We all know that nutrition plays a very important role in disease prevention and overall wellness. Here are the basics as they are:
Fish: Eating broiled or grilled fish reduces the risk of heart disease. Fried fish increases the risk of heart failure. Three servings a week can cut the risk for preterm labour pains in pregnant women.
Coffee: Drinking 4 or more cups a day was linked to a 25% reduction in stroke, depression and endometrial cancer in women. The benefit is not seen with other caffeine containing drinks or decaffeinated coffee or in women having less than 2 cups a day. Maximum benefit was seen in obese coffee drinkers.
Safflower oil: Intake of even 1-2 tsp a day in food stuff or as salad dressing can reduce the blood sugar, blood pressure and total lipid content in as little as 4 months.
Vitamins: In women who are past their reproductive age, more is not better here… In fact, instead of promoting health, dietary supplements like multivitamins, B-6, folic acid, magnesium, iron and copper intake were linked to increases risk of death. However younger women should take supplements containing 400µg of folic acid to decrease the risk of neural tube defect in the baby. Vitamin D and fish oil supplementation was found to reduce fracture risk, onset of retinal degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease in women.
Flaxseeds are a good source of dietary fibers but have been found to have no role for treatment of hot flushes in peri -menopausal women.