Stay Healthy This Autumn

The big 4 – stop smoking, exercise regularly, eat more veg and fruit, and if need be, lose weight.

The best thing we can do to prepare for the cooler temperatures are the things that we need to do all year round because they have such a big impact on our overall health.

The 2012 New Zealand Health Survey, published at the end of last year reported on findings from interviews with 12,000 Kiwis. Undertaken every five years, it is generally positive in that collectively we are living longer and fewer of us are dying from what have been our biggest killer diseases – heart disease and various cancers.

Eat Healthily

The survey shows key trends. For instance, at age 45 most of those surveyed believed they were in pretty good health, despite the majority being overweight. But by 55, nearly a third of were on medication for high blood pressure and one in five on medication for cholesterol. By 65, those numbers have grown dramatically. Nearly half are on blood pressure pills, and over 30 per cent are on cholesterol medication. By 75, one in four men will have had a heart attack or been diagnosed with angina (heart disease) – a far higher rate than that for women.

The Survey also reports less than half of all women eat at least three servings of vegetables and two of fruit a day. For men, the figures even worse at just 37% suggesting a lot of us are not getting all the vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and proteins our bodies would obtain if we were eating according to the healthy food guidelines.

Make a change today

Sleep and the big 4 can help delay or prevent joining one of those groups depending on your gene pool and other background risk factors. The most helpful thing you can do is to make a change today and resist the urge to assign them to the Never-Never. Make a change today. While pills help keep people alive and have a preventative function on top of controlling symptoms, who wants to be committed to them for life? Some marriages don't last that long!

In NZ, we eat a lot of dairy – butter, cheese, milk products as well as meat. We often don't realise how much dairy we consume or how many calories are wrapped up in that kilo of cheese or slab of butter. A great alternative especially at this time of year is light and delicious Asian-style stir fries, sushi, fish and salads along with some of the beautiful summer fruits that are around at the moment. Tai ho on the amount of salt you use because as you age, you lose taste buds and salt just speeds up the process.

Health supplement

Increasingly medical professionals are recommending various vitamin supplements for instance, eye specialists often recommend and sell a flaxseed and fish oil supplement among other things. The science around some of these dietary supplements appears to be getting smarter and more targeted in terms of assisting with various medical and health conditions.