy to eat just as they are, add to yoghurt, muesli, make a smoothie, add to fruit salads and frozen are just as good for you as fresh - just get them down you!

Blueberries contain many antioxidants and have a very low glycemic index. I recommend buying large bags of frozen blueberries from Costco, since blueberries tend to be pricey. You can always enjoy fresh blueberries in season but buy them in small quantities because they are very perishable compared to frozen.

12   . Organic sweet potatoes

The deep orange color of an organic sweet potato shouts vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The average commercial sweet potatoes grown in depleted soil are not so vibrant. I believe the best multivitamin is to have a sweet potato three to four times per week. Sweet potatoes are also low glycemic.

13    . Nuts

There are so many types of nuts, each with their own unique health benefits so this one is a bit general. However all nuts are a great source of protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. Eating a wide variety of nuts is best and stick to the plain ones, roasting and salting make them much less healthy! Women in a Harvard School of Public Health study who reported eating 5 or more 1 ounce servings of nuts/peanuts per week reduced their risk of Type 2 diabetes by almost 30 percent compared to those who rarely or never ate nuts.

Almonds contain high levels of calcium, (5 Excellent Non-Dairy Sources Of Calcium)magnesium, potassium, manganese, copper, the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium.

Brazil nuts contain selenium and may protect against breast cancer. They are also high in zinc, which is a vital mineral for digestion and metabolism. People with skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis are often low in zinc and it is essential for immune system function.

Walnuts contain omega 3 (and 6) which prevent heart disease, maintain healthy joints and brain function and provide anti-inflammatory benefits for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and psoriasis.

14    . Eggs

Whole eggs, especially the yolks, provide choline for healthy eyes and brain development (for you and any unborn babies in your life), vitamin D for general health, and all the essential nutrients a human being needs. If you have a meal of one item, it may as well be eggs, which are nearly the perfect food for humans. Pay no mind to disillusioned health professionals who tell you the cholesterol in eggs will clog up your arteries. Whole eggs are back in style.

They won’t raise blood sugar because they’re a well-balanced protein and fat, and they even improve the look of your hair and nails. Eggs provide iron, which is hindered by calcium, so skip the milk with your omelet. Did you know Chinese women eat ten per DAY when pregnant? I shot for two eggs a day when I was trying to grow smart babies.

*Food safety note: eggs should be consumed raw, very undercooked, for superb health benefits. However, I would only advise eating raw eggs from a trusted source with free range, well-cared-for chickens.

15   . Full fat dairy/butter

Do you buy skim milk? Always grab the low-fat/fat-free versions of your favorite dairy products? If you’re hoping to conceive anytime soon, you may be making it an uphill battle for your womb. Research shows that women who eat low-fat dairy twice a day have an 85% greater risk of anovulatory infertility than those who go for the real thing.5, 6

When I recommend one change to someone seeking pregnancy, it is always to get rid of all the butter substitutes, margarine, and shortening in the house, pronto, and switch to real butter. You’re not only cutting out toxic trans fats and industrial oils, but you’re adding brain-boosting saturated fats. Grassfed butter in particular, although pricey, has incredibly higher levels of Vitamins D, A, E and K2.7

No matter what your gender, fat-soluble vitamins like A and D must be eaten with fat to be metabolized in the body. Your salad with fat-free dressing? Practically useless. You need to dip those carrots in a fat-full dressing in order to get the Vitamin A into your cells where it belongs.

16  . Liver

liver has one of the highest level of B vitamins8, 9, 10 and iron11, 12 of any food. B Vitamins give energy (what woman, especially a mom, doesn’t need more of that?), and iron is super important for women because of the quarter cup of menstrual blood we lose every month (I know, it seems like more sometimes).

“Women of childbearing age have an RDA of 15 mg per day for iron, which  doubles with pregnancy.”13 Iron also keeps energy up and helps avoid anemia.  Iron deficiency anemia affects about 20% of all women and fully half of mothers-to-be, yet only 3% of men.14 “Having too little iron can result in fatigue, hair loss and brittle nails irritability, weakness, lack of being able to think clearly, etc.”

The famous liver and onions might not go over well at your kitchen table Just be sure to only eat liver from organic sources, preferably local and grassfed, as factory farmed beef or chicken livers would be a net for toxins.

If you really can’t handle the liver, red meat like beef provides a great deal of iron and B Vitamins, too. If you can find grassfed beef, meaning the cattle eat only real grass or harvested hay and alfalfa, you get the most nutrients and a good source of CLA, a healthy fat that’s hard to find elsewhere, and even a high level of omega 3s. Don’t be afraid of red meat, ladies.

Other great foods to add are listed below:

         Black beans

   .     Carrots 

   .     Yogurt