A balanced diet isn’t just about meeting your needs for macronutrients—such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins—but also for essential micronutrients—such as vitamins and minerals. These needs depend on age, lifestyle, and, above all, gender. Although women have lower energy needs than men, their micronutrient requirements are usually just as high—and in some cases even higher.
Therefore, it is especially important for women to lead a balanced and healthy lifestyle so that their nutritional needs are met even with a lower energy intake.
Increased Nutritional Needs: During these stages of life, your body needs more
However, it is not only lower energy needs but also other factors that can increase one's nutritional requirements. These include, for example:
- Intense Training: Exercise and physical activity are, of course, essential for our bodies. But they should be done in moderation. This is because physical training increases the body’s need for essential nutrients. It’s important to always ensure adequate recovery and sleep.
- Pregnancy and Breastfeeding: Because it is creating new life, the female body has increased micronutrient needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding. This is because nutrients are needed for two people during this time.
- Menopause: During menopause, the female body undergoes yet another extreme transformation. It usually begins with a progesterone deficiency and progresses to an estrogen deficiency. Production of male hormones ceases, ultimately leading to infertility. This completely disrupts the hormonal balance—manifesting as hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and episodes of dizziness.
- Puberty: During this time, the female body undergoes extreme changes. Sexual maturity begins, and the body prepares for pregnancy every month. Menstruation and, often, emotional changes lead to an increased need for nutrients.
- Birth control pill: It disrupts the body's nutrient balance and deprives it of important vitamins, minerals, and trace elements.
- Stress: Juggling work and family life often causes stress. This leads to elevated cortisol levels, which deprive our bodies of certain nutrients.
- Diets: Long-term calorie restriction often leads to nutrient deficiencies. If low-fat foods are also consumed, the body does not get enough essential omega-3 fatty acids.
Essential Nutrients for the Female Body
Now, of course, the question is: Which nutrients are particularly important for the female body, and which ones should women pay special attention to? In general, all micronutrients are essential for us, but there are some nutrients that play a particularly important role in the female body . These include:
- Vitamins C and D, folate, and zinc are important for the healthy functioning of the immune system.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation.
- Folic acid plays a role in cell division.
- Zinc contributes to normal fertility and normal reproductive function. Zinc helps maintain normal bones, skin, hair, and nails.
- Magnesium contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system and helps reduce tiredness and fatigue.
- Calcium is needed to maintain normal bones, and vitamin D helps maintain normal calcium levels in the blood.
Sources
- Uwe Gröber: Micronutrients: Metabolic Tuning—Prevention—Therapy. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Stuttgart, 2012, 3rd edition, ISBN 978-3-8047-2615-4.
- Dr. Udo Böhm, Dr. Dr. Claus Muss: Rational Therapy in Micronutrient Medicine, UNI-MED Verlag Aktiengesellschaft, Bremen, 2001, 1st edition, ISBN 978-3-8374-1275-8.
