Healthy Eating Of Cypriot Women For many women, looking after the home, bringing up children or work outside the home could be detrimental to their physical and mental well-being. Good nutrition and a healthy way of living could help women to stay healthy for the rest of their life. Rapid growth during adolescence, the demands of pregnancy and the breastfeeding could lead to increased empties of food, iron, folic acid or calcium. Several surveys to Cyprus showed that many women are suffering from chronic shortages of these basic nutrients. Poor diets, various methods of weight loss, eating disorders and the fact that some women choose to be vegetarian are some of the mainly reasons which make women more vulnerable to various diseases. The Value of Iron Women of childbearing age have increased need of iron. These women have not just to eat foods rich in iron but also eat them in large quantities and choose those that have a higher percentage of iron. Foods rich in iron are green vegetables, legumes, nuts and cereals. It’s very important also for women to eat foods reach in vitamin c because they help the absorption of non-Haem iron. Women of childbearing in case they become pregnant they have to take folic acid daily. Folic acid reduces the danger of neural tube defects. The need for folic acid increased significantly during pregnancy. Calcium for Strong Bones Calcium is the building block of bone and essential for skeletal development during childhood and adolescence. Main sources of calcium are milk, cheese, yoghurt and green vegetables. Nowadays many children and adolescents have reduced their intake of calcium and problems with bone health have increased. Also the lack of calcium causes osteoporosis in many women over 50 years old. Is therefore crucial for women today to eat healthily with foods rich in nutrients to ensure their own health and their children health.