A Woman's Guide to Eating a Balanced and Healthy Diet

All women, including myself, realize that maintaining a healthy and well-balanced diet can be a full-time job. Unfortunately, the temptation to curl up on the couch with something sweet is difficult to overcome. However, research shows that focusing on a healthy diet at an earlier stage has far more benefits than waiting until the ideal diet excuse. For example, women need to start eating a balanced diet well before they actually become pregnant because the developing child will draw from energy and nutrient stores that have been building up in the woman for years. Therefore, starting to eat a healthier diet at the first sign of pregnancy is not enough (4). Here are a few tips to help with a healthy balanced diet, and this one is especially for the ladies.

1. Drink more juice. The juices of choice should be 100% fruit or vegetable juices, which doctors believe contain the same benefits as actually eating the fruits and vegetables. Certain juices also have additional benefits. For example, researchers believe that apple juice may help to slow cognitive decline and help to boost memory. Cranberry juice has chemical properties that prevent bacteria from adhering to many bodily surfaces, and this results in a decreased chance of infection. Juices should be a part of every woman's diet (1).

2. Avoid boiling vegetables. Research shows that boiling some vegetables can decrease the cancer-fighting properties of that vegetables. Make an effort to steam or cook the food another way (1).

3. Cut out the cola. Try to avoid these fizzy beverages because they have been linked to osteoporosis, and women are four times as likely as men to get this troublesome disease (1).

4. Water is the best alternative to colas or any other drink. Humans, especially women, need to constantly replenish water. Water does not need to be boring- many companies sell delicious flavors to liven up water (5).

5. Try eating 5 or 6 smaller meals instead of 3 large meals. This helps maintain level blood sugar throughout the day, and it also prevents unnecessary snacking (5).

6. Add fish to the diet. Some people worry about contaminants in fish, and others simply don't like the taste. New research shows that the level of contaminants found in consumer fish supplies are relatively low, and the health benefits are very high. For women, the Omega-3 fatty acids in fish may help decrease the chance of breast cancer. And when it comes to taste, the number of ways to prepare fish are nearly endless (3).

7. Yogurt is an important part of a woman's diet. Lactobacillus acidophilus is a bacteria naturally found in the vagina, but it is also found in yogurt. Acidophilus helps maintain a healthy pH and helps to keep down populations of yeast and non-beneficial bacteria in the vagina (6).

8. Good news ladies: chocolate has health benefits, so you should not completely skimp on the sweet stuff. Chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, contains ingredients that help to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease (1).

9. Use small amounts of nuts as a snack. Nuts may contain a hefty amount of fat, but it has been suggested that eating nuts in small amounts (moderation is key) may reduce the risk of heart disease. There are many different kinds of nuts, so feel free to go...nuts! (2

10. Do not avoid red meat altogether, but choose leaner meats (2). Venison is a nice and lean substitute for beef, and some individuals even prefer the taste.

It is not impossible to eat a healthy and balanced diet while still enjoying life as a woman, but it is difficult. Hopefully, with these few tips, that challenge just got easier.

1. Aphrodite Women's Health. "Eating Well." 2002-2009. http://www.aphroditewomenshealth.com

2. HealthCastle.com. "10 Diet & Nutrition Myths Debunked." November 2005. http://www.healthcastle.com/nutrition-myths.shtml

3. National Women's Health Research Center. "Healthy Women Seafood Guide." November 2006. http://www.healthywomen.org/resources/nwhrcpublications/dbpubs/healthywomenseafoodguide

4. Palo Alto Medical Foundation. "Female Diet and Nutrition." 2008. http://www.pamf.org/teen/health/nutrition/women-diet.html

5. Women's Health America. "Self-Care." 2007. http://womenshealth.com/health-library/45-self-care

6. Your Total Health. "Vaginal Health: What Are the Benefits of Acidophilus?" 2000-2008. http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/vaginal-health-what-are-benefits-acidophilus.html