Saying health is wealth can never be overemphasized. As we go about life, doing our various activities, our health should not be undermined, as most of us tend to be careless about it these days.
Little wonder, medical practitioners have it that “we should eat our food as medicine to avoid eating medicine as food either now or later, especially when we start aging” (tired zone of life).
The rate at which silent killer diseases have been on the rampage is something to be worried about.
WHAT ARE THESE SILENT KILLER DISEASES?
Most times, people think diseases like typhoid and malaria are silent killers. They don’t show symptoms most of the time as they build up gradually. It gets to a certain stage where the immune system gets too weak to fight back, and it begins to make the patient really uncomfortable, resulting in death if it’s not detected early enough. These silent killer diseases include:
Heart disease
Hypertension
Diabetes
Cancer
Osteoporosis….
as they show little or no early symptoms.
It’s quite surprising to note that sleeping disorders are another silent killer disease.
The foods we consume these days have been compromised, as most farmers don’t allow them to get to their actual maturity stage before harvesting. How about the genetically modified foods we consume on a daily basis, thereby causing the damage to the body cells to take place gradually?
It’s no longer news that cancers of various kinds, kidney disease, liver disease, and infertility take a good percentage of people’s lives. There have been various statistics about people who have either died or are still living with an ailment. The fact that most individuals don’t like going for regular checkups in the name of “what I don’t know won’t kill me”
You should know that you will have total control over your body when you realize where the problem is and how to provide solutions to make you stay healthy, thereby avoiding further damage.
Apart from eating right, you should also note that you can never get the right amount of the needed vitamins in the food you consume, as some might have been lost in the process of preparation.
According to the World Health Organization, in the food pyramid given to us, it’s expected that we consume
30% whole grains
25% vegetables
20%fruits
15%protein
10% are fat and oil.
Now, a good number of us do not follow the food pyramid as it should. Even if we do, most nutrients needed by the body are lost.
I had a discussion with a medical practitioner, and she told me, “No matter how rich you are, you can never get the complete vitamins needed in the body from the food we consume. Hence, there’s a need to supplement our diets to promote healthy living in our society.”
Now this is where phytonutrients come into action, but not just phytonutrients; the need to invest in a wholesome lifestyle is also necessary.
Summarily, the importance of rest, exercise, and a good diet should not be downplayed.
Did you find this piece helpful? We’d like to get your feedback and encourage you to stay tuned for more helpful tips on reversing the trend of silent killer diseases or managing some health challenges in our next episode.