Women’s Nutrition
Author: Hannah Hall, Challenge America Program Coordinator
Today’s post is going to feature an interview with a Dietician, Tammy Murray. Tammy has a Masters degree in dietetics and has experience in long term care, hospitals, Women & children’s health and nutrition counseling. She has been practicing for 40 years. Today, I interviewed Tammy about Women’s nutrition and how you can prioritize your health through nutrition as a woman.
What can you tell me about Women’s nutrition?
Women are often caregivers for the family and often put themselves last. Therefore, they do not prioritize their own health and then it is neglected. Women are often concerned with their caloric intake, which leads them to not getting all the nutrients they need. The things that women are typically low on are calcium, fiber, vitamin D and folate.
What are 3 small things that women can do in their everyday life to improve and prioritize their nutrition?
Women should develop a plan right at the time of going to the grocery store. If you have the fruits & vegetables in your house, you are more likely to eat them, but that starts with the grocery store (or farmer’s market).
Experiment with foods until you find something you like. Women often eat things because they think that’s what they should eat to be healthy or lose weight, however, they find that that is not sustainable and fail.
It never hurts to take a multivitamin! Multivitamins can ensure that Women get all the micronutrients they need and puts less stress on getting your needed micronutrients through food. This is particularly important in older women with a lower caloric need to maintain their weight.
How do I know if I need to see a dietician?
Beyond weight loss, dieticians can be helpful with Crohns, diabetes, heart disease, etc. Dieticians can help you mold your diet to match your health needs, finances, lifestyles, etc. to help maximize your success and longevity.
How do I know if I have a bad relationship with food and how should I address it?
If you eat when you aren’t hungry, eat inappropriate foods often, eat more than you should or when it is not a meal time, you may have an inappropriate relationship with food. It’s important to see a dietician or your provider to help you process an inappropriate relationship with food and come up with a plan to combat it.
