Eat Balanced pizzas are a nutritionally balanced meal, providing the right levels of nutrients for good health.  Recent research from the British Nutrition Foundation has stated that many women in the UK are lacking in certain nutrients which can affect the healthy development of their offspring.  At Eat Balanced HQ we're encouraging young women to eat more nutrient rich foods, to have a better chance of 'banking' good nutrition for the future.

Your nutritional bank account - in-comings

Building up your savings is easier to do when you are young, as you have fewer outgoings in terms of bills, and responsibility to pay for others.  Similarly, when you are adolescent, money in, represents the need to consume a nutrient rich diet to support you throughout puberty into adulthood.   Just like you are encouraged to get a part-time job and save for the future, your body is building strong bones, immunity and brain power. 

In particular, maintaining good nutrition in females is crucial for the development of their reproductive system, as research has pointed out that the stage prior to conception is just as important for the babies' health as the period during pregnancy.

Your nutritional bank account - out-goings

A young woman experiences a host of demands on her body, like menstruation in which the loss of blood in monthly cycles can impact on Iron levels.  Similarly, the need to exercise is important to stay fit and maintain a healthy weight, however it's important to be eating complex carbohydrate, lean protein and good fats, in order to burn energy and replace it more efficiently.

Pregnancy represents a huge demand on the mother's body, and since 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, young women need to always be taking their nutrition into account, whether they are planning a baby or not.

Debts that spoil a healthy cash flow

Women that are lacking in certain nutrients can have an effect on their babies and their future development.  So when a woman conceives she needs to have a healthy bank account; with not too many debts that will affect her overall performance and profit.  Bad debts can present themselves in:

• Low Iodine levels - during pregnancy and breast feeding can affect the baby's mental performance
• Low Iron levels - Iron is essential for making haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the cells.  Whilst pregnancy, the amount of blood in the body increases by 50% more than usual.  Women are prone to being anaemic whilst pregnant, especially if they have started pregnancy with insufficient iron levels.
• Low folic acid levels - Folate also known as Vitamin B9, cannot be made by humans and must be supplied through the diet.  Having an adequate level of folic acid pre-conception, before getting pregnant, is very important to avoid any birth defects. 
• High BMI - research has showing that having a high BMI before you are pregnant means you are at a higher risk of complications during pregnancy and labour.  A healthy BMI for women is between 19.9 and 25.9.

A healthy bank account

If you imagine your nutrition as a savings bank account, we'll always have certain demands on our bodies, just like a banks account has standing orders, direct debits and one off payments.  But it's important to get the right balance right and bank some savings for the future.