Did you know that women’s nutrient needs can vary hugely depending on your age? Here’s a quick primer so you can decipher which ones you need, and which will be more beneficial for your mom (or daughter or sister or any other lady in your life).
Women’s nutrient needs
Early years
Baseline nutrients are necessary at all ages. But a woman in her teens and twenties often has a greater need for iron due to menstrual blood loss and high-octane activities. She also needs to pack in calcium (with vitamin D) during the critical bone-building years.
Childbearing years
When moving into their thirties, women might want to bump up folate in their diet, particularly if they’re planning a family. Also important through these years is a continued focus on iron, calcium, and vitamin D, while vitamin B12 and omega-3s are essential to support developing fetuses.
Later years
As women move into their fifties and sixties, they’ll find a greater need for vitamin B12 as the body’s ability to absorb this nutrient declines with age. There’s also an increased need for calcium and vitamin D to slow down inevitable bone loss. And they’ll require more potassium, magnesium, and omega-3s.
Let’s not forget that in every decade of a woman’s life, she’ll need plenty of fiber to keep the digestive wheels turning and lots of water to help keep her system well lubricated!
