Healthcare: You are What You Eat

By Sylvester Chukwu Okonkwo

You are what you eat is to say that whatever you put into your system does a great job in you. It may be positive or negative. For instance, if you see a heavy drinker you can use his physical appearances to know. If you see a child not well fed you can as well know.

However, there are some cases where some people naturally appear eating very well but in reality they are poor and never have enough food to eat. Others eat a lot but it doesn’t show on their physical bodies. In other words, there are other things not actually food we can put into our system that can affect us both emotionally and physically. Example stress, worries and anxieties. Sickness and disease can also affect us not minding the kind of food we eat daily.
For this reason, Martha Washington said, “I am still determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may be, for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not upon the circumstances.”
Therefore, if you eat good food but it is not showing in your body, you should check yourself. For either you have a sickness that is eating you up or worries, anxieties and stress.

In a short expression, we want to talk about eating healthy. This means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions and consuming the right amount of food and drink to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. This is not about eating too much food or eating too little.

Healthy food: They are those foods that provide you with the nutrients you need to sustain your body’s well-being and retain energy. This leads us to balanced diet.

Balanced diet or classes of food.

Carbohydrates, protein, water, fat & oil, vitamins and minerals are needed in right proportion in our body system for normal body metabolism. Any food or set of food you eat that provides you with the above body needs is a good, a healthy food, a balanced diet.

Advantages of eating a balanced diet.

1. Good health and nutrition. It protects you against diseases, heart diseases, diabetes and cancer.
2. May help you live longer.
3. It keeps skin, teeth and eye healthy.
4. It supports muscles.
5. It boots immunity.
6. It strengthens bones.
7. It supports healthy pregnancies and breastfeeding.
8. It helps digestive system function.
9. It helps achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

To achieve good health.

1. We are to eat variety of foods and consume less salt and less sugar.
2. WHO recommends that you drink 8 to 12 cups of clean water daily.
3. Eat dark green vegetables 3-4 times weekly.
4. Eat well cooked beans at least once a week.
5. Eat cooked fish 2-3 times a week. Eat more fish than red meat. Unless your blood group suggests otherwise.
6. Sweet potato, soy beans and similar help to lower cholesterol.
7. Eat nuts: Grand nuts, cashew nuts, coconut etc.

If you wish to start today/change of lifestyle.

1. Base your meals on higher fibre starchy carbohydrate.
2. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables: WHO says, you as an adult should eat 16 apples or 20 0ranges and 5 to 7 portion of vegetables in a day. Vegetables and fruits not planted with pesticides and herbicides are better.
3. Eat more fish than meat.
4. Cut down on saturated fat, canned foods and sugar. Eating junk foods, meatpie, sausage and the likes should be taken as old fashion.
5. Eat less salt. Stop the intake of uncooked salt.
6. Pay attention to regular exercise.
7. Drink a lot of water during the day. Don’t wait until you are thirsty.
8. Don’t skip breakfast unless for an important reason.
9. Eat more unpolished rice: Anam rice, Abakiliki rice, Ofada rice and other local rice are wonderful.
10. Eat what you need not just what you see or just to eat what is available in order to fill the belly 👎

If make a change today:

1. You will be having regular bowel.
2. You will be having improved sleep, and better recovery from workout.
3. Better mood will be yours.

Zebruddaya says, “Ka Chineke mezi okwu.”

Mr. Sylvester Chukwu Okonkwo, Bro Synco is an author, writer, Natural Family Planning Instructor and Nature healthcare provider. He can be reached through email: sylvesterokonkwo1a@gmail.con or phone 08036760297