March 8 is International Women's Day.

She multitasks, balancing the pressures of work, children and home. But the modern superwoman who manages to do it all ends up neglecting her health, too busy to focus on her diet or an exercise regimen.

A busy lifestyle often leads to an erratic diet and international research indicates that women who are too busy to focus on their food intake are more likely to succumb to impulsive eating and spontaneous food purchasing. The result? Extra flab, laziness, diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

According to health expert Swati Srivastava, today's multitasking woman needs not just a balanced diet and exercise but also health supplements.

"Today's modern woman tries to maintain a fine balance between her personal and professional life; so a balanced diet and exercise are not enough as they require best health supplements to keep fit and healthy," Srivastava told IANS.

"Generally women don't take their health concerns very seriously. But the effects tend to show later in life when the body refuses to work tirelessly," she added.

It is especially important for women over 35 to take extra care of their health.

"Women need a great deal of vitamins and minerals for their body, especially after the age of 35. Calcium D3, iron and multi-vitamin capsules are the best health supplements. They not only provide the necessary vitamins to your body but also help to keep the skin and hair healthy," said Simal Soin, an expert from salon-cum-spa Three Graces.

Mineral and vitamin levels need to be kept in check and instead of milk and sugar tea, it would be a great idea to sip on some healthy green tea, suggests Navin Taneja, director, National Skin Centre.

"Women above 40 must check their mineral and vitamin levels and then start the respective supplementation. Antioxidant requirement increases with age. So consider having green tea as a source of antioxidants," said Taneja.

Healthy food withstanding, water is a great solution too, according to Pallavi Shrivastav, a nutritionist with Evolve Medspa.

"You can opt for salad with chicken, nuts, beans and veggies; you'll get some great nutrients, including fibre and protein.

"Also, women should cut off hunger with liquids. You may feel you are hungry, but you'll feel fine if you just drink a bottle of water. Add lemon juice to your water if you're bloating; it's a diuretic and works wonders," he said.

Women must especially be wary of problems like osteoporosis and anaemia.

"Anaemia is very common among Indian females. This results in lack of concentration, lethargy and exhaustion. This is one reason why we feel exhausted at the end of the day. Correction of iron levels can make a considerable difference; so they should eat black raisins, almonds, lentils, spinach, etc," said nutritionist Namita Nanal.

"Also, women are at a greater risk than men of developing osteoporosis. Calcium absorption is inversely proportionate to age, especially after the age of 30. Milk is a rich source of calcium.

"But skimmed milk or skimmed milk powder is better for overweight people. Other interesting options are low fat paneer sandwiches, ragi porridge and broccoli salad as these give a good amount of calcium," she added.

So eat healthy and stay fit!

Nivedita Sharma