LIVE A HEALTHY LIFE

Live a Healthy Life

                Health is one of the greatest possessions that everybody wants to enjoy.  It is a necessary condition and always important to a happy life. Today, there are still diseases which cannot be cured. Evidences show that money can’t buy wealth. Healthy lifestyle is the key. The trick for this is making small changes especially for individuals who are smoking cigarettes, and drinking alcoholic beverages… taking more steps by doing daily exercise and following a balanced diet. 

            Food is directly related to our health, people should start to pay increased attention to the food they eat.  However, there are factors that hind us to the lifestyle’s transformation. The customs and traditions of a country have great effect to the food preparations - Litson, caldereta, menudo, kare-kare, paksiw, fried chicken, and other meat products are example of foods served in the table of a common Filipino family during celebrations and special events. Another factor is the vast number of fast-food chains anywhere in the country. Although, it is useful for the working people because they don’t have much time to prepare their meals, it widely affects the lifestyle of a person.  Meat dishes are more in demand to the consumers than vegetables. Sometimes, consumers ignores and/or unaware on the effect of the foods they intake.

            Every man has a required body mass index. BMI verifies the height and weight of an individual. A BMI of 20 to 25 kg/m² is an optimal weight while A BMI above 25 kg/m² indicates the person is Pre-obese (Overweight); a number above BMI 30 kg/m² suggests the person is Obese (Wikipedia).                 This health condition needs special attention to avoid associated various diseases particularly cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus type 2, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. As a result, obesity has been found to reduce life expectancy (Lopez AD). Healthy diet and body exercise is the best treatment to weight problem. Moreover, this is highly recommended even to those who are satisfied with their body mass index.  Plant diets have been found to be healthier by the American Dietic Association that acknowledges the health value and nutritional adequacy of it. Thus, it may offer a practical solution to the problem of obesity that has great impact for medical problems and health care budgets.

           

Be vigilant with your health because once it is attacked by disease, it’s hard to be relieved. Vegetable nutrients processed and distributed to your body will make a shield to strengthen your immune system that will benefit to the consumers. Eating plenty of vegetables, along with fruits, can defend you from heart diseases and stroke; regulate hypertension; prevent some types of cancer and painful intestinal ailment called Diverticulitis (NCBI); and vision loss such as cataract and macular degeneration. The largest epidemiological study ever conducted (the China-Oxford-Cornell study) claimed that those who are eating the amount of animal foods typical for Americans have seventeen times the death rate from heart disease, and for women, five times the rate of breast cancer, than those who get 5% or less of their protein from animal foods.

According to nutrition researcher Professor T. Colin Campbell, "...Only 5-6 percent of dietary protein is required to replace the protein regularly excreted by the body (as amino acids). About 9-10 percent protein, however, is the amount that has been recommended for the past fifty years...The relatively few people consuming more than 21 percent protein mostly are those who "pump iron," recently joined by those on high protein diets."  This protein is essential in building and maintaining human cells. We know meat has protein which some people argue with. . Scientists indicate that “the muscle meat of animals for slaughter contains an average of 3-30% fat, 21% protein, 1% mineral salts (e.g. table salt, calcium, phosphoric acid), 0,5% carbohydrates and 70-75% water, and vitamins” with fat, protein and carbohydrates being easily replaced by plant foods (Lopa Berlin 2004). The statement presents that animal fats has high concentration which make your life at risk. Even so, there’s nothing worry plant products like grains, soy beans, and many varieties of nuts can supply proteins. In addition, Fruits and Veggies Matter advocate relates that plants contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that may help someone from chronic diseases, including stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.

A person chooses plant-based diet will easily lose extra weight and is at lower risk for serious diseases. These are strong arguments in favor of a vegetable diet that can help and inspire many people improve the quality of their lifestyle.

                 

Maria Giselle B. Artiaga