Female Age Group 18 - 45

This age group is often described in journals as the ’women’s reproductive age’ and it is a period when it is important to recognise dietary needs.

An optimum dietary intake of nutrients is required to meet the challenges that women experience, both from the physical and the emotional perspectives.

In physical terms, the increased need may be considered as obtaining those nutrients that support physical wellbeing and energy production. Maintenance of good health is not merely the absence of poor or ill health but a time when positive nutritional foundations are required to cope adequately with daily life, building up physical resources for work, child care, pregnancy and career needs, and also preparing for ’middle age’. 

This is a phase when following the principles of ’living well’ really repay dividends for a healthy life. Key dietary requirements include ensuring that adequate water is taken daily, and this is generally accepted to be between 2-3 litres a day. Water contributes almost 60% of the total weight of the human body. The human body can lose over two litres of water each day through the normal function of the kidneys and perspiration.

Water is known to help reduce tiredness and fatigue. Increased water intake helps the process of weight loss in those who want or need to reduce weight. The daily requirement for water increases during pregnancy - it has been suggested that morning sickness occurs if inadequate water is consumed.

It is estimated that only one third of women get their daily needs of folic acid.

Before you start, you may wish to consider our Detox Formula which will cleanse your body and aide your gut's ability to absorb the nutrients within the Age/Gender program. It will also help replenish the intestinal tract with healthy flora and enhance your overall health and wellbeing. 

Table of Beneficial Nutritional Supplements 

This information is offered as an introduction to supplements, herbs, foods and substances known to help with women’s health between the ages of 18-45. This information is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and it is suggested that sound advice is taken by an appropriately qualified practitioner. 

SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS

Dietary Recommendations

Positive Foods 

Cereal grains whole brown rice, barley, rye, buckwheat, oats and oatmeal
Vegetables sweet potato, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, miso, soya bean tofu, beetroot, celery, parsnip, carrot, cucumber and turnip
Fruits freshly squeezed & diluted lemon juice, grapes (including pips), plums, apples, dried figs, apricots, ripe bananas, avocado, bilberries, blueberries, raisins, dates, olives
Legumes dried peas, soybeans, haricot beans, chick peas, butter beans, lentils, black beans, green peas
Teas, Herbs & Spices sarsaparilla, ginger, burdock, parsley, dandelion, basil, milk thistle, green tea, turmeric, alfalfa, camomile, peppermint
Nuts & Seeds sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, macadamia, pistachio, pine nuts and coconut
Fungi Reishi mushrooms, caterpillar fungus
Fish oily fish (except mackerel), tuna, haddock, anchovy, oysters and prawns
Dairy three to four modest portions of organic live yoghurt per week
Meats organic chicken and lamb
Additional Foods molasses

Negative Foods

Cereal grains refined cereals, refined flour products 
Vegetables excess garlic
Fruits orange, orange juice, grapefruit & grapefruit juice
Legumes soya milk
Teas, Herbs & Spices
Nuts & Seeds old Brazil nuts and high intake of peanuts
Fungi
Fish mackerel
Poultry battery chicken, hens’ eggs
Meats pork & pork products, reduce intake of proteins from red meat, salami
Dairy cow’s milk, reducing dairy to a minimum, reduce non-organic cheese
Fats hydrogenated fats, refined cooking oils, fennel oil, trans-fatty acids, low fat foods
Food Additives tartrazine, artificial sweeteners, sulphates (preservative)
Beverages avoid excess caffeine & alcohol; avoid artificially sweetened drinks. See Additional Comments below.
Avoid low fat foods, refined carbohydrates, white sugar (sucrose), high additive processed foods, artificial sweeteners, chocolate, pickled foods
Cooking methods fried foods, barbequed foods

Additional Comment

• As part of a healthy lifestyle, it is well understood that smoking is deleterious to good health.
• Being aware of appropriate weight management is also well understood. 
• Less well discussed in relation to good health, however, is the importance of our feelings and emotions. Lack of self-esteem is so often associated with poor eating and lifestyle habits. All of us have positive aspects to our life, and focusing on these will improve our well-being. 
• It is important that attention is paid to the balance between acid-forming and alkali-forming foods. The optimum balance is around 60% alkali-forming and 40% acid-forming. [See Acid-Forming and Alkali-Forming Food Charts and Guidelines on this site].] 
• Adopt a diet based on organic wholefoods, vegetables, fruits and grains.
• Raw foods such as salads and fruits should be about 20% of the daily food intake for optimum health benefits.
• There is benefit in eating in a specific order: fresh ’live’ foods first such as salads to prepare the digestive system. Next follow cooked vegetables, then proteins. Anything starchy should be last. Eating in this order ensures food enters the digestive system in order of digestion time. 
• Chew foods slowly and thoroughly, as this increases their nutritional benefits, particularly as we get older. 
• Research has shown that reducing intake of dairy products in later life is beneficial. 
• It is best to reduce red meat within the diet to occasional intake. As a general guide, the best meat sources are lamb, and with regard to poultry, properly-fed and organically-reared chicken. 
• White fish are generally the better option. Coastal fish such as mackerel are best reduced, as they tend to contain more of the undesirable toxic pollutants. 
• As the years progress it is sensible to reduce the total intake of refined sugars.
• Avoid dehydration - take plenty of fresh water. Good quality still mineral water from a glass container is the superior form; though a good tap filter is also satisfactory. 
  During exercise, the body loses up to 3 litres and it is good to remember that muscles are composed of 70% to 75% water.
  Adequate water intake is known to help reduce the feeling of tiredness and fatigue.
  Increased intake of water can help to reduce weight.
• Foods cooked in aluminium cookware reduce water’s ability to be used by the body.
• Avoid high intake of beverages containing caffeine, e.g. excess coffee, artificially sweetened fizzy (carbonated) and still drinks, and soft drinks high in sugars ending in ’-ose’ such as ’sucrose’, ’glucose’ and ’fructose’.
• Take alcohol only in moderation as it can aggravate negative symptoms. Good quality organic wines can contribute to good health, spirits, beers and lagers less so. Organic red or white wine can be taken, but no more than 1 glass a day is suggested. Spirits should be avoided for a period of at least four months after dietary reform, and beer kept to an absolute minimum. 
• Take exercise as much as possible out of doors in clean air. Prolonged exercise in air conditioning with artificial lighting should be no more than an hour at one time. 
  Isotonic exercise has been found beneficial in reducing muscle weakness. 
• Sunlight has a beneficial effect on the whole person, and is also known to alleviate the experience of fatigue that can also occur with extended periods of exposure to artificial lighting. 
  Wearing sunglasses can reduce energy levels, as they block out some beneficial rays that can actually enhance energy. Men should try to avoid pink tinted glasses.
• Try to obtain cosmetics that are not full of chemicals. There is a saying: "If you can’t eat the ingredient safely, then it may be best not to put it on your skin."
• Avoid shampoos and soaps containing Sodium Lauryl Sulphate.
• Antiperspirants are usually applied to help reduce body odour. However, these preparations contain aluminium, which actually gets absorbed into the body. This metal is known to produce many undesirable toxic side effects.

Additional Help & Support

It is good to incorporate a regular massage into the monthly regime, especially the back and legs.
A health review with a medical homeopath is also an additional positive health step.