Smart nutrition tips for the multi-tasking woman

Dec 14, 2010 8:20 AM by Mindy Whitacre, CN

Posted in Health & Wellness / Diet & Fitness / Dieting & Nutrition

ABC’S Of Nutrition
For Busy Women

If your busy lifestyle leads to less-than-desirable diet choices, you aren’t alone. Research demonstrates that women who are too busy to focus on their diets are more likely to succumb to impulse eating and spontaneous food purchasing. This leads to a higher risk of obesity. To give you a healthy start for the New Year, here are the ABC's of smart nutrition for the multi-tasking woman.

Woman taking vitamin

ABC's of healthy eating

When life gets too hectic and schedules seem to endlessly overlap, elementary nutrition reminders work best. Here are three basic nutrition tips that will keep you fueled, healthy and ready to take on more roles than an aspiring actress.

A: Act to avoid

We live in a culture that's prone to treating health problems as they arise. By acting rather than reacting, we stand to gain countless long-term health rewards. A low-fat, fruit- and vegetable-rich diet is the first place to start. Bolster your meals with antioxidant-rich nutrients to help fight free radicals, slow aging and thwart the body's vulnerability to degenerative diseases. For example, resveratrol, found in red wine, astaxanthin, and dark fruits and berries like acai and pomegranate all boast amazing antioxidant properties.

Investing in a good-quality daily multivitamin provides a solid health combination. Here are a few must-have supplements for your health, weight and well-being:

B vitamins and vitamin D can help you deal with stress and maintain a healthy immune system.
Calcium and magnesium (and vitamin D) are essential for bone health.
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) omega-3 and omega-6 have been scientifically proven to bolster heart, brain and even skin health.

B: Boost the benefits of your bite

Nature is a diverse and interdependent system, as is our body. There are benefits of coordinating specific foods with certain nutrients to take full advantage of how these combinations complement one another to get the most benefit out of what the body is taking in. Some examples of complementary nutrition include vitamin C's ability to help increase iron absorption, while vitamin D works with vitamin K and calcium to increase the amount of bone-friendly osteocalcin and improve bone metabolism. By eating a varied, nutrient-rich diet, your body will be better prepared to manage whatever comes its way.

C: Combat stress

For many women, stress leads to snacking and nervous grazing while we scramble to check off our daily task list or hit the couch with a bag of whatever is in the cupboard. By practicing "active" stress-relievers such as yoga, a few minutes of meditation and deep breathing, or even a brisk walk, your nutritional goals are less likely to be compromised by a junk food snack-attack.