Maintain a balanced diet.
Colorful fruits and vegetables are part of a healthy diet, beans and nuts, and entire grains. An adult’s daily fruit and vegetable intake should be at least five portions (400 grams). If you want to consume more fruits and vegetables, you should constantly include them in your meals, snack on fresh fruits and vegetables, and eat a wide variety of them. A nutritious diet can reduce malnutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
Consume fewer salt and sugars.
Heart disease and stroke can be exacerbated by high blood pressure, which Filipinos consume twice as much as the recommended amount. Salt is the primary source of sodium for most humans, and do not exceed 5 grams (approximately a teaspoon) of salt each day. Limiting salt, soy sauce, fish sauce, and other high-sodium condiments during meal preparation, eliminating salt from the dining table, eschewing salty snacks, and shopping for low-sodium options make it easier to achieve this goal.
Contrarily, eating too much sugar raises your risk of tooth decay and unhealthily high blood sugar levels. The number of free sugars consumed by adults and children should be limited to less than 10% of total energy intake. For an adult, that’s around 12 teaspoons or 50 grams. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends taking no more than 5% of one’s total daily caloric consumption for optimal health. Restricting the consumption of sugary snacks, candy, and sugar-sweetened beverages is a simple way to lower your overall sugar intake.
Limit your consumption of fats that are damaging to your health.
The percentage of calories from the fat you consume should not exceed 30% of your daily calorie intake. This will aid in the prevention of obesity and NCDs. Unsaturated fats are better than saturated fats and trans fats in terms of health. Limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10% of total energy intake, and reducing trans-fat intake to less than 1% of total energy intake, are recommended by WHO.
Unsaturated fats are commonly present in fish, avocados, and nuts; saturated fats can be found in fatty meat such as butter, palm, and coconut oil; trans-fats are found in pre-packaged foods like frozen pizza and cookies, and trans-fats can be found in pre-packaged foods like cooking oils and spreads.
Don’t drink too much.
There is no safe level of alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption can lead to various health issues, including mental and behavioral disorders, alcohol dependence, serious non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as liver cirrhosis, cancer, heart disease, and injuries from fights and car accidents.
Keep an eye on your blood pressure daily.
The term “silent killer” refers to hypertension or excessive blood pressure. This is because many people with hypertension are unaware of the problem. After all, it does not exhibit any symptoms. Hypertension can cause heart, brain, renal, and other illnesses if left untreated. Be careful to have your blood pressure tested by a healthcare professional regularly. Take the advice of a medical professional if your blood pressure is too high. Hypertension can be prevented and controlled with this.
Cough or sneeze with your mouth closed.
Viruses that spread through the air include influenza, pneumonia, and tuberculosis. Airborne droplets of infectious organisms can be spread to others when an infected person coughs or sneezes. When you’re about to cough or sneeze, wear a mask or a tissue to cover your mouth and then properly dispose of it. Cough or sneeze into the crook (or inside) of your elbow.
Make sure to wash your hands before handling anything fully.
Everyone should practice good hand hygiene, not only healthcare personnel. The transmission of infectious diseases can be prevented by washing one’s hands. When your hands are filthy, you should wash them with soap and water or massage them with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.