HEALTH IS WEALTH

No one wants to fall ill;  illness is an inconvenience state . You don’t only feel bad when you are sick, you also may not be able to go to work, school, or look after your family. You may even need someone to look after you, and you may have to pay for expensive medicals and treatment. There is a usual saying that “Prevention is better than cure.” Some illnesses cannot be avoided nevertheless, there is much you can do to prevent illness. Consider five things that you can do today to get on the road to better health.

1.       PRACTICE GOOD HYGIENE

One of the best ways to avoid getting sick and spreading illness is to wash your hands regularly. One of the easiest ways to catch a cold or influenza is to rub your nose or your eyes when your hands have been contaminated by germs. Your best defence against such contamination is to wash your hands regularly. Good hygiene can also prevent the spread of more serious conditions. There are times when hand washing is particularly important to protect your own health and that of others. You should wash your hands properly under running clean water with soap: after using the toilet, after changing diapers or helping a child to use the toilet, before and after treating a wound or a cut, before and after being with someone who is sick, before preparing, serving, or eating food, after sneezing, coughing, or blowing your nose, after touching an animal or animal waste or after handling garbage. These are simple measures that can save  your live and help you live long.

2.      USE CLEAN WATER

 If water does not come from a safe source or is not stored properly, it can cause parasite infestation, as well as cholera, life-threatening diarrhoea, typhoid, hepatitis, and other infections. Cholera is most often contracted when a person drinks water or eats food that is contaminated. What steps can you take to protect yourself or prevent an illness? You must ensure that all your drinking water, including the water used for brushing teeth, washing food and dishes, or cooking comes from a safe source.

3.       WATCH WHAT YOU EAT

Good health is impossible without good nutrition, and for good nutrition you need a healthy, balanced diet. You may need to consider your intake of salt, fats, sugar and the amount of food you eat. Include fruits and vegetables in your diet. Reading the packaging will help you to select whole-grain foods when buying bread, cereals, or rice. These are richer in nutrients and fibre than the alternatives made from refined grain. As for proteins, eat small portions of meat and poultry and try to eat fish a couple of times a week, if possible. If you eat too many sugar and fats, you become overweight. To minimize this risk, drink water instead of sweet beverages. Eat more fruit instead of sugary desserts. Too much salt, or sodium, in the diet can raise your blood pressure to an unhealthy level. If this is your problem, read the information on food packaging to keep your sodium intake low. Instead of salt, use herbs and spices to flavour your meals. Any issue tied to nutrition is the risk of food poisoning, and any food can poison you if it is not prepared and stored properly. Vegetables grow in soil that may have been treated with manure, so wash them carefully before preparing them.

• Wash your hands, cutting board, utensils, and dishes, with hot soapy water before preparing each item.
• To avoid contamination, never put food on a surface or plate that was previously in contact with raw eggs, meat, or fish, without first washing that surface.
• Cook properly, and promptly refrigerate any perishable items that are not going to be eaten immediately.
• Discard perishable items left in the room for more than two hours or one hour.

4.      GET ENOUGH SLEEP

The amount of sleep needed varies from person to person.  New-born sleep for 16 to 18 hours a day, toddlers about 14 hours, and pre-schoolers about 11 or 12. School-age children generally need at least 10 hours of sleep, adolescents perhaps 9 or 10, and adults from 7 to 8.Getting the right amount of rest should not be considered optional. According to experts, sufficient sleep is important for growth and development in children and teenagers, Learning and retention of new information, maintaining the right balance of hormones that impact metabolism and weight, cardiovascular health, Disease prevention.Insufficient sleep has been linked to obesity, depression, heart disease, diabetes, and tragic accidents. These give us good reason to want to get enough sleep. If you realize you are not having enough sleep, why not: Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, make your bedroom quiet, dark, relaxing, and neither too warm nor too cold, do not watch TV or use gadgets while in bed, make your bed as comfortable as possible, avoid heavy meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime.