• Building and maitaining bone density should be a prioity so gaining your recommended daily intake (RDI) of calcium is important.
• Eat lots of different foods each day - and stay active.
• No need to cut out all fats and oils. Oils from nuts, seeds, avocados and olives are important for your body.
• You don't have to give up junk food and take-away food. It is fine to include these occasionally, balanced with a variety of other foods.

Many people experiment with vegetarian diets from time to time. If you are going to become vegetarian, be serious about it. Do your research, and find the important substitutes for meat, like dried beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. Make sure your body stores of iron do not run low. If you have concerns about your iron level, then play safe and check with your doctor.

If you are a meat eater, include some lean, red meat regularly. Even small amounts can make a difference to your iron levels, particularly if meat is eaten with vegetables.

Content updated March 01, 2004