SUBSCRIBE
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Health For Mzansi
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
No Result
View All Result
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
No Result
View All Result
Health For Mzansi

Don’t be shy – feed that body

by Andrea du Plessis
20th October 2021
in My Health
Reading Time: 6 mins read
A A
Nutrient-rich foods provide energy for women's busy lives and help to reduce the risk of disease. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Nutrient-rich foods provide energy for women's busy lives and help to reduce the risk of disease. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

For women to take care of the health and well-being of their families and communities, they need to take good care of their own health first. And as one of the building blocks of good health is good nutrition, here are some nutritional tips to provide the armour against common issues among the ladies.

Heart disease

Nutrition tip: Choose low-sodium products to flavour meals, such as low-sodium vegetable salt and MSG-free soy sauce as part of your low-salt diet.

Foods that support a healthy heart and circulatory system include unprocessed whole foods, such as high-fibre muesli and sunflower seeds. Salt-free snacks such as rice cakes and corn cakes are vital to a woman’s diet.

In South Africa, the proportion of Cardio Vascular Disease deaths in women aged between 35–59 years is one and a half times more likely than that of women in the United States. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Although heart disease is often considered a health risk for ageing men, associated with a stressful lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits, the statistics show us that the death risk in women associated with heart disease is six times higher than breast cancer, which is the most feared disease among women.

“In South Africa, women are specifically at risk of heart disease due to the prevalence of genetically inherited high cholesterol.”

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number one killer of women over the age of 25 and stroke is the number three killer. Women who often do not regard themselves as at risk of heart disease should seriously start looking at making lifestyle and dietary changes to promote cardiovascular health.

Weight management

Nutrition tip:  Drink green tea to speed up your metabolism and to lose weight.

If you’re trying to speed up your metabolism in order to lose weight, remember to stock up on green tea. Green tea contains antioxidants which help to increase the body’s metabolism. To achieve and maintain a healthy weight, a healthy lifestyle is vital. A healthy, balanced diet and regular exercise form the base of a healthy weight management programme. Nutritional supplements can support weight management only as part of a balanced, energy-controlled and low-kilojoule diet.

Green tea is one of the healthiest beverages on the planet. It is loaded with antioxidants and various plant compounds that may benefit your health. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Osteoporosis

Nutrition tip:  If you’re currently taking a calcium supplement, take it at night before you go to sleep to optimise absorption

Calcium is the most important structural mineral in bones, assisting in bone density and decreasing the risk of osteoporosis. Calcium-rich foods include milk and low-fat yoghurt, low-fat cheese, almonds, sesame seeds, tinned pilchards, tinned sardines, spinach and broccoli.

Avoid smoking, beverages that contain caffeine, alcohol intake, salty foods and high-protein diets, as these may decrease the body’s calcium content and thereby increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Rooibos tea offers a soothing effect, thereby reducing irritation and redness resulting in more even-toned skin. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Beauty

Nutrition Tip:  Start your day with a cup of rooibos tea.

Rooibos tea antioxidants have been shown to help maintain a youthful skin by helping to prevent premature skin ageing. Beauty can be nurtured from within.

To maintain vibrant skin, beautiful hair and strong nails, you need to include the correct balance of all the essential vitamins, minerals, trace elements, essential fatty acids and antioxidants into your diet.  Berries, nuts, wholegrain cereals, avocado, lentils, beans, fish, poultry, eggs and spinach are a few of the foods that contain key nutrients that support skin health.

Digestive health

Nutrition tip: Make sure to drink at least six glasses of water per day and increase your intake of dietary fibre from whole-grain cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables.

The main cause of constipation is dehydration. Make sure to drink at least six glasses of water per day and increase your intake of dietary fibre from whole-grain cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables. Digestive problems range from mild discomfort, such as heartburn, to agonising or painful symptoms such as constipation, diarrhoea and spastic colon. Most digestive system complaints can be either prevented or managed with the support of natural products.

Quitting can reduce the risk of fractures now and later in life. This is important because both women and smokers are more likely than men and nonsmokers to get osteoporosis, a disease when your bones become weak and more likely to break. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Anemia

Nutrition tip: Avoid drinking too much black tea (Ceylon tea), as the tannins found in tea are known to reduce absorption of iron from the foods we eat.

