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8 tips on healthy eating/living.

  Eat well: guide.

What is healthy living?

Healthy living involves more than physical health, it also includes mental and emotional health.

This article is designed to give tips to readers about how they can improve or augment actions in their life to have a healthy lifestyle; it is not meant to be all inclusive but will include major components that are considered to be parts of a lifestyle that lead to good health. In addition to the tips about what people should do for healthy living, the article will mention some of the tips about avoiding actions (the don'ts) that lead to unhealthy living.

"Healthy living" to most people means both physical and mental health are in balance or functioning well together in a person. In many instances, physical and mental health are closely linked, so that a change (good or bad) in one directly affects the other. Consequently, some of the tips will include suggestions for emotional and mental "healthy living."

Nutrition/diets.

8 practical tips cover the basics of healthy eating and can help you make healthier choices.

The key to a healthy diet is to eat the right amount of calories for how active you are so you balance the energy you consume with the energy you use.

If you eat or drink more than your body needs, you'll put on weight because the energy you do not use is stored as fat. If you eat and drink too little, you'll lose weight.

You should also eat a wide range of foods to make sure you're getting a balanced diet and your body is receiving all the nutrients it needs.

It's recommended that men have around 2,500 calories a day (10,500 kilojoules). Women should have around 2,000 calories a day (8,400 kilojoules).

Most adults in the world are eating more calories than they need and should eat fewer calories.

1. Base your meals on higher fibre starchy carbohydrates

Starchy carbohydrates should make up just over a third of the food you eat. They include potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and cereals.

Choose higher fibre or wholegrain varieties, such as wholewheat pasta, brown rice or potatoes with their skins on.

They contain more fibre than white or refined starchy carbohydrates and can help you feel full for longer.

Try to include at least 1 starchy food with each main meal. Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram the carbohydrate they contain provides fewer than half the calories of fat.

Keep an eye on the fats you add when you're cooking or serving these types of foods because that's what increases the calorie content – for example, oil on chips, butter on bread and creamy sauces on pasta.

2. Eat lots of fruit and veg

 

It's recommended that you eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and veg every day. They can be fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced.

Getting your 5 A Day is easier than it sounds. Why not chop a banana over your breakfast cereal, or swap your usual mid-morning snack for a piece of fresh fruit?

A portion of fresh, canned or frozen fruit and vegetables is 80g. A portion of dried fruit (which should be kept to mealtimes) is 30g.

A 150ml glass of fruit juice, vegetable juice or smoothie also counts as 1 portion, but limit the amount you have to no more than 1 glass a day as these drinks are sugary and can damage your teeth.

3. Eat more fish, including a portion of oily fish

Fish is a good source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals.

Aim to eat at least 2 portions of fish a week, including at least 1 portion of oily fish.

Oily fish are high in omega-3 fats, which may help prevent heart disease. 

Oily fish include:

salmon

trout

herring

sardines

pilchards

mackerel

Non-oily fish include:

haddock

plaice

coley

cod

tuna

skate

hake

You can choose from fresh, frozen and canned, but remember that canned and smoked fish can be high in salt.

Most people should be eating more fish, but there are recommended limits for some types of fish.

4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar

Saturated fat

You need some fat in your diet, but it's important to pay attention to the amount and type of fat you're eating.

There are 2 main types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. Too much saturated fat can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases your risk of developing heart disease.

On average, men should have no more than 30g of saturated fat a day. On average, women should have no more than 20g of saturated fat a day.

Children under the age of 11 should have less saturated fat than adults, but a low-fat diet is not suitable for children under 5.

Saturated fat is found in many foods, such as:

fatty cuts of meat

sausages

butter

hard cheese

cream

cakes

biscuits

lard

pies

Try to cut down on your saturated fat intake and choose foods that contain unsaturated fats instead, such as vegetable oils and spreads, oily fish and avocados.

For a healthier choice, use a small amount of vegetable or olive oil, or reduced-fat spread instead of butter, lard or ghee.

