Do you feel like you are on an express train that doesn't make any station stops, or worse yet, that the train is going too fast for you to jump off?

Well if you are a young woman burning the candle at both ends, you must be on that train -- you just don't know it yet!

Samira, a 26-year-old marketing executive, has been hyper-stressed lately. She's always whining to her friend Shayla about 'going over the edge'. Even though she has a perfect life with a job she loves, a successful banker husband and an adorable three-year-old son, she still feels lost. She is as efficient as her male coworkers, sharing similar responsibilities and pressures, yet, she always seems far more stressed than them, since she has the dual responsibility of managing her home and work.

Rarely hitting the sack before midnight, Samira's day begins at 6 am with a whirlwind of activities, like pulling her son out of bed, prodding him to eat a wholesome breakfast, sprucing him up for school, preparing breakfast for her husband (but only occasionally having some herself), dressing correctly for work and finally making it to the office by 9.30 am. Her day at work is an endless stream of calls, emails and meetings. Once home, the evenings are spent playing the perfect mother and wife.

The weekend is packed with a visit to the supermarket and catching up on socialising with family and friends. Samira's 'to-do' list is longer then her arm -- phew! It's tiring to even read her schedule, let alone live her hectic life!

Fulfilling multiple roles coupled with a lack of time leads young women to neglect their own diet and health. The fairer sex in particular is predisposed to developing iron deficiency anaemia, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Early lifestyle and dietary changes mentioned below can go a long way in preserving the working woman's health and protecting her from these preventable diseases:

• A balanced diet comprising of three main meals and two small snacks are good to keep up energy levels and metabolism through the day. The body needs a variety of essential nutrients. For a moderately active woman, six-seven servings of wholegrain cereals, five-six servings of vegetables and fruit, two servings of milk and three servings of lean proteins are ideal.

  Snacks can consist of nuts, high-fibre biscuits, chana and fibrous fruit.

• Women must consume iron-rich foods like green leafy vegetables, jaggery, eggs, organ meats, beans, lentils, figs and dates to compensate for loss of blood during menstruation or increased requirements during pregnancy. Vitamin C aids iron absorption, so plenty of citrus fruit like kiwi, strawberries, oranges and tomatoes must be included.

• Women are at a much higher risk of developing osteoporosis as compared to their male counterparts. Calcium is the most important mineral for healthy bones. High activity levels, weight-bearing exercises and consumption of calcium-rich foods like milk and its products, green leafy vegetables, beans and dry fruit can offer longterm protection by improving bone density.

• Your diet must include plenty of omega 3 fatty acids found in fish, which help to keep cholesterol levels under control. Saturated fats often found in prepared or ready-to-eat foods should be kept to a minimum and trans fats should be completely avoided.

• Drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water daily prevents fatigue, headache and poor concentration. It flushes out toxins from the body and keeps the skin looking fresh.

• Women with sedentary jobs must get active. Joining evening salsa classes with a partner or simply taking a brisk walk or a refreshing swim four to five times a week for 30 minutes is enough to compensate for lack of movement at work.

• Most importantly, women must keep themselves updated on health issues.

So tell yourself to 'I need to start making time for myself and I need to start today, because I'm worth it.'

Poonam Vaswani is a dietician working with www.NutritionVista.com -- visit their website for more health-related features.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh