There are times in a woman’s life when she needs to take
care of her diet. During adolescence, the rate of growth in a girl is second
only to that infancy. Her growth spurt usually begins and ends earlier than in
boys, but it is not possible to predict when it will happen.
The greatest influence on a teenager’s diet is her peer
group. It is more difficult to have control over an adolescent’s choice of
foods the way parents can when children are younger. Eating also becomes part
of a social activity and family meals assume less importance. Most teenage
girls are very concerned about their shape and weight and as many as one girl
in ten may try to control her weight by some means. This usually involves excluding nutritious foods such as
bread, cereal and protein and filling up on empty calories – junk food in the
form of snacks and soft drinks.
In pregnancy, your body is providing nutrition for both
you and your baby. There are foodstuffs that you may not be able to tolerate,
particularly during the first four months. This is an important time for the
baby and you need to eat well when you feel like it. The best idea is to snack
often with healthy foods. That way you will not feel uncomfortable and you’ll
be well fed. Your medical advisers will suggest supplements with folic acid, iron,
and calcium if this is necessary. Do not take supplements unless your doctor
advises.
One of the major problems for post-menopausal women is osteoporosis,
which is the loss of protein from bones. Research has shown that osteoporosis
can be halted (not cured) by having hormone therapy. This does not mean that
every woman needs hormone therapy, but if you get aches and pains in your bones
and muscles, backache and pins and needles in your hands and feet, go to your
doctor to ask for a diagnosis. If your bones are beginning to look thin on X-ray,
your doctor should consider hormone therapy.
