Eating well
Vitamin A
Vitamin A prevents night blindness and helps fight
infections. Lack of vitamin A also causes blindness in
children. A woman needs to eat plenty of vitamin A
during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
Dark yellow and green leafy vegetables and yellow fruits have vitamin A.
Along with eating healthy foods, women should drink plenty
of clean water and other fluids every day. Fruit juices, coconut
water, animal milks, and many herbal teas are all healthy fluids
to drink.
Ideas about food affect women’s health
Some beliefs about foods are harmful — especially when people believe that
women should not eat as much as men do, or should not eat a variety of foods.
It is not safe for girls to be fed less than boys
Girls need as much food as boys — to grow and learn and work. If a girl does not
get enough food, her bones may not grow well. This can cause serious problems
during labor when the girl becomes a woman and has babies of her own.
W he n a wo man must fe e d he r family fi rst,
she may not get enough to eat
A woman may be taught to feed her family before
herself. She eats only what is left and often does
not get as much as others in the family. This is
never healthy. And when a woman is pregnant,
or has just had a baby, it can be very dangerous.
If the family will not help the woman eat
enough, she may need to hide food, eat while
she is cooking, or eat while her husband is
out of the house.
Come and
eat with us!
Packaged and processed foods are rarely as good as homemade
People are eating more and more packaged and processed foods. Some people like
the taste, and some people think that packaged foods are healthier.
Packaged foods may be advertised as the healthiest choice, but this is rarely the
truth! Advertisers will say anything just to sell products. Some packaged foods are
fortified with vitamins and minerals, but our bodies cannot use these added-on
vitamins as well as our bodies use the vitamins that we get from eating whole,
fresh foods. Most packaged foods contain more sugar, salt, and fat than we need.
Many are full of chemicals to keep the food looking and tasting fresh, and some of
these chemicals have not been carefully tested to be sure of their safety.
A Book for Midwives (2010)
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