A healthy diet gives you energy, supports your mood, maintains your weight, and keeps you looking your best. It can also be a huge support through the different stages in life. The importance of regular workout and healthy foods for women helps to reduce Premenstrual syndrome, boost immunity, combat stress, make pregnancy and nursing easier, and ease symptoms of menopause.

10 Healthy Foods for Women:

1. Calcium-Rich Foods

Calcium helps keep bones strong and along with regular weight-bearing exercise, helps to prevent the risk of osteoporosis.

- 4 to 8 years: 800 milligrams Healthy foods for women are low-fat dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables, fortified cereals etc. Check this list to see how much calcium you need each day:

- 9 to 13 years: 1300 milligrams

- 14 to 18 years: 1300 milligrams

- 19 to 50 years: 1000 milligrams

- 51 to 70+ years: 1200 milligrams

2. Iron-Rich Foods

Due to their monthly cycles, pre-menopausal women need more iron. Good sources of iron are rice flakes, sprouts, beetroot, spinach, tofu, pomegranate, dried apricots, and jaggery.

Women need 12 to 15 milligrams of iron each day, compared to just 10 to 12 milligrams for men.

3. Fruits Rich in Vitamin C

Another important list of healthy foods for women are fruits rich in Vitamin C. These include citrus fruits, strawberries, green and red peppers, mustard greens, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, kiwi, guava and parsley. In addition to contributing to overall health, fruits rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant, have recently been linked to a decreased risk of coronary heart disease. Fit two to three servings (or more) of fruit into your daily diet. The RDA for vitamin C for women is 75 milligrams a day.

4. Green Leafy Vegetables

This category of vegetable includes everything from spinach, methi to darker lettuces and can be considered as a nutritious and healthy food for women. These vegetables provide important nutrients as well as fiber (aim for 20 to 35 grams each day) to the diet. Try to get at least three servings of vegetables each day.

5. Nuts

Nuts are very healthy foods for women as it is full of monounsaturated fats, which can help lower cholesterol levels, and polyunsaturated fats, which can help prevent heart disease. Nuts are a good source of protein, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, selenium, folate, vitamin E and vitamin A. Nuts pack a lot of calories into their tiny packages, so try to limit your serving to 5-7 a day.

6. Water

Water is important for all metabolic processes in the body. It also helps with digestion, weight loss and improves the appearance of the skin. Drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water each day is the key. Eating foods with a high water content (like fruits and certain vegetables) will also contribute to your water

intake.

7. Cranberries and Cranberry Juice

The proanthocyanidins found in cranberries help prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder, thus warding off urinary tract infections (UTIs). New research also suggests that cranberries may promote cardiovascular health.

8. Foods Rich in Folate

Healthy foods for women like asparagus, oranges, fortified cereals and beans which are rich in folate is important during pregnancy for ensuring proper neural tube development of the foetus and has been shown to be important for heart health. Make sure to get an RDA of 400 micrograms (mcg) per day.

9. Whole Grains

Whole grains are high in fiber and therefore help wave off digestive problems that are so common in

women. Try to incorporate more whole grains like brown rice, bran flakes, whole-grain breads, into your diet.

10. Soy Protein

Soy protein is found in products like tofu and soymilk to soy nut butter and cereal. Soy protein is heart healthy and (helps lower "bad" cholesterol levels), is rich in phytonutrients and also consider as one of the most healthy food for women. Aim for up to 25 grams of soy protein per day.