Healthy Lifestyles Awareness Day

Most of us start the year with an impressive list of New Year's resolutions, promising to eat more healthily, exercise more regularly and stop smoking. About a month into the new year, however, our good intentions start to wane. The daily chocolate bar we swore we would stop eating seems to creep back into our diet and our visits to the gym become less frequent. It is probably not a coincidence, then, that February is Healthy Lifestyles Awareness Month, to remind us to keep on track and be proactive about our health.

10 Top tips to keep healthy

1. Decrease your salt intake

Too much salt raises your blood pressure, which increases your risk of heart disease and strokes. Many of us are all too eager to add extra salt to our food when cooking or when at the dinner table, but, if you read nutrition labels, you will see that foods such as cheese, bacon, ham and olives are already high in salt. You can tell that a food is high in salt if it has more than 1.5 g salt per 100 g or 0.6 g sodium per 100 g. Adults should aim to have no more than 6 g of salt per day - that's around one full teaspoon. Use pepper, spices and herbs to flavour your food instead of automatically reaching for the salt shaker.

2. Get your daily dose of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin, as it is manufactured in the body after being exposed to sunshine. One in four children are deficient in this vitamin. It is also found in tuna, salmon, cod liver oil, salami, milk and some cereals. This vitamin is important because it encourages absorption of calcium and magnesium, which are essential for the normal development of healthy teeth and bones. So take advantage of our sunny climate and make sure you go outside for about ten minutes a day - it's also a great mood booster.

3. Eat a calcium-rich diet

One of the most important minerals in our body is calcium, which is needed to maintain healthy bones and teeth. Calcium is also vital for other functions such as muscle contraction and the prevention of osteoporosis. Good sources of calcium include milk, yoghurt, cheese, baked beans and tofu.

4.  Eat a variety of foods

Balance is key to a healthy diet, which entails eating a wide variety of foods from the five food groups in the right proportions. These five food groups are: starchy foods, fruit and vegetables, protein-rich foods, milk and dairy foods and foods containing fats and sugar.

About one-third of everything we eat should be a starchy food, such as potatoes (try to eat with the skin for improved health benefits), bread and pasta. Individuals should opt for the wholegrain or wholemeal variety of these foods, as they are high in fibre. Five portions of fruit and vegetables should be consumed daily because they are an important source of vitamins and minerals and lower your risk of heart disease, cancer and strokes.

Meat, fish, eggs and beans are some of the best sources of protein, which assists in the growth and repair of the body. Aim for lean and skinless cuts of meat, and try to eat at least two portions of fish a week. Milk and dairy foods, such as cheese and yoghurt, are excellent sources of protein. They also contain calcium. Opt for low-fat or fat-free options as these foodstuffs can be high in fat.

The final food group, fats and sugar, is the group which we should eat in moderation, as it leads to poor general health, disease and weight problems. Saturated fat is the unhealthy fat, which is contained in those sinful, indulgent snacks like cakes, biscuits and pies. On the other hand, unsaturated fats, such as avocados, oily fish and nuts, have many health benefits, which help to lower cholesterol and provide us with essential fatty acids. Aim to cut down on food rich in saturated fats and replace them with small amounts of foods high in unsaturated fat.

5. Avoid junk food

As mentioned previously, it is a good idea to cut down on foods high in saturated fat, such as cakes, biscuits, pastries, sausages and butter. Foods high in saturated fats are those that contain more than 5g of saturated fat per 100g. Too much saturated fat can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which means that you are at increased risk of heart disease.

It is also important to limit your intake of foods with high quantities of sugar (more than 22.5g of sugar per 100g). Foods that have a lot of added sugars contain many calories but have few other nutrients. Sugary foods and drinks can also cause tooth decay, especially if eaten between meals.

A good diet is central to overall good health and avoiding certain foods and drinks may help prolong your life. Eating too much high-calorie food rich in sugars or fat could lead to weight gain or obesity.

6. Ease up on the alcohol

The effects of drinking too much alcohol on your health can be far more serious than just a bad hangover the next day. Drinking more than the recommended intake of alcohol on a regular basis can also cause long-term damage to your internal organs, as excessive alcohol consumption is one of the major causes of liver disease. According to guidelines set out by the South African government, the recommended daily allowance for men is no more than three standard drinks (340ml) per day, while women should drink no more than two standard drinks per day. It is also recommended that both men and women have at least two alcohol-free days each week.

7. Get moving

Being physically active is an important aspect of overall good health. Even though most people may say that they don't have time to exercise, it is always possible to include more physical activity in your daily routine. When you go to the shopping mall for example, resist the temptation to park close to the shops or get the taxi to drop you off a little further away. Or you could consider taking a half-hour walk round the office block during your lunch hour.
Regular exercise has multiple benefits, such as helping you maintain your ideal weight, weight loss, reducing cardiovascular risks and chronic disease, improving mental health and reducing the risk of diabetes.

8. Stop smoking

Looking for a reason to stop your desperate tobacco craving? Here are 50 - smoking increases your risk of more than 50 serious health conditions and causes about 90% of lung cancers. It also damages your heart and your blood circulation, worsens respiratory conditions and even affects your fertility.

9. Socialise

Spending quality time with close family and friends during the festive season hopefully made you realise just how important it is to have special people in your life. But did you know that close relationships can actually help us to live longer? Loneliness is often referred to as the ‘hidden killer' of the elderly, as studies on loneliness have found that social isolation is associated with a higher rate of death. Similarly, research has shown that married people live longer than those who are single, as they usually have better social support networks.

10. Stay hydrated

We need to drink about 1.5 to 2 litres of fluid daily to stop us getting dehydrated.  With South Africa's hot climate, however, we may often need to drink more to prevent us from feeling thirsty. All non-alcoholic drinks count towards this quota, but water, milk and fruit juices are the most healthy. Avoid consuming too many soft drinks, which are high in calories and added sugars while low in nutrients. Energy drinks are also not as healthy as you may think, as they too are high in sugar and also contain caffeine.

Water is always the best choice to keep you hydrated as it has no calories and contains no sugars that can damage your teeth, unlike fruit juices. If you don't like the taste of water, try adding some lemon or reduced-sugar squash for more flavour.

For any GEMS member queries please phone the GEMS call centre on 0860 00 4367 or visit our website at www.gems.gov.za. GEMS will assist you in every way possible to ensure your family's health and wellbeing.

References
A balanced diet:   http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/Healthyeating.aspx
Drinking guidelines:   http://www.talkingalcohol.com/files/factsheets/social_drinkingguidelines.pdf
Eat less saturated fat:   http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/Eat-less-saturated-fat.aspx
Eight tips for healthy living:   http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/eight-tips-healthy-eating.aspx
Fitness basics:  http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/fitness/basics/fitness-basics/hlv-20049447
Healthy Lifestyle Awareness Month: http://hr.uct.ac.za/usr/hr/remuneration/orghealth/newsletters/ICAS_Healthy_lifestyle_awareness_month.pdf
Healthy Living - how to live longer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/0/22019289
Sugars:  http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/sugars.aspx
Ten tips for a healthy lifestyle - Water and drinks:  http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/water-drinks.aspx