Everyone knows that a balanced diet and plenty of rest are surefire ways of maintaining good health. However, getting both can sometimes be challenging due to our hectic schedules. More often than not, the appeal of fast food, sweets, alcohol, and caffeine outweighs healthy options when you’re in the company of friends or colleagues. It’s too easy to give in to a diet and lifestyle that can cause many health problems down the line.
So if you’re stuck in a rut and want to improve your health, this article is for you. Keep reading to learn more about ways of regaining a healthier you.
1. Eat A Healthy Diet
Try including whole grains, nuts, legumes, vegetables, and fruits in your diet. Adults should eat at least 400gm of fruits and vegetables every day. If you find it hard to find natural sources of these ingredients, try including vegetables in your meals.
You can even have some vegetables and seasonal fruits as snacks. Eating healthy will dramatically improve your health and also mitigate risks of malnutrition and developing diseases like diabetes and cancer.
On the other hand, if you are engaged in bad habits and want to restart your life, you should seek professional help. You might have reached a point where it seems challenging. It could be due to various reasons like a lack of motivation, relationships, or other struggles in life. But this is where institutions like the Delphi Health Group come in. Get in touch with them if you seek professional help.
2. Cut Down Intake Of Harmful Fats
To prevent noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and unhealthy weight gain, you must reduce fat in your diet. While there are different types of fats, avoid saturated trans-fats and consume unsaturated fats instead.
The World Health Organization recommends reducing (saturated) fat intake to 10% and trans-fats to less than 1% of daily intake. You can replace both with unsaturated fats.
Unsaturated fats are found in olive oil, canola oil, soybeans, nuts, and avocado, while trans-fats are found in fried and baked foods and pre-packaged snacks like biscuits, cookies, frozen pizza, and spreads. Moreover, saturated fats are found in coconut oil, palm oil, butter, ghee, and cheese.
3. Less Salt And Sugar, Please
In the Philippines, twice the suggested amount of sodium is consumed, putting Filipinos at a higher risk of developing blood pressure and increasing the risk of stroke and heart disease. Most of the sodium consumed comes from salt.
The suggested salt intake is about 5g a day, which is the size of a teaspoon. If you find it difficult to cut back on salt, try reducing the use of soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, and other high-sodium condiments in meals. Use low-sodium products and avoid salty snacks.
Similarly, consuming excessive amounts of sugar increases the risks of obesity and tooth decay. Sugar intake should be reduced to less than 10% of total energy intake for both children and adults. This comes down to about 12 teaspoons for adults.
The World Health Organization suggests consuming less than 5% of overall energy intake for even better health. You can reduce sugar intake by reducing sweet beverages, candies, and snacks.
4. Quit Alcohol
Alcohol consumption can lead to a wide variety of behavioral and mental problems. What might seem like casual drinking can quickly turn into alcohol dependence, which leads to diseases like liver cirrhosis, cancer, and heart disease. Being under the influence can also result in injuries from clashes and road accidents.
So, we recommend not reducing but quitting alcohol. Leaving this habit in the dust is a surefire way of rekindling relationships, understanding life, and being close to those who matter in your life. If you find it challenging to leave alcohol, talk to a professional.
5. Don’t Smoke
Smoking kills the smoker and affects those exposed to the smoke in the environment. It is also one of the leading causes of stroke and heart and lung disease. If you smoke and want to quit, there’s good news because many institutions help individuals like you.
6. Be more Active
The amount of physical activity you need depends solely on your age, but it’s recommended that adults put in around 150 minutes of physical activity per week to experience health benefits. If you can exercise for 300 minutes per week, that would be even better for your health.
7. Check Your Blood Pressure Regularly
Individuals with hypertension might not have any symptoms, but if left untreated, it causes high blood pressure and leads to brain, heart, and kidney diseases. It would be best to check your blood pressure regularly to identify signs of hypertension and take measures to alleviate it.
8. Get Yourself Tested Regularly
Getting tested regularly for common diseases and illnesses is essential in identifying your current health status. Get tested for diseases like HIV, STIs, TB, and Hepatitis. These diseases can lead to countless other health complications and even death if left untreated.
Getting tested will help prevent and treat these illnesses before they reach severity. So visit a private healthcare facility today to get tested.
9. Get Vaccinated
Vaccinations are the single most effective way to prevent diseases. Vaccines work in tandem with your immune system to develop protection against diseases like yellow fever, typhoid, cholera, cervical cancer, diphtheria, mumps, influenza, pneumonia, polio, and tetanus.
Depending on where you live, free vaccines might be provided for children. If you’re an adult, consult a healthcare provider to check your immunization status or if you want to be vaccinated.
Conclusion
Considering that we all live a fast-paced life today where it might be difficult to put effort into eating or drinking healthy, you must pay attention to your health before things get out of hand. Reducing sugar and salt while consuming a balanced mix of fruits and vegetables alone can help you reap many health benefits.
Furthermore, engaging in physical activity every week is known to increase lifespan. So start putting in the effort today to be a healthier version of yourself tomorrow.