By Brenda Gacheri
What's the meaning of the phrase 'You are what you eat'? The proverbial saying ‘You are what you eat’ is the notion that to be fit and healthy you need to eat good food. What's the origin of the phrase 'You are what you eat'? The saying comes from Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.
In today’s fast-paced world, food and lifestyle choices significantly impact our health. With the rise of processed foods, sedentary habits, and increased stress levels, lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and heart diseases have become more prevalent. This condition is highly preventable through proper diet, exercise, and healthy living habits.
The prevalence of lifestyle diseases has been rising worldwide; recent data indicates that 45% of women and 19% of men aged between 20 and 49 years are either overweight or obese. The trend is more pronounced among urban residents. Cardiovascular disease (CVD)is a leading cause of mortality in Kenya, accounting for approximately 13.8% of all deaths in 2,024, with 40,611 fatalities attributed to AVAs.
The age-standardised CVD mortality rate stands at 2240 per 100,000 population. Diabetes affects about 3.5 million Kenyans, contributing to the escalating health care costs associated with NCDs.
Diabetes is largely influenced by diet and physical activity. Type 2 diabetes is a growing concern worldwide. Obesity is a growing concern with the rise in fast food consumption, sugary drinks and processed snacks, which have contributed to high rates of obesity and hypertension (high blood pressure). Poor diet, high consumption of salt and stress are contributors to this silent killer.
Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs), heart disease, and high cholesterol are linked to unhealthy eating and a sedentary lifestyle.
How can we curb these lifestyle diseases?
Adopting a healthy diet by consuming balanced diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grain and lean protein is advisable. Staying hydrated, regular physical activities and limiting alcohol consumption.
Try engaging at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily and avoid prolonged sitting and take breaks during the week. Stress management and mental wellbeing should also be emphasized. One should practice relaxation techniques like meditation and deep breath exercise and maintain a work life balance and get adequate sleep.
The government should create public awareness campaigns for educating citizens on the dangers of unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles andrung campaigns to promote exercise, healthy eating and mental well-being.
It should also be active by regulating the food industry by implementing stricter food labelling policies to ensure transparency about ingredients. Increasing sugar taxes to discourage excessive consumption of sugary drinks and also banning harmful fats and regulating fast food advertisement.
Encouraging physical activities by implementing wellness programs in school and work places. Also, the government can help in subsidizing medications and treatment for lifestyle related illness. Controlling tobacco and alcohol use by imposing other taxes on tobacco and alcohol products and also banning smoking in public places and restricting advertising of harmful substances.
Everybody should prioritize their health by eating healthier foods and regularly doing physical exercises.
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