The beginning of a new year brings new resolutions to improve our life, including a healthier lifestyle. Here are some health tips for a healthy lifestyle to help you start towards healthy living in 2021.
Eat a Healthy Meal
Eat a variety of different meals, including vegetables, legumes, fruit, nuts and whole grains. Adults should consume at least five parts (400g) of fruit and vegetables per day. You can enhance your intake of fruits and vegetables by always having veggies in your meal; having fresh fruit and vegetables as snacks; eating different fruits and vegetables, and consuming them in season. By consuming healthy, you will lower your risk of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.
Consume Less Salt and Sugar
You are consuming twice the suggested amount of sodium, putting yourself at risk of high blood pressure, which increases the chance of stroke and heart disease. Most people get their sodium via salt. Lower your salt consumption to 5g per day, equal to about one teaspoon. It’s easier to do this by restricting the amount of salt, soy sauce, fish sauce and other high-sodium seasonings when preparing food; removing salt, herbs and spices from your dinner table; avoiding salty snacks; and picking low-sodium products.
Avoid alcohol.
There is no safe level for drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol can lead to health issues such as mental and behavioural disorders, including alcohol addiction, significant NCDs such as heart diseases, liver cirrhosis, some cancers, and injuries resulting from violence and road clashes and collisions.
Be active
Physical exercise is defined as any physical movement built by lean muscles that need energy expenditure. This contains activity and movements undertaken while functioning, playing, carrying out household chores, travelling, and engaging in recreational purposes. The amount of physical exercise you require relies on your age group, but adults aged 18-64 should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week. Improve moderate-intensity physical exercise to 300 minutes per week for more health advantages.
Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing
Diseases such as pneumonia, influenza, and tuberculosis are transmitted via the air. When infected individual coughs or sneezes, infectious agents may be passed on to others via airborne droplets. When you sense a sneeze or cough coming on, you should cover your mouth with a mask or tissue and then dispose of it carefully.
Prepare your food correctly.
Unsafe food having dangerous viruses, parasites, bacteria or chemical substances, causes more than 200 diseases – going from diarrhoea to cancers. When purchasing food items at the store or market, check the tags or the actual product to confirm it is safe to consume. If you are cook food, make sure you follow the Five Keys to the Safer meal: (1) keep hygienic; (2) individual raw and cooked; (3) cook entirely; (4) keep food at safe temperatures; and (5) use safe raw materials and water.
Don’t smoke
Smoking tobacco induces NCDs such as heart disease, lung disease, and stroke. Tobacco kills not only direct smokers but also non-smokers via second-hand exposure. Now, around 15.9 million Filipino adults smoke tobacco, but 7 in 10 smokers are curious or plan to quit.
If you are presently a smoker, it’s not too late to stop. Once you do, you will feel immediate and long-term health advantages. If you are not a smoker, that’s awesome! Do not begin smoking and battle for your right to breathe tobacco-smoke-free air.
Get regular checkups.
Some diseases don’t see as symptoms until it is too late. Get routine blood tests for blood sugar, vitamins, and minerals, along with urine tests. More detailed tests like mammograms (for women), PAP smear (for women), colonoscopy, etc. should be done at the suggested gaps. If the test outcomes are not optimal, that means that you can quickly take curative action. If they are fantastic, that’s fantastic, and you can have peace of mind!
Also Read: How to Boost Your Immune System
