The foods we eat have a direct impact on our health, therefore, it is important to know the properties of each one and thus become aware for the care of our bodies.When it comes to health, almost all of us have the same goals: to avoid diseases, to have a better physical appearance, to improve our performance and to control stress. How to achieve it? Learn all about the physiology of nutrition and how we can stay healthy through what we eat.
In Costa Rica, according to the National Institute of Statistics, three diseases account for 32% of deaths: diabetes, heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease. The main risk factor is overweight and obesity, which affects at least 70% of the population over 20 years of age. Life expectancy is greater, but also the time we spend sick. Do we call this quality of life?
Food, your best medicine
Hippocrates said it well: “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.” We know that our body needs to eat to carry out all its functions, and it does this thanks to the nutrients we get from food. These nutrients, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, stimulate certain different hormones that can make us fat, lose weight, get sick, or keep us healthy. Hormones are chemical substances that send messages to various parts of our body in order to regulate various processes. The three main ones are: insulin, glucagon, and actinoids. Obesity is a risk factor that can be modified to avoid chronic non-communicable diseases.
Learning balance in life
We do not need a strict or low-calorie diet, the important thing is to learn to balance our meals to keep glucose or blood sugar levels stable. To do this, it is necessary to eat more vegetables and healthy carbohydrates, as well as avoid foods rich in simple sugars. As for fats, there is no need to be afraid of them, just prefer vegetables that, in addition to giving us satiety, protect our health.
We can not forget to exercise. It is proven that physical activity helps control glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, as well as keeping our blood pressure stable. On the other hand, it promotes weight loss and improves our mood and mental health, which is no less important.
