How To Combat Lifestyle Diseases Like Diabetes And Hypertension?

There are some diseases which a person can get affected by due to no fault of theirs, at all. And then, there are lifestyle diseases for which a person is solely responsible. So what can be done in order to fight lifestyle diseases like hypertension and diabetes, which can cause more than a fair amount of trouble?

The most important thing to keep in mind when an individual is battling a lifestyle disease is the diet of the person. Even for someone who has not had the misfortune of being affected by such a disease, the general level of health has a lot to do with what is eaten and drunk. One of the first things one should do is to eliminate the unhealthy fats (also known as saturated fats and trans-fats) that may be a part of one’s diet and replace them with more healthy fats. For instance, chips and other oily food need to be replaced with unsaturated fats. Omega 3 fatty acids are also good for the body, if consumed in a reasonable quantity. One of the best sources for Omega 3 is fish.

One of the ways to determine if a person is at risk is by checking if the waist size of an individual is larger than what it should be. In the case of men, if the waist size is more than 40 inches, it means he may be at significant risk. On the other hand, when it comes to women, the waist size should not exceed 35 inches.

A lot of people do try and eat food which is more nutritious. While this is a very good and recommended practice, the pitfall comes by way of not keeping track of what is eaten. So, it is always a good idea to keep a food diary. Not only does this increase the chances of a person sticking to a beneficial diet, but also it provides a record, which can be checked to measure the intake of salt, sugar and fat. This is important since salt often becomes a major cause leading to lifestyle diseases. So, there should be no added salt to meals once they are prepared. Instead of using salt, herbs can add a wonderful flavour to your meals. Similarly, excess consumption of sugar or fat is also not beneficial in the long run. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a General Physician.