When you're having meat, choose lean cuts and cut off any visible fat.

All types of fat are high in energy, so they should only be eaten in small amounts.

Sugar

Regularly consuming foods and drinks high in sugar increases your risk of obesity and tooth decay.

Sugary foods and drinks are often high in energy (measured in kilojoules or calories), and if consumed too often can contribute to weight gain. They can also cause tooth decay, especially if eaten between meals.

Free sugars are any sugars added to foods or drinks, or found naturally in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit juices and smoothies.

This is the type of sugar you should be cutting down on, rather than the sugar found in fruit and milk.

Many packaged foods and drinks contain surprisingly high amounts of free sugars.

Free sugars are found in many foods, such as:

sugary fizzy drinks

sugary breakfast cereals

cakes

biscuits

pastries and puddings

sweets and chocolate

alcoholic drinks

Food labels can help. Use them to check how much sugar foods contain.

More than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g means the food is high in sugar, while 5g of total sugars or less per 100g means the food is low in sugar.

5. Eat less salt: no more than 6g a day for adults

Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke.

Even if you do not add salt to your food, you may still be eating too much.

About three-quarters of the salt you eat is already in the food when you buy it, such as breakfast cereals, soups, breads and sauces.

Use food labels to help you cut down. More than 1.5g of salt per 100g means the food is high in salt.

Adults and children aged 11 and over should eat no more than 6g of salt (about a teaspoonful) a day. Younger children should have even less.

6. Get active and be a healthy weight

As well as eating healthily, regular exercise may help reduce your risk of getting serious health conditions. It's also important for your overall health and wellbeing.

Being overweight or obese can lead to health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, heart disease and stroke. Being underweight could also affect your health.

Most adults need to lose weight by eating fewer calories.

If you're trying to lose weight, aim to eat less and be more active. Eating a healthy, balanced diet can help you maintain a healthy weight.

7. Do not get thirsty

You need to drink plenty of fluids to stop you getting dehydrated. The government recommends drinking 6 to 8 glasses every day. This is in addition to the fluid you get from the food you eat. 

All non-alcoholic drinks count, but water, lower fat milk and lower sugar drinks, including tea and coffee, are healthier choices. 

Try to avoid sugary soft and fizzy drinks, as they're high in calories. They're also bad for your teeth. 

Even unsweetened fruit juice and smoothies are high in free sugar.

Your combined total of drinks from fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies should not be more than 150ml a day, which is a small glass.

Remember to drink more fluids during hot weather or while exercising.

8. Do not skip breakfast

Some people skip breakfast because they think it'll help them lose weight.

But a healthy breakfast high in fibre and low in fat, sugar and salt can form part of a balanced diet, and can help you get the nutrients you need for good health.

A wholegrain lower sugar cereal with semi-skimmed milk and fruit sliced over the top is a tasty and healthier breakfast.

Further information

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BALANCED DIET:

  A balanced diet is a diet that gives your body all the nutrients required by it in order to function correctly. Appropriate knowledge and lifestyle modification play a key role in guiding you for maintaining a balanced diet chart and healthy life ahead. A balanced diet is important because the organs and tissues in the human body need adequate nutrition to work effectively.

To get the proper nutrition from your diet , a variety of food choices from each of the six food classes--- carbohydrate, protein, vitamins, fats, minerals and water --- is required. Foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nut, and lean proteins fall into different categories of the food classes.

      Fruits are a great source of nutrition. They are vital sources of vitamins and minerals; hence, they should make up one-third of the food you eat each day.

Vegetables are primary sources of essential vitamins and minerals. Leafy green contain greet and can be eaten at every meal. A variety of it will help you obtain the abundant nutrients that all vegetables provide. It is advisable to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. Meat and beans are primary sources of protein, essential for proper muscles and brain development . Dairy products like milk and cheese provide calcium, vitamin D, and other essential nutrients.

