20 Superb Health Tips For 2021

The beginning of a new year brings with it new resolutions to change one’s life, including embracing a healthy lifestyle. Here are 20 realistic health tips to help you get started on the road to a healthier lifestyle in 2021.

1. Maintain a balanced diet

Consume a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. Adults can consume at least five portions of fruit and vegetables (400g) each day. You will increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables by including them in all of your meals, snacking on fresh fruit and vegetables, consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables, and eating them in season. You will reduce the risk of malnutrition and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer by eating a balanced diet.

2. Minimize the intake of salt and sugar.

Filipinos eat twice the recommended sodium intake, putting them at risk of high blood pressure, which raises the risk of heart disease and stroke. The majority of people get their sodium from salt. Reduce your daily salt consumption to 5g, or around one teaspoon. This is made simpler by limiting the amount of salt, soy sauce, fish sauce, and other high-sodium condiments used when cooking meals; eliminating salt, seasonings, and condiments from your meal table; avoiding salty snacks; and selecting low-sodium items.

Excess sugar intake, on the other hand, raises the risk of tooth decay and excessive weight gain. Free sugar consumption should be kept to less than 10% of total energy intake in both adults and children. For an adult, this equates to 50g, or about 12 teaspoons. For additional health benefits, the WHO suggests eating less than 5% of total energy intake. You will limit your sugar consumption by avoiding sugary snacks, candies, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

3. Limit the intake of unhealthy fats.

The amount of fat you eat should be less than 30% of your total energy intake. This will assist in the reduction of excessive weight gain and NCDs. There are numerous forms of fats, but unsaturated fats are superior to saturated and trans fats. WHO suggests limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10% of total energy intake, limiting trans fat intake to less than 1% of total energy intake, and replacing all saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats.

Unsaturated fats are present in fish, avocado, and nuts, as well as sunflower, soybean, canola, and olive oils; saturated fats are found in fatty meat, butter, palm and coconut oil, milk, cheese, ghee, and lard; and trans fats are found in baked and fried foods, as well as pre-packaged snacks and foods such as frozen pizza, cookies, and biscuits, as well as cooking oils and spreads.

4. Refrain from abusing alcohol.

There is no such thing as a healthy amount of alcohol consumption. Alcohol use can cause mental and behavioural disorders, including alcohol dependency, as well as major NCDs such as liver cirrhosis, certain cancers, and heart disease, as well as accidents from aggression and road battles and crashes.

5. You do not smoke.

Tobacco use contributes to NCDs such as lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Tobacco destroys not only direct smokers, but also nonsmokers by second-hand smoke. Currently, approximately 15.9 million Filipino adults smoke cigarettes, but 7 out of 10 smokers are interested in or intend to quit.

It is not too late to stop smoking if you are still a smoker. When you do, you will notice both immediate and long-term health benefits. That’s awesome if you’re not a smoker! Do not start smoking in order to campaign for the right to breathe tobacco-free air.

6. Be involved

Physical activity is characterised as any bodily movement requiring energy expenditure that is provided by skeletal muscles. This involves exercise and activities done while working, playing, doing housework, travelling, and participating in leisure activities. The amount of physical activity required varies by age group, but adults aged 18 to 64 years should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. Increase your moderate-intensity physical activity to 300 minutes a week for even more health benefits.

7. Check your blood pressure on a regular basis.

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is referred to as a “silent killer.” This is due to the fact that many people with hypertension may be unaware of the issue because it does not have any symptoms. Hypertension, if not regulated, can lead to heart, brain, kidney, and other diseases. Have your blood pressure tested by a health professional on a regular basis so that you are aware of your numbers. Consult a health professional if the blood pressure is too high. This is crucial in the prevention and management of hypertension.

8. Get your blood checked

Getting tested is an important step in learning about your health status, particularly if you have HIV, hepatitis B, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), or tuberculosis (TB). These diseases, if left untreated, may cause severe complications and even death. Knowing your status ensures you’ll be able to continue avoiding these diseases or, if you’re optimistic, get the care and treatment you need. Go to a public or private health clinic, whichever is more convenient for you, to get yourself checked.

9. Receive a vaccine

Vaccination is one of the most important methods of disease prevention. Vaccines function in tandem with the body’s natural defences to protect you from diseases such as cervical cancer, cholera, diphtheria, hepatitis B, influenza, measles, mumps, pneumonia, polio, rabies, rubella, tetanus, typhoid, and yellow fever.

