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Women's nutritional needs
There are a number of major differences in the nutritional needs of women and men and it is vital that these are taken into consideration when you are planning your dietary intake. As you increase your training levels you will need to adjust your eating and drinking programme accordingly and structure what you consume with a level of planning that is vital if you are to see an improvement in performance. It's not your training schedule that you must concentrate on, your diet can be equally as important.
What are the differences in women's vitamin requirements?
Recommended daily allowances (RDAs) differ for men and women in virtually every case. You should check with a nutritionist to see what your requirements actually are, as they can differ considerably according to individual. Every source seems to put 'the average' at a different level, so check your own specifically before following the wrong path. Vitamins where there are the greatest differences between gender include: Vitamin A, B1, B2, E and Niacin, where men have to consume as much as 50% more than the female requirement.
What about minerals?
Iron is the mineral where there can be the biggest differences between male and female athletes. Men store far more than women, who lose much of their stores during menstruation. Check out our article on iron needs in women for a detailed look at this issue. It's generally agreed that women need nearly double the daily RDA of iron than men, around 15-18 mg, compared to 10mg for men. Women however don't need as much magnesium or iodine as men, but for the others, where an RDA has been agreed, the figures are the same. These include sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, zinc and copper.What about our relative intakes of water?
Water is a vital part of our training and racing programme. Without drinking the required levels, you could have serious health problems, such as dehydration. It's particularly important for women to drink the correct amount even on non-training days as a woman's body is made up of around 55% water and it needs sustaining. Water also contributes to all round well-being, including a major contribution to healthy skin. You should aim to drink around one and a half litres a day and drink it consistently all day, rather than have periods of 'cramming'.
Are there any other nutrition issues that women should be aware of?
We will be producing another article soon on the role of fatty acids in the body and the need for what are known as Essential Fatty Acids. One of these, Omega-6, plays an important role during menstruation, which we will look at in more detail later. Its RDA is around 120mg. Also consider your fibre intake as this can alleviate problems in the intestinal gut and prevent excessive loss of nutrients.
For further information, go to www.realbuzz.com
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