Calcium

Calcium is not only essential for bone health, but also helps the heart, muscles and nervous system function properly.

Adult women need about 800 mg of calcium a day, and those 51 years old and older need 1,000 mg a day.

Women can get the calcium deficiency from dark green leafy vegetables, beans and sardines, milk, cheese, and yogurt.

Folate

This substance is also known as vitamin B9 or folic acid, participating in the body’s process of forming red blood cells.

Women may experience fatigue, weakness, difficulty breathing, pale skin, hair loss and macrocytic anemia (a condition in which hematopoietic cells in the marrow deform and enlarge).

Adult women’s bodies need 400 mcg of folate per day, pregnant or breastfeeding mothers need 500-600 mcg.

However, experts recommend that women should not consume too much folate, because excess folate can obscure symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, a micronutrient that is also involved in creating red blood cells.

Supplement all important nutrients to help women’s bodies stay healthy.

Iodine

Iodine helps the body create thyroid hormones, regulate metabolism, and support bone and brain development in fetuses and young children.

In adult women, the body’s needs are 150 mcg a day;

Women should not consume iodine in excess of their body’s needs, as it can cause hyperthyroidism, fast or irregular heartbeat, hand tremors, irritability, fatigue and sweating.

Iron

Iron helps transport oxygen to all tissues and organs in the body.

Adult women need 18 mg of iron/day, while women over 60 need 8 mg and pregnant women need 27 mg a day.

Vitamin A

Women’s bodies need 750 mcg of vitamin A every day for healthy vision and immune system.

Foods rich in vitamin A include poultry, eggs, mackerel, fruits such as mango, papaya and watermelon, as well as vegetables such as tomatoes, red bell peppers and carrots, and cornflakes.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 supports brain function, nerve tissue health, red blood cell production, and participates in the production of serotonin (a messenger that helps the body feel happy).

When lacking vitamin B12, the body feels tired, weak, nerve damage, anemia, depression, memory loss, and dementia.

Vitamin D

The body needs vitamin D to increase calcium absorption, maximize bone health, and support immune health.

Lacking vitamin D, women are susceptible to bone and back pain, depression, anxiety, frequent illness, fatigue, sluggishness and poor wound healing ability.

Excess vitamin D can lead to loss of appetite, weight loss, irregular heartbeat, and hardening of blood vessels and tissues due to increased calcium levels in the blood, potentially leading to heart and kidney damage.

Zinc

Zinc helps increase immune health, metabolism and reduces inflammation.

Red meat, poultry, oysters, nuts, seeds and breakfast cereals are rich in zinc.