How do nutritional needs and diets change for women across their lifespans?
A. The effects of a woman’s diet on her children start long before she becomes pregnant. Stores of fat, protein, and other nutrients built up over the years are called upon during pregnancy for fetal nourishment. During adolescence and early adulthood, women need to increase food rich in calcium to build peak (maximum) bone mass to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis, a progressive loss of bone with aging that causes bones to be more susceptible to fracture. All women need more iron than men since younger women lose iron through menstruation. Caloric intake varies for each person based on age, gender, and activity level, but for the most part, women between 23 and 50 should eat about 2,200 calories per day to maintain their current weight, while older women need fewer calories. No one should consumer fewer than 1,500 calories, even in attempts to lose weight, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA recommends that everyone maintain healthy levels of fat and
