GET HEALTHY, STAY HEALTHY

COVID-19 may have come and the curve is slowly going down. Whether there is a pandemic or not, we all have to get healthy stay healthy.

To achieve good health, we all need good food or a balanced diet to grow and function well. Many common sicknesses come from not eating enough of the foods the body needs especially at the present time when the OMICRON spread is on the increase.

A person, who is weak or sick because he does not eat the right foods, or does not eat enough, is said to be poorly nourished or rather suffer from malnutrition.

The WHO has warned that one of the best ways to prevent COVID-19 (before contracting it) or to survive it (when one is down with it), is to build good immunity. To boost immunity, we have to feed well.

HOW MALNUTRITION AFFECTS CHILDREN

Malnutrition is any of the following in children;

1. Failure of the child to grow or gain weight typically.
2. Swollen bellies, thin arms, and legs.
3. Sadness, lack of energy.
4. Slowness in walking, talking, or thinking.
5. Thinning or loss of hair, or loss of its color or shine.
6. Swelling of feet, face, and hands, often with sores or marks on the skin.
7. Dryness of eyes, blindness.

HOW MALNUTRITION CAN AFFECT ANYONE

1. Anemia.
2. Weakness.
3. Loss of appetite.
4. Painful or sore tongue.
5. Burning or numbness of the feet.

Even though other health issues can cause the following, malnutrition can worsen them.

1. Diarrhea
2. Ringing or buzzing in the ears
3. Headache
4. Bleeding or redness of gums
5. Stomach discomfort
6. Dryness and cracking of the skin
7. Cirrhosis (liver disease)
8. Frequent infections
9. Heavy pulsing of the heart (palpitations)
10. Anxiety

FOODS THAT WILL MAKE YOU GET HEALTHY STAY HEALTHY 

To ensure we have a healthier and stronger body, we need to ingest a balanced diet daily. In each meal, we should endeavor to eat something from each of the following group of foods;

GROUP A

Energy Foods or Carbohydrates: Sugars and Starches

The Sugars and Starches foods are like the woods that keep the fires burning. The more we do, the more of these foods we need, but if we only eat these foods without proteins, our bodies feel weak.

Sugars;

1. Sugar
2. Honey
3. Milk
4. Sweet ripe banana
5. Fruits
6. Raw sugar, molasses

Starches;

1. Maize
2. Cassava
3. Potatoes
4. Squash
5. Plantain
6. Cereals (wheat, rice, oats, millet, sorghum)

GROUP B

Body-Building Foods or Proteins

Our bodies need protein-enriched foods because they help in body-building, proper growth, and healthier muscles, and brains. They include;

1. Meat
2. Fish
3. Eggs
4. Chicken
5. Cheese
6. Soybeans
7. Seafood
8. Insects

Foods less in protein;

1. Beans
2. Peas
3. Nuts
4. Lentils
5. Cereals (oats, wheat, millet, etc)
6. Dark green leafy vegetables
7. Groundnuts (peanuts)

GROUP C

Protective Foods: Rich in Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins are protective foods that help our bodies work effectively, while minerals are needed to make our blood, teeth, and bones healthy.

1. Meat (e.g., liver)
2. Fruits
3. Eggs
4. Fish
5. Cheese
6. Milk
7. Vegetables (e.g., dark green and yellow ones)
8. Whole grain cereals
9. Seaweed (for iodine)

GROUP D

Energy storage foods: fats and oils

As we all know, fat is a concentrated form of stored energy, the body changes fat into sugar when more energy is needed. Health experts have warned that excessive intake of fatty foods is dangerous health-wise, but it is advisable to have fat or oil in each meal.

High fatty foods;

1. Cooking oil
2. Butter
3. Lard
4. Margarine
5. Meat fat
6. Salad oil
7. Bacon

Less fatty foods;

1. Sesame
2. Coconut oil
3. Soybeans
4. Groundnuts
5. Milk
6. Avocado
7. Nuts