Nutritionists also emphasied that eating well can also help ward off numerous diseases and health complications, as well as help maintain a healthy body weight, provide energy, and allow better sleep. Endeavor to take foods that are low in unnecessary fats and sugar , but high in vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

         Without good nutrition,y body is prone to diseases, infections, fatigue, and poor performance. Children with poor diet runs risk of growth and development problems and poor academic performance. The United States department of agriculture (USDA) reporta that four of the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S they are directly influenced by diet.

These are heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. So you should abstain from junks, Junks ---- also known as fast food --- are highly processed and contain a lot of calories. When fast food frequently replaces nutrition foods in your diet, it can lead to poor nutrition, it can lead to poor nutrition, weight gain, and poor health. So avoid them as much as possible so that you can balance your diet and live a healthy life.

10 Healthy Lifestyle Tips for Adults

• Eat variety of foods.

• Base your diet on plenty of foods rich in carbohydrates.

• Replace saturated with unsaturated fat.

• Enjoy plenty of fruits and vegetables.

• Reduce salt and sugar intake

Eat regularly, control the portion size.

• Drink plenty of fluids.

• Maintain a healthy body weight.

• Get on the move, make it a habit!.

• Start now! And keep changing gradually.

1. Eat a variety of foods 

For good health, we need more than 40 different nutrients, and no single food can supply them all. It is not about a single meal, it is about a balanced food choice over time that will make a difference!

A high-fat lunch could be followed by a low-fat dinner.

After a large meat portion at dinner, perhaps fish should be the next day’s choice.

2. Base your diet on plenty of foods rich in carbohydrates

About half the calories in our diet should come from foods rich in carbohydrates, such as cereals, rice, pasta, potatoes, and bread. It is a good idea to include at least one of these at every meal. Wholegrain foods, like wholegrain bread, pasta, and cereals, will increase our fibre intake.

3. Replace saturated with unsaturated fat

Fats are important for good health and proper functioning of the body. However, too much of it can negatively affect our weight and cardiovascular health. Different kinds of fats have different health effects, and some of these tips could help us keep the balance right:

We should limit the consumption of total and saturated fats (often coming from foods of animal origin), and completely avoid trans fats; reading the labels helps to identify the sources.

Eating fish 2-3 times a week, with at least one serving of oily fish, will contribute to our right intake of unsaturated fats.

When cooking, we should boil, steam or bake, rather than frying, remove the fatty part of meat, use vegetable oils.

4. Enjoy plenty of fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are among the most important foods for giving us enough vitamins, minerals and fibre. We should try to eat at least 5 servings a day. For example, a glass of fresh fruit juice at breakfast, perhaps an apple and a piece of watermelon as snacks, and a good portion of different vegetables at each meal.

5. Reduce salt and sugar intake

A high salt intake can result in high blood pressure, and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. There are different ways to reduce salt in the diet:

When shopping, we could choose products with lower sodium content.

When cooking, salt can be substituted with spices, increasing the variety of flavours and tastes.

When eating, it helps not to have salt at the table, or at least not to add salt before tasting.

Sugar provides sweetness and an attractive taste, but sugary foods and drinks are rich in energy, and are best enjoyed in moderation, as an occasional treat. We could use fruits instead, even to sweeten our foods and drinks.

6. Eat regularly, control the portion size

Eating a variety of foods, regularly, and in the right amounts is the best formula for a healthy diet.

Skipping meals, especially breakfast, can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in helpless overeating. Snacking between meals can help control hunger, but snacking should not replace proper meals. For snacks, we could choose yoghurt, a handful of fresh or dried fruits or vegetables (like carrot sticks), unsalted nuts, or perhaps some bread with cheese.

Paying attention to portion size will help us not to consume too much calories, and will allow us to eat all the foods we enjoy, without having to eliminate any.

Cooking the right amount makes it easier to not overeat.

Some reasonable serving sizes are: 100 g of meat; one medium piece of fruit; half a cup of raw pasta.

Using smaller plates helps with smaller servings.

Packaged foods, with calorie values on the pack, could aid portion control.

