How we can incorporate healthier habits and improve our quality of life without damaging the planet is the central theme that inspired the commemoration of the world health day which is celebrated today April 7. After going through two years of a global pandemic, during which general medical examinations were postponed, taking care of our physical and mental well-being is paramount.
Under the slogan “Our Planet, Our Health”, the WHO promotes a movement to create societies focused on holistic well-being. “Health is defined as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease’. This is why it is important to work every day – both at home and in medical facilities – to improve quality of life and establish good habits at all stages of life, from infancy to old age” , remarks Marcela. Cerdá responsible for the New Nutrition Department of the Garden.
Although more and more people are ready to live a healthy life in harmony with nature, there is still a long way to go. When we talk about the main health problems of our country, heart disease and nutritional disorders they are in the top ten.
“Cardiovascular diseases are in Argentina (as in the rest of the industrialized world) the leading cause of death in the adult population, both women and men. Over the past decade cardiovascular disease caused between 29 and 32% of all deaths in our country (this means about 280 deaths per day) ”explains Dr. Ana Salvati, president of the Argentine Heart Foundation.
The specialist considers that these figures, which affect both men and women, diagnose cardiovascular risk factors: high blood pressure, dyslipidemia (clogged arteries), diabetes, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, stress and depression. “The prevention is the key. Healthy lifestyle habits must be adopted from childhood, with adequate nutrition, physical exercise and zero addiction. You also need to generate low-stress and non-violent living environments; Performing regular health checkups to detect high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes early and prevent progression to heart problems is essential,” he adds.
Silvia Morales, a clinical physician at DIM Health Centers, agrees on the importance of prevention: “We need to become agents of change, each from its own place and culture. How? ‘Or’ What? Educating ourselves on the right choice of food, hydrating ourselves daily, engaging in physical activity, limiting the use of technology to promote adequate rest, practicing self-awareness, and being accountable for the impact of our actions by giving the disposal of household waste as less polluting as possible until we know how to make the most of all the materials and natural resources available”.
If we talk about food, the data is also worrying. According to the latest National Nutrition and Health Survey (ENNYS) carried out in Argentina in 2019, 13.6% of children aged 0 to 5 have problems with overweight and obesity and this figure rises to 41.6% if we talk about the age group which goes from 5 to 17 years (respectively 27.7 and 20.4%). The number continues to increase if we talk about adults: reached 67.9%.
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But… What can we do from home to take better care of our health? Nutritionist Marcela Cerdá shares nutritional advice:
Although the figures are alarming, the idea is not to worry but to be careful. The transition to a healthier lifestyle should be gradual so that it doesn’t just last a few weeks or months. You can start incorporating habits gradually but daily and we can improve our quality of life.