Nutrition

Right now, over 50 trillion tiny cells--collectively known as you--are humming away to keep you alive. All they ask? A little exercise, water--and food!

Give them junk food, and they''''re resourceful enough to keep you going--for a while. But give them healthy fare and your payoff is terrific. You feel and look your best. Your energy brims. Plus, you help keep at bay problems such as heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes and overweight--major conditions that can impair or end a woman''''s life.

If you think healthy eating takes too much time or requires strategizing or giving up favorite foods, relax. Down-to-earth advice from experts--designed for women who live in the real world--makes healthy eating hassle-free. Read on and see for yourself.

Getting with the Good-Health Program

What''''s a great first step to the healthiest diet? Striking a smart balance among carbohydrates, protein and fat, says Doris Derelian, R.D., Ph.D., president of the American Dietetic Association. All these major food ingredients provide us with calories for energy. But studies around the world show that diets low in fat but high in carbohydrates are linked to the lowest rates of heart disease. These diets are also associated with people who have the lowest rates of some cancers.

That''''s why experts take a hard look at the overly abundant amount of fat that most women get in their diets. When you look at the statistics, you have to ask yourself: Why are we raising our risks by eating more fat than is good for us?

One way to measure fat is by asking how many of our total calories come from calories of fat. Studies show that Americans get about 34 percent of their calories from fat. That means many of us are getting more than one-third of our total calories from the fat in foods such as salad dressings, hamburgers, potato chips, french fries and high-fat desserts and snacks.

That would be fine if it were healthy to live on a diet that''''s one-third fat. But health is not being dealt a strong hand when fat intake is that high. Instead, this is the kind of fat intake that puts us at high risk for heart disease, certain kinds of cancer and other problems. What we should be getting, says Holly McCord, R.D., nutrition editor for Prevention magazine in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, is a maximum of 25 percent of total calories from fat.

Equally important, women need to boost carbohydrates (from vegetables, fruit and whole grains, not from sugar or white flour) to 55 percent of calories--or even more, says McCord. That leaves protein providing 15 to 20 percent of calories.

Trouble is, no woman sits down to a hearty meal of percents. The female body needs food. So how do you translate all those numbers into menus without resorting to a computer? You use the easy-to-follow Prevention 3-2-1 Plan.

Three Times a Day, Get with the Plan

Here''''s how the 3-2-1 Plan works. Simply think of your day in 3 segments--breakfast and morning, lunch and afternoon and dinner and evening. Then, sometime during each segment, make sure you get your "3-2-1." That means, try to eat three servings of a starchy vegetable such as potatoes or legumes (beans, dried peas or lentils) or a food made from grain (preferably a whole grain). Also have two servings of fruit or nonstarchy vegetables and one serving of either low-fat meat, fish, poultry or beans or a low-fat or nonfat dairy food. (To learn what constitutes a serving, see "3-2-1 Servings" on page 268.) Throughout your day, make sure that you use low-fat or fat-free condiments.

You don''''t have to eat all your 3-2-1 servings at one meal. Here''''s an example of how one lunch/afternoon segment might go. Say you had a turkey sandwich with tomato slices on whole-wheat bread for lunch--that''''s two grains (two slices of bread), one vegetable (two big tomato slices) and one meat (sliced turkey). Later, you could have a handful of whole-wheat pretzels and an apple for a mid-afternoon snack--that''''s one more grain and one fruit Thus your total for this segment of the day is three grains, one vegetable plus one fruit and one meat. You''''ve hit your 3-2-1 goal!

Here''''s why the 3-2-1 Plan puts you ahead of the nutrition game.

* It automatically steers you to the right ratio of carbohydrates, protein and fat as the day progresses--provided you choose low-fat meats, dairy products and condiments.

* It makes it easy for you to keep a mental note of your "score" as the day goes along by dividing your eating into three "3-2-1" segments.

* It apportions your food intake evenly throughout the day, which helps keep your energy level brimming and your appetite under control.

* It ensures that you get a minimum total of six servings of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables and nine servings of grains (preferably whole grains) or legumes every day. If you''''re still hungry, make extra fruits and veggies your first choice for snacks, suggests McCord.

Vitamins and Minerals Women Need Most

To keep you ticking, your food must deliver much more than calories. Your body requires precious substances called vitamins and minerals--essential players in the countless chemical reactions that make life possible. Some minerals such as calcium are needed for body-building material, too.

