Basics of good nutrition: Eating in Your 30's

Tackle your 30's with gusto. Get savvy about what can zip up your health and what can zap it.


Time
The daily crunch to get things done sometimes spills over into the food choices you make. Don't let it sabotage your healthy intentions.

Fast food vs. convenient food
Fast food fare can be limiting nutritionally. There's little to choose from in terms of fruit, vegetables, dairy foods, whole grains or legumes. However, a diet built on convenience can be nutritious as well as delicious.

Stock the pantry and fridge with good-for-you, easy-to-use kinds of foods such as:

• Pre-washed, pre-cut fruits, salads and vegetables
• Ready-to-eat whole-grain cereals (for breakfast or for snacking), crackers and breads
• Dried fruit
• Low-fat yogurt and cottage cheese
• Canned legumes for salads, soups or as a meat substitute in casseroles
• Canned tomatoes and whole-wheat pasta
• Packaged whole-grain side dishes or meal starters (add pre-cut vegetables and deli-sliced ham or turkey or sub-in beans for meat and you have a fast, healthy meal)
• Canned albacore tuna packed in water

Monotonous meals
Pizza, macaroni and cheese, hot dogs and spaghetti. They are the mainstays of many families. Rise out of the rut and turn your plate and your family's into a palette. Think of meals in terms of color - the more hues you have, the healthier your choices. The deeper, richer the greens, reds, oranges, blues and yellows in food, the more vitamins and phytochemicals (substances in plant foods that have disease-fighting, health-enhancing possibilities) you'll get.



Caffeine
A double mocha latte or soda pop is fine as an early morning wake-up call, but for good health, give yourself a caffeine quota. Caffeinated beverages offer little nutritionally, they can reduce the absorption of some minerals in your body and they take the place of more healthful beverages, such as water, milk, fruit juices and even green or black tea.

Keep servings to two or three cups a day.

Too much caffeine (four or more cups of coffee a day) may leach calcium out of bones thereby weakening them. Too much caffeine may be linked to fertility problems and miscarriages, and it can, at least temporarily raise blood pressure.


Pregnancy
During the nine months of pregnancy, a woman eats an average of 85,000 extra calories to feed her baby. Capitalize on these calories.

Choose foods with folic acid
This vitamin is one of the most important nutrients to get in your diet if you are thinking about getting pregnant or are in the early months of pregnancy. A diet rich in folic acid reduces the risk of having a baby with a neural tube birth defect such as spina bifida, by as much as 70 percent. More recent research suggests that for some women, too little folic acid may also be associated with a greater risk of delivering a baby with Down's syndrome.

Other recommendations:

• Drink 6 to 8 cups of water a day.
• Get 25 to 30 grams of fiber (to relieve constipation)
• Choose four or more servings of low-fat dairy foods. The calcium found in these foods will strengthen your bones and your baby's.
• Eat lean meats, poultry or fish for their iron and zinc. These minerals help form the red blood cells that carry oxygen to your baby and are needed for the cell growth and brain development of your child.

Fertility
Calcium may count. A recent study, published in the medical journal Steroids, suggests that calcium and vitamin D may help reverse polycystic ovary syndrome - a leading cause of infertility for women.

Other dietary recommendations:

• Eat enough calories and nutrients to sustain menstruation. (See the Food Guide Pyramid for recommended food amounts.)
• Get the recommended amount of folic acid, vitamin C, zinc, manganese and potassium. All are linked to fertility.

Post-Pregnancy Weight Gain
The extra weight you gained during pregnancy may not disappear quickly. It doesn't help that there are more demands for your time and more distractions to your day. Go after the gain with nutrition in mind.

• Stock the cupboards with nutritious foods - reduce you inventory of high fat, high salt, high sugar snack foods. Out of sight… out of hand.
• If you tend to snack while preparing meals, place a plate of veggies or fruit (dried or fresh) within reach or chew a piece of gum while cooking.
• Eat regularly - and at somewhat scheduled times.
• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day and choose foods that have a high water content such as soups, fruits and vegetables. They fill you up without filling you out.
• Eat only the foods on your plate -- avoid taking bites of foods from your child's plate.
• Get out - get active. Take your baby for a daily walk around the neighborhood.

Fatigue
Certain foods and eating habits can boost your energy - others can drain it. Take an inventory of what and how you eat.

• Are you under-eating in hopes of losing weight?
• Is breakfast a part of your daily life?
• Do you get a little protein with your carbohydrates?
• What are you drinking (water, coffee, alcohol)?

The remedies:

• Avoid quick-weight loss plans. They zap your energy, can dull your senses and shortchange your body on essential nutrients, which would otherwise keep you healthy and strong.
• Eat breakfast daily to fuel your body and your brain. Skipping it slows your metabolism and by mid-morning, leaves you sluggish, irritable and anxious. Missing the morning meal can literally slow you down for the entire day.
• Combine a little protein, such as cheese, yogurt, lean meat, chicken or fish with the carbohydrates you eat. It extends the energy capabilities carbohydrates have to offer.
• Strive for 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. Too little liquid leads to dehydration - fatigue is an early indicator that you may not be getting enough fluids. Minimize the number of caffeine-containing beverages and alcohol you drink. They actually pull water from your body.
• Ditch the quick energy snacks such as candy bars and doughnuts. They give you an initial boost but within a half an hour you're dragging more than before.
• Check your iron status by requesting a serum ferritin test from your doctor. Determine whether you are eating iron-rich foods too, such as beef, legumes and fortified cereals. Avoid supplements unless physician-approved.

Calcium
Up until the ages of 35 to 40, the calcium you get from food, such as dairy foods, dark green vegetables and fortified products, goes primarily toward building bone density and strength. After age 40, bones are no longer strengthened, their density is only maintained. Excessive amounts of caffeine, soda pop, salt (sodium) and alcohol reduces bone strength.

Choose four or more servings of calcium-rich foods a day.

Getting enough calcium reduces your risk for osteoporosis, a disease that results in porous or weak bones that break easily. It affects one out of every two women after the age of 50.