Food Problems of Women

Some people cannot tolerate particular food because they lack the enzymes to break them down properly. As a result, they may have chronic stomach or digestive problems or suffer from low energy levels. Other people may be allergic to specific proteins in food and may react with something as mild as a rash or as serious as a severe asthma attack. Food additives, pesticides and preservatives have also been connected with a range of health problems varying from hyperactivity to cancer. But perhaps the most common food problem for women lies in our minds. 

Do you see food as a potential enemy, a potent force with the power to invade and overwhelm you? If this feels true to you, then you are not alone. For many women, and some men, the attempt to control their relationship with food is a life-long struggle. All eating disorders stem, in some way, from our image of ourselves and our place in the world. Often they conceal deeper fears about whether we are loveable; whether we are in control; whether we can cope with big changes ahead of us. This is why eating disorders often occur or recur in times of crisis. The problem can start a various stages in life:

• In childhood - Starvation is often used to resist adult control, as Sheila McLeod explains in "The Art of Starvation", it can be used to "triumph over the wills of others and over the chaos ensuing from their conflicting demands".
• In puberty - For some girls, controlling food intake (which includes overeating), is a way of avoiding becoming a woman.
• As a young woman - It may be a response to the overwhelming onslaught of images that tells young women they ought to be thin, making the battle to control food intake a battle to become desirable.

The common eating disorders women might have are overeating, anorexia nervosa and bulimia. A mild eating disorder may resolve when a period of crisis is over and normal behaviour returns. A young woman who has been overeating, or starving, may find that a change of environment allows her to 'start again', to slip out of old patterns and find a healthy relationship with her body. This might be a holiday, or leaving home to go to college. Some find that the problem is intractable without help. Many self-help books deal with eating problems, and self-help groups with members who have had similar experiences can be invaluable.

You may be denying the fact that you have eating disorders or you may be seeking help. The first step to curb eating disorders is to eat healthily. Learn to feel good about yourself. Eating or drinking may be ways you know to comfort yourself. You may be 'numbing ' yourself with the habit of eating. You may also find that other people's attitudes toward your habit add to your feelings of self-loathing: you feel despised so you despise yourself, but you may need professional help to deal with deep-seated feelings.

Tell your friends and family about your problems and seek their help and support, not to tempt you. Addictive behaviour is often ritualized. Perhaps you need to eat when your exam are near, or when you are reading or studying. Do you find that you stuff yourself with sweets while watching television, or that you drink while preparing supper? Learn to recognize and cut these links.

Eating the right food in the right amounts is the key to good natural health. Healthy eating means having a right balanced of food that provide all the essential nutrients and energy needed by your body. Understand that maintaining a nutritionally balanced diet is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. To achieve a balanced diet, you should eat as wide a variety of food as possible. In this stressful world, where we are racing against time, it is not possible to consume a wide varieties of essential nutrients in a day. Most people are picky when it comes to eating. Sometimes, there are times where we had to skip meals too. That is why there are so many natural health products available in the market nowadays. Consumingnatural health supplements help to 'replenish' our body with what we have missed out in our daily food.