TALES FROM THE
daRI^® FARM

By: Leslie Bonci, MPH,RDN,CSSD,LDN,FAND

Women are the queens of multitasking. We may work outside of the home, take care of our families, aging parents, making sure that everyone else’s needs are met every single day but yet-

we don’t always pay attention to what our bodies require. This is not being selfish- it is self-care. If we don’t nourish to flourish, consume foods that give back to our bodies for muscle and health preservation, bring the energy we demand and keep our brain engaged, we are not being self-health advocates.

One of the most important components of a women’s diet is consuming enough protein. This is not just for muscles but also for healthy bones and aging with resilience to prevent frailty. With too many media messages celebrating the ever-shrinking female body it is TIME to just say NO to how low we go. If we are underfed- we are not optimally nourishing our body nor our brain.

I have many female patients who tell me they know their protein intake may be inadequate, but they are overwhelmed by getting in enough protein daily. So, what does that look like?

0.7 grams per pound body weight per day. So, if you weigh 140 pounds that means you need about 98 grams of protein a day. If you eat 3 meals a day and a snack you should aim for 25-30 grams of protein for meals and about 10 grams in your snack.

A DARI® MOOV™ shake has 27 grams of protein in a no effort, on the go, easy to drink, ready to use form. One shake would give you enough protein at a meal and adding a piece of fruit, making a smoothie or having a small serving of a high fiber cereal, nut and dried fruit trail mix would make this a complete meal.

Dairy based protein also provides calcium which is important for bone health. Women need anywhere from 1000-1500 milligrams of calcium daily and DARI® MOOV™ provides 530 milligrams per 14-ounce bottle! Vitamin D also helps to support bone health and the daily requirements for adult women are 600-800 International Units. (IU) DARI® MOOV™ provides 908 IU!

The majority of women do NOT meet their daily hydration needs which is at a minimum 90 ounces of fluid/day. The advantage of a dairy shake is the trifecta of Hydros (fluid), Macros (protein, fat and carbohydrate) and Micros (vitamins and minerals).

I also work with a lot of female patients who are using a GLP-1 RA medication. Although these medications can help with weight loss and improved health outcomes, the side effects can include delayed gastric emptying (food takes longer to leave the stomach) and decreased appetite so meeting needs for fluid and protein among other nutrients can be a challenge. When one does not have an appetite, the idea of food preparation can be most unappealing. The allure of a protein shake is no prep, can be consumed over time and contributes to both protein and fluid intake. 

My #pro-scription for health, strong bones, hydration and muscle preservation is to be consistent, focus on what you can and will do and #BeLegendDARI every day to create a #healthyselfie