If eating out, we could share a portion with a friend.

7. Drink plenty of fluids

Adults need to drink at least 1.5 litres of fluid a day! Or more if it's very hot or they are physically active. Water is the best source, of course, and we can use tap or mineral water, sparkling or non-sparkling, plain or flavoured. Fruit juices, tea, soft drinks, milk and other drinks, can all be okay - from time to time.

8. Maintain a healthy body weight

The right weight for each us depends on factors like our gender, height, age, and genes. Being affected by obesity and overweight increases the risks of a wide range of diseases, including diabetes, heart diseases, and cancer.

Excess body fat comes from eating more than we need. The extra calories can come from any caloric nutrient - protein, fat, carbohydrate, or alcohol, but fat is the most concentrated source of energy. Physical activity helps us spend the energy, and makes us feel good. The message is reasonably simple: if we are gaining weight, we need to eat less and be more active!

9. Get on the move, make it a habit!

Physical activity is important for people of all weight ranges and health conditions. It helps us burn off the extra calories, it is good for the heart and circulatory system, it maintains or increases our muscle mass, it helps us focus, and improves overall health well-being. We don't have to be top athletes to get on the move! 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity is advised, and it can easily become part of our daily routine. We all could:

use the stairs instead of the elevator,

go for a walk during lunch breaks (and stretch in our offices in between)

make time for a family weekend activity

10. Start now! And keep changing gradually.

Gradual changes in our lifestyle are easier to maintain than major changes introduced all at once. For three days, we could write down the foods and drinks we consume throughout the day, and make a note of the amount of movement we made. It won’t be difficult to spot where we could improve:

Skipping breakfast? A small bowl of muesli, a piece of bread or fruit, could help slowly introduce it into our routine

Too few fruits and vegetables? To start with, we can introduce one extra piece a day.

Favourite foods high in fat? Eliminating them abruptly could fire back, and make us return to the old habits. We can choose low fat options instead, eat them less frequently, and in smaller portions.

Too little activity? Using the stairs daily could be a great first move.

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What is sleep apnea.

       Sleep apnea is an involuntary cessation of breathing that occurs while the patient is asleep. It's a sleeping disorder which occurs when the upper airway (nose or throat) becomes continually blocked during sleep, reducing or completely stopping airflow. 

Causes.

Sleep apnea can be caused by a person's physical structure or medical conditions. These include obesity, large tonsils, endocrine disorder, neuromuscular disorders ( heart or kidney failure) , certain genetic syndromes, and premature birth. People with obesity have such fat stored in their neck and this can block the upper airway. Large tonsils may contribute to sleep apnea because they narrow the upper airway.   

Conditions like neuromuscular disorders that interfere with the brain signals to airway and chest muscles can also result in sleep apnea. 

  Advanced heart and kidney failure can also cause sleep apnea . Babies born prematurely before 37 weeks of pregnancy have a higher risk of having breathing problems during sleep. 

      Sleep Apnea is characterized by a reduced or an absence of breathing, frequent loud snoring and gasping for air while sleeping. 

It can cause excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue, attention declination, dry mouth or headache when awake , sexual dysfunction and waking up several times during the night to urinate . Undiagnosed or untreated sleep apnea can lead to serious complications, such as heart attack, glaucoma, diabetes, cancer, and cognitive and behavioral disorders.

If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, it is good that you adopt healthy lifestyle habits and maintain an open airway during sleep . You could use breathing devices like the positive airway pressure (PAP) machine , continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) machines, mouthpiece ,. Or implant and usage of prescribed treatments. 

If you have any concerns that you many be experiencing sleep apnea, consult your doctor immediately . Your medical history or symptoms and recommend a chance in lifestyle. This might include eating a heart-healthy diet, http://https://www.naijadropes.tk/2020/05/8-tips-for-healthy-livingeating.html?m=1. aiming for a healthy weight, and avoiding alcohol and smoke in any form. 

   Generally, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can decrease or prevent the incidence of sleep apnea. 

    

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