A Diet Menu Plan For Women

Women require a nutritious diet to sustain health and reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, lower respiratory diseases, Alzheimer's disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, depression and other chronic diseases. The USDA Dietary Guidelines recommends you eat nutrient-dense foods, avoid processed foods and maintain a healthy weight by balancing the calories you consume from food with calories you expend through physical activity. Consult your nutritionist about a diet menu plan.

Breakfast

A healthy breakfast for women includes fruit juice and whole grain cereal with mixed berries and almond milk. Fresh squeezed fruit juice and mixed berries contain antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber. Harvard School of Public Health recommends you eat plentiful amounts of fruits throughout the day to improve your health and prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, loss of vision and gastrointestinal disease. Whole grains provide carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fiber, which can help you have regular bowel movements. Whole grains also lower your risk of dying from all causes of disease. Research by scientists at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis and published in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" in June 2000 found that postmenopausal women who consume on average 4.7 g of whole grain fiber and 1.9 refined grain fiber have a 17 percent lower death rate than postmenopausal women who consume 1.3 g of whole grain fiber and 4.5 g of refined grain fiber. Almond milk is a rich source of calcium to help you reduce your risk of osteoporosis and a good source of vitamin E, which can protect your cells from harmful chemicals and toxins, including free radicals that can accelerate aging.

Lunch

For lunch, enjoy a large salad that includes Romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, beets, artichoke hearts, carrots, olives and red kidney beans. Add nuts or seeds, such as pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds, plus dressing made with extra virgin olive oil. Nuts, seeds and olive oil contain monounsaturated fatty acids, healthy fats that may reduce your risk of heart disease. Olive oil may also reduce your risk of breast cancer, according to research by scientists at the University of Las Palmas of Gran Canaria in Spain and published in "Public Health Nutrition" in February 2006. The scientists attribute the results to monounsaturated fat content in olive oil.

Dinner

Begin dinner with a cup of lentil soup followed by grilled salmon, brown rice and steamed kale. Salmon contains eicosapentaneoic acid and docosahexaneoic acid, omega-3 fatty acids that may reduce your risk of heart disease. Brown rice is a whole grain. Kale is a nutrient-dense food and a good source of calcium.

Snacks

Soy yogurt with fruits and walnuts is a healthy snack food for women. Soy yogurt contains protein, calcium, healthy fats and isoflavone, an antioxidant that may stimulate bone growth and reduce your risk of osteoporosis. Walnuts contain alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid.