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Waspada.co.id – Diet or a healthy diet is one of the main resolutions of almost everyone when starting the new year. Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic, which is still ongoing today, requires everyone to stay healthy and maintain body immunity.
Here are five effective ways to live a diet resolution in the New Year 2021 to help achieve a healthier life, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).
1. Reduce salt
Too much salt can raise blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Most people around the world eat too much salt. On average, they reported consuming twice the WHO recommended limit of 5 grams or the equivalent of one teaspoon a day.
While you don’t add extra salt to your diet, be aware that salt is usually included in processed foods or drinks, and often in high amounts.
Some tips for reducing your salt intake:
– When cooking and preparing food, use less salt and reduce the use of sauces and salty seasonings (such as soy sauce, stock or fish sauce).
– Avoid snacks that are high in salt, and try to choose healthy fresh snacks instead of processed foods.
– When using canned or dried vegetables, nuts and fruits, choose the type without added salt and sugar.
– Remove salt and salty seasonings from the table and try to avoid adding them.
– Check labels on foods and choose products with lower sodium content.
2. Eat a variety of foods
No single food contains all the nutrients the body needs to function properly. For that, food consumption must contain various types of fresh and nutritious foods.
Some tips for ensuring a balanced diet include:
– Try to consume a mixture of staple foods such as wheat, corn, rice, and potatoes with nuts, fruits, fresh vegetables, and foods from animal sources such as meat, fish, eggs, and milk.
– Choose foods rich in fiber such as whole grains, oats, and brown rice to help you feel full longer.
– For snacks, choose raw vegetables, unsalted nuts, and fresh fruit over foods high in sugar, fat or salt.
3. Limit sugar intake
Too much sugar is not only bad for our teeth, it also increases the risk of unhealthy weight gain and obesity, which can lead to serious chronic health problems.
As with salt, it’s important to pay attention to the amount of “hidden” sugar that can be present in processed foods and drinks. For example, one can of soda can contain up to 10 teaspoons of added sugar.
Some tips for reducing sugar intake:
– Limit your intake of sugary foods and drinks such as soft drinks, fruit juices and juices, flavored water, energy and sports drinks, ready-to-drink tea and coffee, and flavored milk drinks.
– Choose healthy fresh snacks instead of processed foods.
– Avoid giving sweet foods to children. Salt and sugar should not be added to complementary foods given to children under 2 years of age, and must be restricted beyond that age.
4. Reduce the use of certain fats and oils
We do need fat in our diet, but eating too much of it – especially the wrong kinds – increases the risk of obesity, heart disease and stroke.
Trans fats that are produced industrially are the most harmful to health. A diet high in fat of this type has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease by nearly 30 percent.
Some tips for reducing fat consumption:
– Replace oil or butter with healthier oils such as soy, canola, corn, safflower, and sunflower.
– Choose white meats such as poultry and fish which are generally lower in fat than red meat, reduce meat that looks fatty and limit consumption of processed meats.
– Try steaming or boiling food instead of frying food while cooking.
– Check labels and always avoid all processed, fast and fried foods that contain trans fats. It’s often found in margarine, packaged snacks, fast food, baked goods and fried foods.
5. Avoid alcohol consumption
Alcohol is not part of a healthy diet, but in many cultures New Year celebrations are associated with excessive alcohol consumption.
Overall, drinking too much, or too often, increases the risk of immediate injury, as well as causing long-term effects such as liver damage, cancer, heart disease, and mental illness. (wol / cnnindonesia / man / data3)
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