World Health Day: Food Defines Much of Our Health

World Health Day is celebrated today, April 7, and this year the motto is "Universal Health for All, Everywhere."

Universal health means that all people have access, without any discrimination, to comprehensive and quality health services, when and where they need them, without facing financial difficulties. This requires the definition and implementation of policies and actions with a multi-sectoral approach in order to take into account the social determinants of health and to promote the engagement of the whole society to promote health and well-being.

On the other hand, to achieve health, we rely on several fundamental pillars, such as biological, social, psychological, spiritual, among the most important. The l & # 39; Power is part of the bases of a healthy lifebecause our habits largely determine our state of health.

In our current society, at our current pace of life, sedentary, little personal time and for the ailment, an unhealthy diet, where abounding fast foods, refined flours, products rich in fat and sodium , which harms our health. for many chronic noncommunicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure, with all its complications and cardiovascular risks.

It is therefore very important to adopt habits that improve our quality of life every day, help us prevent illness and, in the event of suffering, allow us to obtain improvements and avoid complications.

Here are some aspects to consider in achieving this goal:

• Increase the consumption of fruits and vegetablesEven if it is a repetitive message, we must know that if the need to incorporate 4 to 5 parts is so insistent, in Argentina, we consume less than 2, on average.
• Do not skip meals: The main excuse for this recommendation is the lack of time to eat and my answer is that there is no time for things if we do not have one. We may have time to prepare a breakfast or snack if we propose to take 10 minutes, which is less than the time we "use" for daily social networking or viewing a series.
• Take at least 8 glbades of water Pure daily: In addition to infusions, juices and other drinks that we usually consume, the body needs water for all its normal functions.
• Reduce salt aggregates with meals and moderate consumption of high-sodium products such as sausages, snacks, canned foods, hard cheeses, among others.
• To incorporate more integral productswhole and bran breads and crackers, oats, brown rice, whole wheat noodles, homemade preparations with wheat bran and oats.
• Decrease the frequency of consumption of fried, prefer as method of oven, oven, hotplate, pot, etc.
• Decrease consumption of soda and alcoholic beverages, leaving them for special events or days. Day to day, prefer water or natural juices.
• Organize the food in advance. It's a strategy specifically designed for people who work long hours a week. Therefore, designing a weekly menu will make the task easier and avoid buying fast food.
• Reduce consumption of saturated and trans fats, reducing the consumption of butter, cream, whole milk (preferably skim milk), margarine, beef fat or pork. Prefer good fats, by consuming olive oil, canola, sunflower rich in oleic acid, soy, etc., to flavor, for example, salads.

Do not forget to do thePeriodic checks, regular physical activity, rest, sharing with the affections and doing everything that distracts us from the daily stress, in addition to eating healthier.

Health depends on many factors in our life, many depend on us and others not, the idea is take care of things we can change to improve our quality of life, promote health and prevent disease.

License Romina Krauss – Nutritionist

M.P. No. 147