Iron is a vital component found in hemoglobin and a deficiency in iron compromises the red blood cells’ ability to carry oxygen. To optimise iron absorption, combine plant foods that are rich in iron, such as spinach, with foods that contain vitamin C, such as lemon, oranges, chillies or peppers. Also, to ensure optimal absorption of iron in a supplement, avoid drinking black tea, as the tannins found in tea are known to reduce iron absorption.

Anemia is a condition which affects the blood which circulates through our bodies and is typically characterised by a decrease in the number of red blood cells, or a decrease in the size of the red blood cells, or a decrease in the hemoglobin content of the red blood cells. Hemoglobin is a protein component in red blood cells which binds to oxygen and therefore carries oxygen through the body via the circulatory system.

All health and nutrition experts recommend a diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables. Cranberries in particular offer a range of health benefits. They are a good source of various vitamins and antioxidants. Photo: Supplied/Health For Mzansi

Bladder health

Nutrition tip: Drink cranberry juice or take cranberry extract to help prevent bladder infections.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) typically affect the bladder and urinary tracts. UTIs represent the second most common infection in women. 80% of all women experience a UTI at least once, while approximately 20% of all women have a UTI each year.

Drinking cranberry juice, or taking cranberry extract, helps in the prevention of bladder infections by helping to prevent the adhesion of bacteria to the bladder tissues.  That is why cranberry juice is a well-known treatment for bladder infections in traditional medicine.

ALSO READ: World Food Day: 1 in 10 people undernourished

Tags: Food medicineNutritionwellness for womenWomen's wellnessWomen's health
Andrea du Plessis

Andrea du Plessis

Related Articles

Pregnancy
My Health

Fighting pregnancy fatigue: What your body might be telling you

by Vateka Halile
9th May 2025
Thyroid health: When weight gain isn’t just about food
My Health

Thyroid health: When weight gain isn’t just about food

by Vateka Halile
24th April 2025

Stories

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites
Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics
Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy
Canola oil: A heart-healthy choice for your kitchen
No more pain! Tackle the torment of toothaches
How smoking causes harmful bacteria in your mouth
Discover delicious, healthy dishes that will make your heart sing
Rediscover the joy of creamy pap with chicken livers
No Result
View All Result

Latest

Dietitian on a mission: Love, loss, and healing through food
Health Heroes

Dietitian on a mission: Love, loss, and healing through food

by Vateka Halile
12th May 2025

Pregnant at university. First in her family to study. Now a leader in chronic disease prevention. Dietitian Phumelele Mthembu didn’t...

Read moreDetails
Pregnancy

Fighting pregnancy fatigue: What your body might be telling you

9th May 2025
Lung disease

Beyond the cure: Many TB survivors face lung disease

8th May 2025

Time to revive Mzansi’s nutritious indigenous crops

7th May 2025
Indigenous foods

Indigenous foods: Nature’s wisdom in every nourishing bite

6th May 2025
Health For Mzansi

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824

News: hello@healthformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

Awards & Impact
Privacy Policy

Cookie Policy
Copyright

Somagwaza

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites

cropped-scott-webb-yekGLpc3vro-unsplash.jpeg

Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics

Dr Sinethemba Makanya

Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy

Dietitian on a mission: Love, loss, and healing through food

Fighting pregnancy fatigue: What your body might be telling you

Beyond the cure: Many TB survivors face lung disease

Time to revive Mzansi’s nutritious indigenous crops

Indigenous foods: Nature’s wisdom in every nourishing bite

Art meets medicine: Mother and daughter share grit and glory

error: Content is protected !!
No Result
View All Result
  • Trending
  • My Health
  • Conversations
    • Podcast
    • Health Heroes
    • TV
  • Grow It
  • My Food
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes

© 2021 Health For Mzansi | Farmers For Change Pty (Ltd)

HIV and initiation: Supporting boys through cultural rites Security fails as gangs target Eastern Cape clinics Dr Makanya blends spiritual healing with art therapy Canola oil: A heart-healthy choice for your kitchen No more pain! Tackle the torment of toothaches How smoking causes harmful bacteria in your mouth Discover delicious, healthy dishes that will make your heart sing Rediscover the joy of creamy pap with chicken livers