The 3-2-1 Plan helps you meet crucial vitamin and mineral needs. But study after study shows that even careful eaters may come up short on certain micronutrients--nutrients that are important to your health even though they''''re found in extremely minute amounts in food. Women are especially at risk of getting less of these micronutrients than they need, says Margo Woods, D.Sc., who teaches nutrition at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.

We have this shortage partly because our food intake is small--often 1,800 or fewer calories per day. Yet studies have found that even registered dietitians find it tough to design low-fat diets that meet all of an adult woman''''s vitamin and mineral requirements without exceeding 2,200 calories--more than most women need.

Another problem is that some women have become super-conscientious about cutting out fat--but they''''ve totally forgotten about choosing the rest of their foods wisely. "Women have to remember that their diets are about more than just fat," says Dr. Derelian.

So here''''s the bottom line: It''''s crucial for females to choose foods dense with vitamins and minerals. "I know it''''s easy to come home after a stressful day and say, ''''I need to take care of myself with a brownie.'''' But what you really could do to take care of yourself is eat a banana and drink a glass of milk. Try to satisfy your emotional hunger, knowing that you''''ve treated your body with respect and love," says Dr. Woods.

You might need to go the extra mile to get some of the vitamins and minerals that women need, but it''''s worth it. These important nutrients include calcium combined with enough vitamin D, folic acid and the antioxidant vitamins: vitamin A (as beta-carotene), vitamin C and vitamin E. There are a few others as well--vitamin B₆, zinc and iron--that are only found in certain foods. But you need them all, according to Dr. Woods.

Should You Double Your Calcium?

Researchers say that half of all women over age 50 will suffer from osteoporosis--gradual bone loss that proceeds so stealthily that it''''s been called the silent crippler. People with osteoporosis lose so much bone mass and, as a result, calcium (a vital component of our skeletons), that their bones break with just a slight bump. How can you prevent this? One important way is by getting enough calcium before menopause begins. Experts believe this helps keep bones in the strongest state to withstand the rapid bone loss of menopause.

Yet most women get only half the 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day before age 50 recommended by the National Institutes of Health. Admittedly, consuming that much calcium takes planning. The best strategy? Eat three servings a day of foods high in calcium, suggests McCord.

If--in spite of good intentions--you don''''t get three Calcium Champs daily, make up any shortfall with a calcium supplement, suggests Robert Heaney, M.D., professor of medicine at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska. Many women take 500 milligrams a day.

Calcium needs an assistant to make sure that you absorb as much as your bones need: That''''s why you also require 400 international units (IUs) of vitamin D per day. Once again, studies show that many women probably aren''''t getting enough.

Actually, your body can make its own vitamin D if enough sunlight strikes your skin. But if you''''re putting on sunscreen to prevent skin damage (which is certainly advisable), you''''re also blocking the sun power that helps your body make this "sunshine vitamin." So--are we getting enough sunshine to keep us from being D-ficient? For some women, busy schedules and SPF 15 sunscreens may make it iffy.

Here''''s another problem with vitamin D: It''''s not widely distributed in food. Some of the best sources include an eight-ounce glass of milk, which is fortified with 100 IU of vitamin D, and some breakfast cereals, which are also are D-fortified (check the label for the amount). For insurance, Dr. Heaney says a multi-supplement with 100 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin D isn''''t a bad idea. (Regular intakes should not exceed 600 IUs per day, however.)

Don''''t Forget Folate

Here''''s a common micronutrient shortfall that all women of childbearing age should want to reverse, says Dr. Woods. American women are getting only half the 400 micrograms of folic acid--the supplement form of folate--now recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service to prevent serious brain and spinal cord defects in newborn babies. If you try to make up the shortfall after you''''re pregnant, it may be too late. The defects that are related to lack of this B vitamin occur in the first two weeks of pregnancy, before a woman may realize she has conceived.

Pregnancy aside, doctors say that folate may have some protective benefits for your own health. Researchers have found that women who lack folate in their diets may increase their risks of heart disease and colon and cervical cancer.

Where should the extra folate come from? Food is always the best source of any nutrient, including folate, says McCord. Foods with 100 micrograms or more of folate include eight ounces of orange juice from frozen concentrate, one serving of certain fortified breakfast cereals (check labels to find out if cereals are fortified), one cup of raw spinach and a half-cup of cooked asparagus.

