Health TIPS

Eat Healthy

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away." There's more truth to this saying than we once thought. What you eat and drink and what you don't eat and drink can definitely make a difference to your health. Eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day and less saturated fat can help improve your health and may reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Have a balanced diet, and watch how much you eat.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Obesity is at an all time high in the United States, and the epidemic may be getting worse. Those who are overweight or obese have increased risks for diseases and conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Eat better, get regular exercise, and see your health care provider about any health concerns to make sure you are on the right track to staying healthy.

Get Moving

More than 50 percent of American men and women do not get enough physical activity to provide health benefits. For adults, thirty minutes of moderate physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week is recommended. It doesn't take a lot of time or money, but it does take commitment. Start slowly, work up to a satisfactory level, and don't overdo it. You can develop one routine, or you can do something different every day. Find fun ways to stay in shape and feel good, such as dancing, gardening, cutting the grass, swimming, walking, or jogging.

Be Smoke-Free

Health concerns associated with smoking include cancer and lung disease. Smoking triples the risk of dying from heart disease among those who are middle-aged. Second-hand smoke - smoke that you inhale when others smoke - also affects your health. If you smoke, quit today! Helplines, counseling, medications, and other forms of support are available to help you quit.

Get Routine Exams and Screenings

Sometimes they're once a year. Other times they're more or less often. Based on your age, health history, lifestyle, and other important issues, you and your health care provider can determine how often you need to be examined and screened for certain diseases and conditions. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases, and cancers of the skin, prostate, and colon. When problems are found early, your chances for treatment and cure are better. Routine exams and screenings can help save lives.

Get Appropriate Vaccinations

They're not just for kids. Adults need them too. Some vaccinations are for everyone. Others are recommended if you work in certain jobs, have certain lifestyles, travel to certain places, or have certain health conditions. Protect yourself from illness and disease by keeping up with your vaccinations.

Manage Stress

Perhaps now more than ever before, job stress poses a threat to the health of workers and, in turn, to the health of organizations. Balancing obligations to your employer and your family can be challenging. What's your stress level today? Protect your mental and physical health by engaging in activities that help you manage your stress at work and at home.

Know Yourself and Your Risks

Your parents and ancestors help determine some of who you are. Your habits, work and home environments, and lifestyle also help to define your health and your risks. You may be at an increased risk for certain diseases or conditions because of what you do, where you work, and how you play. Being healthy means doing some homework, knowing yourself, and knowing what's best for you... because you are one of a kind.

Be Safe- Protect Yourself

What comes to mind when you think about safety and protecting yourself? Is it fastening seat belts, applying sunscreen, wearing helmets, or having smoke detectors? It's all of these and more. It's everything from washing your hands to watching your relationships. Did you know that men at work die most frequently from motor vehicle incidents, machine-related injuries, homicides, and falls? Take steps to protect yourself and others wherever you are.

Be Good to Yourself

Health is not merely the absence of disease; it's a lifestyle. Whether it's getting enough sleep, relaxing after a stressful day, or enjoying a hobby, it's important to take time to be good to yourself. Take steps to balance work, home, and play. Pay attention to your health, and make healthy living a part of your life.

Deases & How to Control the Deases

Gas and diet

Step 1: Understanding the relationship between gas and diet
Gas refers to belching and flatulence – something which affects all of us. It has been estimated the average healthy young male passes excess gas thirteen times a day.

Fibre is the main cause of gas and since fibre is necessary in a healthy diet, flatulence and belching can be seen as a sign of good health!

If this condition persists and is excessive, it may be advisable to have a medical examination to try and determine what the underlying causes are, e.g. gastritis, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome and enzyme deficiency.

Some of the common causes (dietary causes indicated in bold) are:

• Eating non-digestible foods such as fibre.
• Eating foods that your body cannot tolerate (as in lactose intolerance which occurs when you lack the enzyme which digests lactose or milk sugar).
• Eating beans. There are carbohydrates in beans that cannot be digested by our enzymes so the bacteria in the colon have to break it down. The result is colonic gas.
• Acute pancreatitis.
• Irritable bowel syndrome.
• Malabsorption (which occurs when your intestine is not able to absorb nutrients) often accompanied by diarrhoea.
• Use of antibiotics.

Step 2: Adopting new healthy habits

• Cut down on fibre intake.
• If you suffer from pancreatitis or irritable bowel syndrome, seek treatment.
• Avoid excess intake of antibiotics.
• Seek medical attention if you suffer any other symptoms or if gas causes pain.

Step 3: Understanding the basic principles of a diet to reduce gas
Intestinal gas may increase temporarily after starting a high-fibre diet. The condition usually disappears on its own once your body has adjusted to the new diet. Also try the following:

• Do not eat milk products for a week as you might be lactose-intolerant.
• Avoid rich, spicy foods or fizzy drinks, coffee and all forms of alcohol.
• To decrease the presence of foul-smelling amines in the intestine, you could decrease the amount of protein, primarily meat, in your diet. However, it is advisable to see a nutritionist before doing this.
• Avoid foods like navy beans, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, legumes, cucumbers, radishes, onions, and melons.
• Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly.
• Increase your intake of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is found in leafy green vegetables, such as spinach.

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Anaemia and diet

Step 1: Understanding the relationship between anaemia and food
Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anaemia.

The most common cause of iron deficiency is chronic blood loss, usually due to excessive menstruation, or due to bleeding into or from the gut as a result of a peptic ulcer, gastritis, haemorrhoids or in children, worm infestation.

Increased demand for iron such as foetal growth in pregnancy, and children undergoing rapid growth spurts in infancy and adolescence, can also cause iron deficiency anaemia.

The symptoms of chronic iron deficiency anaemia include:

• Tiredness
• Weakness
• Shortness of breath and sometimes a fast heartbeat

Step 2: Adopting new healthy habits

• Identify the underlying cause of iron deficiency anaemia, and treat the cause if possible
• Treat the iron deficiency by eating iron rich foods and iron supplementation
• Eat a well balanced diet

Step 3: Basic dietary guidelines for an iron rich diet and iron supplementation

The do’s
1. Eat more iron rich foods. The very best sources of iron that is easily absorbed by the human body are:

• Meat (especially organ meats like liver and kidneys)
• Fish
• Eggs (especially the yolk)
• Cheese
• Commercial breakfast cereals are fortified with easily absorbable iron so they can also make a good contribution.

2. Vitamin C improves iron absorption. Have a glass of fresh orange juice with your breakfast which could contain egg, the breakfast cereals, or a bit of fried liver.

3. You also need folic acid to assist in preventing anaemia. Folic acid is mainly found in green leafy vegetables, and you can also obtain a supplement if necessary.

4. Iron supplementation may help a lot. Iron sulphate tablets such as ferrous sulphate, taken in a dose of 300mg three times a day, are recommended. A dose of 300mg once or twice a day may be effective for prophylaxis of mild iron deficiency. The tablets should be taken between meals as iron is absorbed better on an empty stomach. However, this form of iron has side effects such as bloating, fullness and sometimes stomach pain and taking the tablets with meals may help to alleviate these side effects. Ferrous gluconate or ferrous lactate may have fewer side effects.

The don’ts:
1. Don’t go on a vegetarian diet without consulting your doctor and dietician.

2. Avoid iron-containing cocktails of vitamins since these generally do not contain enough iron and are expensive.

3. Drugs that reduce acid production by the stomach such as Cimetidine (Tagamet) may inhibit iron absorption and these tablets should not be taken simultaneously.

4. There are no quick fixes. It is necessary to continue iron therapy for four to six months to correct the anaemia and replenish stores.