Good health

How to stay in good health

Good health is not just the absence of disease or infirmity, it is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. This means eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, avoiding tobacco and drugs, drinking alcohol in moderation, and getting plenty of rest.

Physical health

Diet

Our bodies are like machines that require a balance of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals and water to stay in good working order. Get the balance wrong and your health will suffer.

A balanced diet means eating only so much as you expend in exercise. Any excess will be stored as fat if you eat more than you burn off.

You should:

• eat at regular times;
• eat a variety of food;
• don’t rush your food;
• eat food that is high in fibre and starch;
• eat a minimum of sugary food;
• eat a minimum of fatty food;
• eat the right amount of food.

The benefits of a balanced diet are:

• a strong immune system to prevent and fight infections;
• a lower risk of certain types of cancers;
• lower blood pressure;
• a healthy weight;
• more energy;
• essential nutrients to support tissue growth.

Poor diet

Many people do not buy and prepare fresh food, and it's easy to see why. We are often short of time and cheap, highly processed, convenience food is always available.

Nevertheless, convenience food has a negative impact on our health. Here are a few examples of this type of food:

• junk food, like crisps and chocolate, is high in calories but low in nutritional value;
• fast food, such as hamburgers and fried chicken, is prepared and served quickly but is high in fat;
• convenience food, such as microwave ‘ready meals’, often has too much salt and sugar.