A better lifestyle is one of the new resolutions that come with the beginning of a new decade. Here are 5 useful health suggestions to get you started on the road to a healthy lifestyle in 2022.
1. Eat a healthy diet
Consume a variety of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. At least five pieces (400g) of fruit and vegetables should be consumed each day by adults. By always include vegetables in your meals, snacking on fresh fruit and vegetables, eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, and eating them in season, you can increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you consume. You can lower your chance of developing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer, by consuming a nutritious diet.
2. Reduce intake of harmful fats
Less than 30% of your entire calorie consumption should come from fats. By doing this, NCDs and unhealthful weight increase will be reduced. Although there are many different kinds of fats, unsaturated fats are preferred to trans- and saturated fats. WHO advises cutting down on saturated fats to less than 10% of total energy consumption, cutting back on trans fats to less than 1% of total energy intake, and switching to unsaturated fats to replace both saturated and trans fats.
Saturated fats are found in fatty meat, butter, palm and coconut oil, cream, cheese, ghee, and lard. Trans-fats are found in baked and fried foods, as well as pre-packaged snacks and foods like frozen pizza, cookies, biscuits, and cooking oils and spreads. The healthier unsaturated fats are found in fish, avocado, nuts, and sunflower, soybean, canola, and olive oils.
3. Avoid harmful use of alcohol
There is no safe amount of alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption can cause serious health issues like mental and behavioural disorders, including alcoholism, significant NCDs such liver cirrhosis, some malignancies, and heart diseases, as well as injuries brought on by violence and traffic accidents.
4. Be active
The term “physical activity” refers to any skeletal muscle-driven movement that involves the use of energy. This encompasses physical activity and activities done while working, playing, doing duties around the house, travelling, and having fun. Depending on your age group, you may require more or less exercise, but individuals between the ages of 18 and 64 should engage in at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise. For added health advantages, increase moderate-intensity exercise to 300 minutes per week.
5. Prepare your food correctly
More than 200 ailments, ranging from cancer to diarrhoea, are brought on by contaminated food that contains dangerous bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical chemicals. To make sure the food you’re buying at the market or supermarket is safe to consume, look at the labels or the real produce. Follow the Five Keys to Safer Food if you are preparing food:
- Keep things tidy;
- separating cooked from raw;
- thoroughly cook;
- Maintain safe food temperatures
- Make use of clean raw resources and water.
