The聽水果派 of Nigeria (NOUN)聽Clinic聽has held a聽successful health awareness talk series 聽on Friday,聽April聽29,聽2024聽at the university headquarters in Abuja, with the central message of the need to prioritise healthy living.
The event,聽held聽both physically and virtually,聽featured two esteemed keynote speakers:聽Dr. Gloria Otunola, a food and nutritional biochemist, and Dr. Hassan Mohammed, Head of the NOUN聽Staff Clinic, was meant聽to educate the聽university聽community on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
The speakers urged the community to take charge of their health, discussing extensively聽on the聽non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and chronic diseases linked to diet.
Dr. Otunola emphasised the significance of a balanced diet, explaining how to identify healthy eating habits, and stressed that a healthy meal should contain at least the seven food groups.
The risks of under and over-nutrition were also discussed, along with the management of chronic diseases through lifestyle changes.
They聽highlighted the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoking, advising individuals to quit tobacco use, even as the medical practitioners 聽also discussed the risk factors associated with being overweight and hypertensive.
As such, the speakers underscored聽the importance of regular vital checks聽as they advised hypertensive patients to eat healthy meals, reduce salt intake, avoid energy and sweet drinks, limit alcohol consumption, and stop tobacco use to prevent kidney and lung diseases.
Regular physical activity was encouraged to prevent chronic diseases, and the audience was advised to consume fruits and vegetables, which are rich in antioxidants and essential nutrients.
The concept of bioxidants was introduced, highlighting their role in protecting the body against free radicals and oxidative stress.
The next edition of the health awareness talk series is scheduled for May,聽2024, and will feature a detailed discussion on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
The NOUN community is encouraged to prioritise their health and take advantage of the resources available at the clinic as well as the聽NOUN Diagnostic Laboratory.
Key takeaways from the event include:
– Eat a balanced diet containing at least the seven food groups
– Regularly check your vitals
– Reduce salt, sugar, and alcohol intake
– Quit tobacco use
– Sleep the minimum of 6 hours and a maximum of 8 hours every night.
– Engage in regular physical activity
– Consume fruits and vegetables because they have anti hypertension properties
– Eat preferably plenty of fish rather than meat because fishes contain healthy omega-3
– Drink plenty of water and avoid saturated fat
– Reduce your intake of processed meat
– Eat more eggs and spices like onions, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, date honey, nuts, etc.
– Consume plenty聽fibre聽because it helps our bodies digest food properly
– Understand the concept of bioxidants and their role in maintaining overall health.
By adopting these healthy habits, individuals can significantly reduce their risk of developing non-communicable diseases and maintain overall well-being.
The NOUN聽Clinic is committed to providing resources and support to help individuals prioritis聽e their health and well-being.