Many health authorities agree that it may be difficult for women to get enough of this superstar vitamin in their daily diets. So you might need a daily supplement to provide the sensible backup insurance you need. Walter Willet, M.D., Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Medical School, recommends a multi supplement with 400 micrograms of folic acid, which is 100 percent of the DV. On the label, folic acid is sometimes also identified as folate or folacin.

Be Pro-Antioxidant

Antioxidant vitamins have been on the health scene for decades, but lately, they seem to have exciting new careers. The stars of the show are vitamin A, which comes from beta-carotene in food sources, vitamin C and vitamin E.

Nutrition science has known for years that each of these vitamins plays a crucial role in the body. Yet even though we know a lot about them, more is being discovered all the time. Vitamin A is vital for eyesight and keeping the skin healthy, while vitamin C helps keep blood vessels and immune systems strong. As for vitamin E, nutritionists have always called it an antioxidant, but they know that this vitamin is critically important.

What''''s the big deal? Simply this: Antioxidants have the power to neutralize fast-moving, submicroscopic particles called free radicals. Like manic roadrunners looking for trouble, free radicals zip through living cells, accelerating a chain reaction that puts cell deterioration into fast forward.

Free radicals are produced continuously in our bodies by perfectly natural internal processes. Their numbers are multiplied drastically by outside forces such as air pollution, cigarette smoke and sunlight.

Once formed, free radicals are highly unstable, reacting with healthy body tissue and causing cell damage as they speed up the chemical process called oxidation. It''''s now known that this damage may lead to serious illness such as cancer and the clogged arteries of heart disease. At the same time, oxidation may also speed up the aging process.

Unless, that is, the antioxidants come to our rescue by reacting with free radicals before they can react with us. If we have enough beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E inside our bodies, free radicals can be quenched before they wreak too much oxidative havoc.

Studies show that people whose diets are rich in foods that contain antioxidant vitamins often have lower rates of heart disease, lung and colon cancers, cataracts and stroke. Among the richest sources of these vitamins are fruits and vegetables. In fact, the antioxidant-rich foods are so protective that the National Cancer Institute recommends you try to eat at least one food that''''s high in beta-carotene and one food high in vitamin C every day.

Mega sources of beta-carotene (which our bodies turn into vitamin A) are carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, spinach, collard greens, winter squash and cantaloupe. The DV for vitamin A is 5,000 IUs, and to get that much, you need to consume three milligrams of beta-carotene. It''''s possible (though not proven) that supplements of beta-carotene at higher levels may be beneficial, and researchers are testing amounts up to 50 milligrams. But experts don''''t know the full effect of beta-carotene at that level.

They do know, however, that taking excessive amounts of preformed vitamin A at 15,000 IUs can be toxic. Women who are pregnant or trying to conceive should be especially careful about taking vitamin A. One study showed that consuming more than 10,000 IUs of vitamin A a day can cause a variety of birth defects including cleft lip, cleft palate, hydrocephalus and heart defects. Consuming large amounts of beta-carotene does not seem to have the same effect.

Superstar food sources of vitamin C include oranges, orange juice, grapefruit and grapefruit juice. Other sources are red bell peppers, kiwifruit, strawberries, broccoli, brussels sprouts and cantaloupe.

For vitamin C the DV is 60 milligrams. There''''s some evidence that taking in higher levels of vitamin C may confer protection against heart disease, some cancers and secondhand cigarette smoke. Supplements of vitamin C up to 500 milligrams a day appear to be safe, says Dr. Willet.

As for the third antioxidant, vitamin E, it''''s hard to get enough of it in a healthy, low-fat diet. That''''s because vitamin E is mainly found in high-fat nuts and vegetable oils. As a result, some health experts think it makes sense to take vitamin E supplements--and they often recommend levels above the DV of 30 IUs.

Two large studies have linked taking vitamin E supplements of 100 IUs or more to a 40 percent reduced risk of heart disease. Supplements up to 400 IUs a day appear to be safe, according to Dr. Willet. But if you''''re taking blood-thinning medicine, you should first check with your doctor before taking a vitamin E supplement.

Mining More Micros

A number of vitamins and minerals are major-league players in our bodies even though they come in micro quantities in our food. Among the core group of micronutrients that women often need more of are vitamin B₆, zinc and iron, says Dr. Woods.

Vitamin B₆ has a number of important tasks. It helps the body transform food into energy and ensures healthy function of nerve tissue. Stud