As part of the Department of Health’s regular immunisation programme, free vaccines are provided to children aged one and under in the Philippines. If you are an adolescent or adult, you should ask your doctor if you should confirm your immunisation status or get vaccinated.

10. Engage in safe sex

Taking care of your sexual health is critical to your physical health and well-being. To avoid HIV and other sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhoea and syphilis, engage in safe sex. There are HIV preventive measures available, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and condoms that protect against HIV and other STIs.

11. When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth.

The air is used to spread diseases such as influenza, pneumonia, and tuberculosis. Infectious agents may be transmitted to others by airborne droplets when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. When you sense a cough or sneeze coming on, make sure you cover your mouth with a face mask or a tissue and dispose of it properly. When you cough or sneeze and don’t have a tissue nearby, cover your mouth as much as possible with the crook (or inside) of your elbow.

12. Stop mosquito bites

Mosquitoes are one of the most dangerous species on the planet. Mosquitoes spread diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, malaria, and lymphatic filariasis, which continue to affect Filipinos. Simple steps can be taken to protect yourself and your loved ones from mosquito-borne diseases. If you are going to a region where mosquito-borne diseases are reported, consult a doctor about getting a vaccine to avoid diseases like Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever, or if you need to take antimalarial medications. Wear light-colored long-sleeved shirts and trousers, and add insect repellent. To eliminate mosquito breeding sites at home, use window and door screens, bed nets, and clean your surroundings on a weekly basis.

13. Follow all traffic rules.

About one million people are killed in road accidents each year, and millions more are injured. Road traffic accidents are avoidable through a range of government-enforced policies, including tougher regulations and regulation, safer infrastructure and vehicle standards, and increased post-crash treatment. You may also help to avoid road accidents by following traffic laws such as wearing a seatbelt for adults and a child restraint for your children, wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle or bicycle, not drinking and driving, and not using your cell phone when driving.

14. Just drink clean water.

Water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio may be contracted by drinking contaminated water. At least 2 billion people worldwide drink untreated feces-contaminated water. Check with your water concessionaire and water refilling station to ensure the quality of the water you’re drinking. Boil your water for at least one minute if you are uncertain of your water supply. The harmful species in the water would be destroyed as a result of this. Until drinking, allow it to cool naturally.

15. Breastfeed babies from birth to two years of age and beyond.

Breastfeeding is the most effective way to provide optimal nutrition to newborns and children. The World Health Organization recommends that mothers begin breastfeeding within one hour of giving birth. Breastfeeding for the first six months is important for the baby’s health. Breastfeeding should be extended for at least two years and possibly longer. Breastfeeding is not only healthy for infants, but it is also good for mothers because it lowers the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, type II diabetes, and postpartum depression.

16. If you’re feeling down, talk to someone you trust.

Depression is a common disease that affects over 260 million people worldwide. Depression can manifest in a variety of ways, but it can make you feel helpless or useless, or it can cause you to have frequent negative and upsetting thoughts or an intense sense of pain. Mind that you are not alone if you are going through this. Discuss your feelings with someone you trust, such as a family member, acquaintance, colleague, or mental health professional. If you believe you are in danger of self-harm, call the National Center for Mental Health at 0917-899-USAP (8727).

17. Just take antibiotics as instructed.

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious public health challenges of our time. Once antibiotics lose their efficacy, bacterial infections become more difficult to manage, resulting in higher medical costs, longer hospital stays, and higher mortality. Antibiotics are losing their effectiveness as a result of abuse and overuse in humans and animals. Take antibiotics only if recommended by a trained health practitioner. And, once prescribed, observe the medication schedule exactly. Antibiotics can never be shared.

18. Thoroughly clean your hands

Hand hygiene is important for all, not just health workers. The use of clean hands will help to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. When your hands are clearly soiled, you can handwash with soap and water or handrub with an alcohol-based product.

19. Properly prepare your food

Unsafe food, which includes dangerous bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical compounds, is responsible for more than 200 diseases ranging from diarrhoea to cancer. Check the packaging or the actual produce when purchasing food at the market or supermarket to ensure it is healthy to consume. Be sure to obey the Five Keys to Safer Food while cooking food: (1) keep clean; (2) keep raw and cooked foods separate; (3) thoroughly cook; (4) keep food at safe temperatures; and (5) use safe water and raw materials.

20. Schedule daily check-ups.

Daily check-ups can help diagnose health conditions before they become serious.
Health practitioners should assist in detecting and diagnosing health problems early on, when the chances of recovery and cure are higher.
Visit the closest health centre to learn about the health facilities, screenings, and care choices available to you.