HEALTH AND WELLBEING

7 Ways to Improve Your Health & Wellbeing

Taking steps to improve your health and wellbeing will improve your quality of life dramatically. It’s never too late to improve your health and there are so many things you can implement into your lifestyle that will give you great results.

1. Meditate: Many people underestimate the benefits that regular meditation will have on their health and wellbeing. The benefits of regular meditation include reduced stress levels, better sleep, improved concentration and a general feeling of wellbeing. And medication isn’t has difficult as you might believe. There are many guided meditation CD’s and downloads available to enable you to experience the benefits of meditation immediately.

2. Avoid Fad Diets: Despite their popularity, fad diets are rarely beneficial to your health. They may enable you to lose weight temporarily but following a healthy balanced diet, and cutting out processed foods and junk foods is the best long term solution.

3. Sunlight: Getting out in the sunlight for at least 30 minutes a day is great for your health and wellbeing. Lack of sunlight can lead to depression, seasonal affective disorder and Vitamin D deficiency. If your lifestyle and the area that you live prevent you from getting a daily sunlight fix, consider investing in a light box.

4. Sleep: Getting enough sleep is essential to your health and well-being. The average male needs 7 hours of sleep each night, the average female needs 8 hours and teenagers and young children need far more. Lack of sleep can cause poor concentration, headaches, inability to concentrate, accidents and even death.

5. Exercise: Regular exercise is vital to your health and well-being. But you don’t need to join the gym, or take an aerobics class. Choosing an exercise program that you enjoy is more important than anything. And a daily 20 minute walk is just as good for you as any other form of exercise.

6. Listen to Music: Recent studies by scientists in Canada and Mexico have shown that listening to music you enjoy improves your health and wellbeing. This is because it increases your levels of dopamine – commonly known as the happy hormone.  The studies showed that rock, classical, and jazz music had the greatest effect.

7. Lose Weight: If you’re overweight, or obese you are putting your health at risk. Being overweight can lead to diseases like heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer. And according to the World Health Organisation, almost 3 million people die each year as a result of being overweight.

Whichever methods you choose to incorporate into your lifestyle to improve your health and well being, you will be glad that you did. Not only will you improve the quality of your life, you may also live longer.HEALTH AND WELLBEING

COMPONENTS OF AN EXCELLENT DIET

1)      Rich in sources of vitamins and minerals

2)      High in protective phytochemicals , antioxidants

3)      High in dietary fiber

4)      0% cholesterol

5)      Low in refined sugar

6)      Low in saturated fat

SOURCES OF HEALTHY FOOD

1)      CARBOHYDRATES –good sources are : whole grains , legumes , fruits and vegetables

2)      Proteins –good sources are :legumes , especially beans , milk and eggs

3)      Fats – healthy fats are found in nuts

4)      Antioxidants and phytochemicals are found in fruits , vegetables , nuts and whole grains

FOODS TO AVOID IN CASES OF OVERWEIGHT

Sugar ,fats ,milk as beverage , salmon , lobster , crabs , sardines , herring , mackerel , pork and goose , fat meats , nuts , butter , cream , olive oil , pastry and sweets , water at meals alcohol

EXERCISES FOR OVERWEIGHT

Walking , swimming , golf billiards ,hill climbing

Diets for underweight

An abundant supply of energy food , fuel foods , fats , starch , butter , olive oil , sugar , potatoes , cereals , bread ,and all starchy vegetables are fattening

ABOUT FRUITS 

Use fruits to sweeten  a recipe instead of adding sugar

Use dried fruits , frozen , canned and fresh fruits for variety

Eat whole fruit or cut-up fruit for dietary fiber –not only juice

Use fruits for snacks –dried fruits mixed with nuts or whole fruits like apples

Rinse fruits before preparing or eating them .After rinsing , dry with a clean towel

ABOUT WHOLE GRAINS

Choose 100% whole wheat bread ,pasta , or tortillas ,brown rice , oatmeal or grifts

