Our health

Contents

OUR HEALTH

TEN WAYS TO STAY HEALTHY

Prevention works! You can save yourself and your family a lot of pain, worry, and money by avoiding health problems in the first place. If you cannot prevent a problem altogether, the next best thing is to discover it early.

1. Immunize. Immunizations are the best bargain in health care. When you immunize, you prevent illness for your family and help prevent epidemics in your community.

2. Keep moving. Fitness is essential to good health. Even moderate exercise makes a huge difference both in how you feel and what illness you get.

3. Eat right. Eating a well-balanced low-fat diet of wholesome foods will keep you energetic and free of many illnesses. Consider breast-feeding your baby to help keep him or her in the best health.

4. Control stress. Even with a hectic and hurried lifestyle, you can prevent stress from undermining your health.

5. Be smoke free. Smokers who quit gain tremendous health benefits. So do people who avoid second-hand smoke.

6. Avoid drugs and excess alcohol. When you say “no” to drugs and limit what you drink, you prevent accidents and illnesses and avoid a lot of problems of yourself and your family.

7. Put safety first. Safety at home, safety at work, safety at play, safe driving, firearm safety, and safe sex will all keep you healthy.

8. Pursue healthy pleasures. Take naps, relax during meals, play with kids, care for a pet – they all can add to your health.

9. Think well of yourself. A good self-image is the foundation of good health.

10. Promote peace. Peace on earth begins at home. Seek nonviolent ways of resolving conflicts at home, at school, at work, and in your community.

NUTRIENTS

What nutrients are necessary in our diet to nourish the body?

Proteins. They make and repair the body tis­sues and also supply some calories. The sourc­es are meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, some vegetables, especially pulses, lentils and beans.

Minerals. The major minerals are calcium, iron and sodium.

Calcium is essential for good development of bones and teeth, normal clotting of blood and function of muscles. It is obtained from milk, cheese, bread, flour, fish and green vegetables.

Sodium. All body fluids contain salt. Most of the necessary sodium is obtained from common salt.

Fats and oils. The sources are butter, marga­rine, cooking fats and oils, cheese and oily fish. Some of them also contain vitamins A and D.

Carbohydrates. These also give heat and en­ergy as fats and oils. The sources are starchy foods, flour, cakes, bread, potatoes, ce­real of all kinds, sugar, honey, jam, chocolate, fruit and sweets.

VITAMINS

Vitamin A is necessary for normal growth and development of the body, particularly for good eyesight. It is obtained from liver, butter, milk, margarine, cheese and its products; also from carrots, green vegetables, watercress and cod-liver oil.

Vitamin B is called a complex vitamin because of many constituents: B₂, B₂ etc. This vitamin is necessary for good condition of the nervous system. It is contained in yeast extracts, nuts, fruit, whole-grain flour and cereals.

Vitamin C increases resistance to infection and maintains a healthy condition of the skin. It is obtained from black currants, rose hip syrup, lem­on juice, strawberries, spinach and watercress.

Vitamin D is concerned in the laying down of calcium, essential for the structure of bones and teeth. It is obtained from butter, fish, cod-liver oil, etc. Although we get this vitamin from food, it can also be manufactured in our body with the aid of ultra-violet rays from the sun.