THE World
Health Organization (WHO) in 2011 published several health indicators for
Nigeria, one of which is our life expectancy, which is 53 years while the
global average is 70 years.
The
quality of healthcare in Nigeria is generally rather poor. Some of our major
public health problems are communicable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis
and Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
(AIDS) – related illnesses.
Prevalent
Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) are heart diseases (high blood pressure, heart
attack, stroke and high cholesterol), diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory
diseases (chronic obstructed pulmonary disease and asthma). All age groups and
all regions are affected by NCDs.
NCDs are
often associated with older age groups, but evidence shows that majority of all
deaths attributed to NCDs occur before the age of 60.
Smoking,
physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and the excessive use of alcohol increase
the risk of or cause most NCDs. These behaviours lead to four key
metabolic/physiological changes that increase the risk of NCDs: raised blood
pressure, overweight/obesity, hyperglycaemia (high blood glucose levels) and
hyperlipidemia (high levels of fat in the blood).
WHO life
expectancy: Nigeria 53, Ethiopia 60, Ghana 64, USA 79, UK 80, Japan 83, France
85. An important way to reduce NCDs is to focus on lessening the risk factors
associated with these diseases.
These
include:
• Healthy
Eating – Eat a well-balanced diet. One, which contains all the essential
nutrients in the right proportion
•
Drinking Plenty of Water – It is recommended that women should drink about 1.6 litres
of fluid and men should drink about 2.0 litres of fluid per day. That is about
eight 200ml glasses for a woman and ten 200ml glasses for a man per day
•
Exercise – WHO recommends that adults aged 18 – 64 should do at least 150
minutes (30 minutes at least five times a week) of moderate-intensity aerobic
physical activity throughout the week. – Physical activities include leisure
time physical activities such as: walking, dancing, gardening, hiking,
swimming, transportation (e.g. walking or cycling), household chores, sports or
planned exercise
•
Alkalinity & Acidity – Acid-Base balance in the human body is very
essential for optimal health. A number of foods we eat (e.g. sugar, meat &
dairy products) have an acidifying effect on our blood and tissues. This
acid-base imbalance can lead to various diseases. – The Ideal body pH for
optimum health is 7.35 – 7.45. Use pH strips to check your acid-base balance
and use chlorophyll or alkalinizing drops to main the right acid-base balance
•
Supplements – It is essential to supplement the diet with high quality
nutritional supplements as we do not always get all nutrients the body requires
from our diet. – The minimum every individual needs are: multivitamins; H.O.P.E
(High Fibre, Omega Oils, Probiotics, Enzymes); antioxidants; regular detox and
cleansing; super and green foods; and condition specific supplements (usually
for a minimum of three months)
•
Annual/Periodic Health Checks. – These checks help you by assessing the risk of
developing non-communicable diseases and giving personalized advice on how to
reduce the risks.
• Know
Your Numbers – Understanding normal ranges for the following assessments and
knowing your numbers are critical to optimum health and vitality. These
include: blood pressure; blood sugar; Body Mass Index (BMI); cholesterol
including triglycerides, High Density Lipo-protein (HDL)/’good cholesterol and
Low Density Lipo-protein (LDL)/’bad’ cholesterol; height and weight; and
10-year cardiovascular risk assessment
You Are
What You Eat Think of your body as being composed of millions of tiny engines. Some
work in unison, some independently, they are all on call 24 hours a day! In
order for these engines to work properly, they require specific fuels. If the
type of fuel given is the wrong blend, the engines will not perform to its
maximum capacity. If the fuel is of a poor grade, the engines may sputter,
hesitate and lose power.
If the
engine is given no fuel at all, the engine will knock. The fuel we give our
bodies engines come directly from the things we eat.
The food
we eat contains nutrients, vitamins and minerals, which are vital to our needs.
These nutrients are involved in all body processes, from combating infection to
tissue repair to thinking.
If we do
not give ourselves the correct nutrients, we can impair the body’s normal
functions and cause great harm. Even if we show no sign of illness, we may not
necessarily be healthy.
It simply
may be that we are not exhibiting any symptoms of illness. Most of us do not
have the slightest idea of how to maintain good health. When illness strikes,
we rely on our doctors to cure us. What we fail to realize is that “the cure”
comes from within.
We all
have a wondrous immune system, and all we have to do is take proper care of it.
Our modern lifestyles have taken us off track, with fast foods, polluted
environment and stress.
Whole
foods, Green foods, Super foods together with Supplements can help us to
maintain our immune system. However, because most of us lack the knowledge of
what our bodies need to function properly, we find ourselves out of balance and
susceptible to all sorts of illnesses.
The real
problem is that most people believe that they get all nutrients the body
requires from a well-balanced diet. There are however many factors that interfere
with good nutrition.
These
factors are: highly processed foods high in sugar and fat which are
nutritionally empty; cooking which destroys vital nutrients the body needs to
function; microwaves which absolutely decimate the nutritional value of your food,
destroying the very vitamins, enzymes and phytonutrients that prevent disease
and support good health; over-cooking of foods grossly denature the natural and
vital nutrients in the foods; the use of fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides
in agriculture; improper cooking utensils also reduce the nutrient value of
many foods.
This is
why it is essential to supplement the diet with high quality nutritional
supplements. These bridge the gap between the nutrients our bodies need and the
actual nutrients we are taking in.
It all
starts with the H.O.P.E. Formula which is a daily nutritional plan that
combines High Fibre, Omega Oils, Probiotics and Enzymes. Each natural component
plays a vital role in proper digestive function and overall health.
Digging
Our Graves with Forks And Knives – Overfed Yet Malnourished Obesity is not just
a cosmetic issue – excess weight leads to an earlier death, as many studies
confirm. Two-thirds of those with weight problems also have hypertension,
diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and other obesity-related conditions.
Overweight
individuals are more likely to die from all causes of death, including heart
disease and cancer. We need to be careful about bombarding ourselves with
nutrient-deficient, high-calorie food, often called ‘empty-calorie’ or ‘junk
food’, food that is deficient in essential nutrients and fibre. We are more
than ever before eating these high-calorie foods while remaining inactive – A
Dangerous Combination.
Since
early childhood, we have been bombarded with incorrect nutritional dietary
advice. For instance, the Traditional Food Guide Pyramid, which is used and
referred to internationally, endorses a level of carbohydrates which have now
been found to be too high. It also endorses a level of animal-food consumption
that may cause the diseases that kill: Heart Attacks & Cancer. The
Traditional Food Guide Pyramid:
What we
have always been told since early childhood. Eat to Live – Food is the Cure Our
diet should contain over 90 per cent of calories from unrefined plant foods
such as whole grains, nuts, legumes (beans), various vegetables and fruits.
These
foods are high in fiber and low in fat. To achieve the results of preventing
and reversing disease, and attaining a permanent healthy body weight, we must
be concerned with the nutritional quality of our diet.
Once we
learn to ‘eat to live’, thinness and health will walk hand in hand, happily
ever after.
*Mrs Bukky George is a pharmacist, Founder and
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HealthPlus, Nigeria’s first Integrative
Pharmacy, and CasaBella, a one-stop store got beauty solutions.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/05/how-to-live-healthier-longer/