Go for :whole wheat , brown rice , bulgur , buckwheat , oatmeal , whole –grain cornmeal , whole oats or whole rye

ABOUT FATS

Limiting trans fats is one component of healthful diet

Dietary fats are found in both animal and planta foods

ABOUT BEVERAGES

Choose water , diet or low calorie beverages instead of sugar-sweetened beverages

Serve water with meals

Make water more exciting by adding slices of lemon , lime , cucumber or watermelon or drink sparkling water

Add a splash of 100% juice to plain sparkling water for a refreshing , low-calorie drink 

SOURCES OF TTRANS FATS ( FOODS TO AVOID )

Coffee creamer , crackers ,cookies ,cakes ,frozen pies and other baked foods ,fast foods ,frozen pizza , ready to use frostings , refrigerated dough products (such as biscuits and cinnamon rolls ) , snack foods (such as microwave popcorn ) ,vegetable shortenings and stick margarines  ,

Choose lean cuts of meat and skinless poultry

Switch from stock margarine to soft margarine

Get plenty of foods that are naturally low in fat and high in dietary fiber such as whole grains , beans , peas , fruits and vegetables

Cook and bake with liquid oils (like olive oils )instead of solid fats (like shortenings , butter or lard )

Try baking , steaming , grilling  or broiling instead of frying

FOOD GROUPS IN REDUCING CALORIES

1)      FRUITS AND VEGETABLES –spinach ,broccoli , tomato , carrots ,watermelon , berries , apples

2)      LOW CALORIE AND FAT FREE MILK PRODUCTS – low – or fat free milk  , low –or fat free yogurt , low –or fat free cottage cheese

3)      BROTH –BASED SOUP – vegetable – based soups , soups with chicken  or tomato broth , tomato soups (without cream )

4)      WHOLE GRAIN – brown rice , whole wheat bread , whole wheat pastas , popcorn

5)      LEGUMES (beans and peas ) – black red kidney and pinto beans (without added fat ) , green peas , black –eyed peas

6)      LEAN MEAT POULTRY AND FISH – grilled salmon , chicken (breast without skin ) , ground beef (lean or extra lean )

FOOD TO AVOID –RICH IN CALORIE

1)FRIED FOODS –Eggs fried in butter , fried vegetables , French fries

2)FATTY CUTS OF MEAT – bacon brisket , ground beef ( regular )

3)FULL-FAT MILK PRODUCTS – full fat milk cheese , full fat ice cream , whole milk

4) DRY SNACK FOODS – crackers or pretzels , cookies , chips , dried fruits

5)HIGH –FAT AND HIGHER SUGAR FOODS – croissants ,margarine ,shortening and butter , doughnuts , candy bars cakes and pastries

HEALTH DIETARY GUIDELINES

1)      Follow health eating pattern – it help support a healthy body weight and reduce the risk of chronic diseases .A healthy eating pattern must include : fruits , vegetables , protein , dairy ,grains and oil .It must limit : added sugar , sodium , saturated fats and trans fats

2)      Focus on variety ,nutrient density – choose variety of nutrient dense products such as whole grain bread , apples and grapes , fat free milk , mayonnaise , Walnuts  , lettuce and celery

3)      Limit calorie from added sugars and saturated fats and reduce sodium intake , limit :soft drinks , chips and burger

4)      Replace typical food beverages with more nutrient –dense options

5)      Vegetables , fruits and whole grains should take up the largest portion of your plate .if they do not , use legumes , steamed broccoli ,asparagus , greens –this will reduce the total calorie in your meal without reducing the amount of food you eat

6)      Choose whole fruits instead of soft drinks , canned or frozen fruits and vegetables are good options when fresh produce is not available

Healthy exercising

Brisk walking is required – 10000 steps per day every day is essential for everyone to stay fit and reduce healthy related conditions , it also ensures personal fitness