Nutrition Chart

Macaroni, cheese, bread and potatoes will certainly make a young girl drool. For a teenage girl, food is synonymous with eating junk food and guzzling carbonated soft drinks. Stepping into adulthood at about the age of fourteen or fifteen, girls are under pressure to measure up to a certain social and cultural ideal of beauty. As a result, it involves cutting down on any food that is perceived to result in body weight gain.

Ignoring the importance of nutritional requirements can have adverse health effects. In the long run, it can result in permanent damage to the bones, heart and the brain. On the other hand, providing rich nutrients that are required for the body promises good health. A well-nourished body projects an appealing appearance as well. The eyes, skin, hair, and teeth are its outward indicators.

Read through to understand the importance of nutrition, how it varies for women with age and physical condition. Resolve to take action for good health by following a nutrition chart. Redirect your eating habits so as to improve body resistance, stay mentally sharp, emotionally balanced and energetic. On the whole, it’s time to build a life with positive outlook.

Basics of Nutrition

Nutrition is required for proper growth, to maintain health and to prevent diseases. Ensuring adequate nutrition keeps your body healthy and enables it to function the way it is supposed to do. Water, carbohydrates, fats and proteins are the four basic nutrients essential to life.

Vitamins and minerals are classified as micro nutrients simply because they are needed in relatively small amounts compared to the four basic nutrients. In order to be healthy and active, it is pertinent to follow a balanced diet that provides adequate amount of nutrient each day in quantity and variety to meet the energy and nutrient needs.

Apart from breast-milk, there is no other single food that provides all the nutrients required. Hence, it is necessary to eat a variety of foods so that the body gets all the necessary nutrients. You get to reap the advantages of adapting a healthy diet and proper nutrition by way of increased mental sharpness, resistance to illness and disease, higher energy levels, a more robust immune system, faster recuperation time and better management of chronic health problems.

Nutrition chart for women

Nutrition requirements of a woman differ a lot as compared to a man. What works best for a man is not likely to be right for a woman. As a woman treads through different stages of physiology, her nutritional requirements vary. For instance, during adolescence and early adulthood, there is a need to increase intake of food rich in calcium to build maximum bone mass. Thereby, it possible to ward off risk related to developing osteoporosis later in life.

All women lose 20-40 milligrams of iron each month during menstruation. If not checked, iron deficiency anemia can develop. As a woman nears midlife, her metabolism begins to slow down. It is all the more important to get adequate nutrients by eating a healthy diet.

As per The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council, women between 23 and 50 years eat about 2,200 calories a day to maintain weight. The nutrient needs are liable to vary with gender, age, height, weight, physical condition, activity level and the climatic conditions you live in. Pregnant women and lactating mothers will need additional 300-500 calories per day than their usual needs. Also, the calorie needs will hit the highest point- say 2300 calories/day during her mid-twenties. Thereafter, it tends to decline at about 2% per decade. At this rate, by 35 the calorie needs will be only 2254 calories.

Nutrition Chart

Nutrition chart is a rough nutrition guide that recommends the amount of calories, fat, protein, carbohydrate, sodium, cholesterol and fiber. Each person’s daily nutritional needs differ with age, physical condition and activity. It is advantageous to consult your health care provider who, if required can suggest changes in selecting the right amounts of the right kinds of foods. Adhering to a balanced diet means ensuring availability of good nutrition. Consider these vital points while adopting a dietary regime.

• Calories required matching age, activity and physical condition
  
  
• Amount of carbohydrates, fats and proteins required for the body
  
  
• The recommended number of servings from every food group
  
  
• The recommended nutrients
  
  
• Beneficial dietary supplements.
  

Nutrition tips

• Understand the importance of a nutrition rich diet
  
  
• Put together a healthy, total diet and adhere to it
  
  
• Do not skip meals. Eat often, helps to keep weight steady
  
  
• Include foods from all groups. Grains, fruits and vegetables.
  
  
• Give importance to greens, soy products
  
  
• Eat more iron-rich foods. Not to forget vitamins and calcium.
  
  
• Ensure diet is low in saturated fat and cholesterol
  
  
• Do not include alcoholic beverages more than one drink a day
  
  
• Don't get into a fat-free frenzy. Count calories when cutting fat.