CHOOSING the right food and drink can help women manage their changing life stages from social transition, hormonal changes and body development. 

Many women are very careful about what they eat for fear of putting on weight and often experiment with different fad diets in adulthood and also adolescence, which is becoming more common.  When adolescent girls go through social changes, some will try different diets or even go through disordered eating like skipping meals in the exploration of their identity, which can be negatively influenced by social media.

Disordered eating can have a negative impact on growth and development during the adolescent years.  It is also commonplace in adult women too. 

A ten year old girl should be taking in around 1900 calories per day with calories increased yearly by around 100 so by the time the girl reaches 15 years the requirement is around 2400 calories per day.  Most adult women as a basic guide should be taking in around 2000 calories per day but can need more depending on their physical activity level.

If women don’t take in enough energy because of fear of gaining weight this could lead to disordered eating and then eventually eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia.  This will in turn lead to low body fat levels which will affect the menstrual cycle and fertility.  If the menstrual cycle is being disturbed and the female hormone oestrogen is not being produced effectively this will lead to weaker bones and increase the risk of osteoporosis as oestrogen helps with calcium absorption.  Warning signs for eating disorders include; being obsessed with losing weight, making yourself sick after meals, eating in secret and lying about eating habits, irregular periods, puffy or swollen face and regularly suffering from sore throats and infections.  Be aware of the warning signs and get people help if need be from an eating disorder specialist/dietitian. 

Lee McCusker (BA; MSc; MSc; MSc; ANutr; SENr) is a registered nutritionist from Belfast and can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Email: attentive nutrition@gmail.com