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10 nutrients that women need and the foods that provide them, well really nine nutrients and two non-nutrient essentials.

Protein is available from lean meats, fish, cheeses, soy and nuts and beans, it helps our tissues to maintain and repair themselves on a daily basis and gives us a consistent source of energy.

Carbohydrates are best when taken from high fiber whole grain breads and cereals. The whole grains will help you to maintain your energy through out the day. Eat fruits through out the day for quick sustained energy, look to fruits like berries or apples for an extra boost of antioxidants. Indulge in dark chocolate as it has even more antioxidant power than green tea. Antioxidants can lower your chances for cancer and heart attacks.

Fats should not come from meats, instead look for monounsaturated fats that are found in Almonds. Women's nutrition plan should include almonds, unless of course she is allergic to tree nuts. Nuts are a great source energy boosting vitamins like vitamin B2, vitamin E and zinc and that satisfying crunch is a great wake up if that afternoon slump hits. The cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fat in avocados can help keep your body strong and pain free so use the avocado often. At the University of Buffalo researchers found that competitive female runners who ate a diet containing less than 20 percent fat were more likely to suffer injuries than those who consumed at least 31 percent so be sure to get in enough of these "good fats".

There are several of the B vitamins and they are all important. Vitamins B-1; thiamine, B-2; riboflavin, B-3; niacin, B-5; pantothenic acid, B-6; pyridoxine, B-7; biotin, B-9 Folic Acid and B-12; cobalamins . The B vitamins support and boost our metabolism speeding up our calorie burn. They maintain our skin and muscle tone immunity and nervous system, They help to prevent anemia as they are critical in red blood cell formation. B vitamins have been linked to the prevention of pancreatic cancer but only when taken dietary. Vitamin B is present in potatoes, bananas, lentils and beans, hot peppers, cod liver oil, tuna fish, yogurt, the nutritional yeasts and molasses. It is also present in beer due to the brewers yeast. With the B vitamins present in so many different types of food, it should not be a vitamin that we are lacking.

Folic Acid or foliate comes from green leafy vegetables (e.g. Brussels sprouts, kale, chard and spinach), potatoes, bananas, oranges, strawberries, lentils, beans and

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