Millions of lives between the ages of 30 and 69 years are being lost each year in the hands of diseases like obesity, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases like hypertension and stroke. Many of these diseases are contacted as a result of unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and indiscriminate use of alcohol and tobacco.

Although these killer diseases are preventable, our genetic disposition as Africans or black folks increases our risk of developing these diseases thereby we need to take a preventive trench to reduce our risk. Instead of spending huge sums of money to treat these diseases, scroll down to read about the less expensive ways of preventing them.

YOU START LIVING A HEALTHY LIFE BY EATING A WELL BALANCED DIET

Balanced diets are not special or expensive meals sold in a specific restaurant but basically it is a meal containing a variety food items from the various food groups. The variants of food items contained in a well-balanced provides the body with all essential nutrients needed for energy production, growth and development as well as protection from diseases. Your daily meals and snacks should all be sourced from whole grains and cereals, vegetables and fruits, legumes and nuts, starchy root tubers, water and healthy oils like olive, coconut, soy and sunflower.

YOU START AND END YOU DAY BEING PHYSICALLY ACTIVE

Being physically active or exercising is a healthy lifestyle practice recommended for all except individuals with medical reasons. This helps you to be active as well as burn some body fat to keep up with a healthy body weight. You can start your day with a day with a 15 minute body workout like jogging, running, cycling, swimming or hitting the gym for some aerobic before taking your bath and also end the with the same body work out also for 15 minutes. Similarly engaging in chores like washing, cleaning, trimming the hedges also helps keep you active throughout the day.

AVOID OR LIMIT INTAKE OF ALCOHOL, CAFFEINATED  OR SUGARY BEVERAGES

Drinking of alcohol or caffeinated beverages like energy drink and the mixture of the two has both long and short term effect on health. Because of it addictive effect, drinking of alcohol or caffeinated beverages should be avoided or submitted with ginger tea, lemon juice, or smoothies depending on the reason for consumption. Sugary beverages also in one of the contributing factors for excessive weight gain in both adults and children, tooth problems in children and increase in blood sugar levels among diabetics. You can substitute these sugar drinks with coconut water, hibiscus juice, or any natural homemade fruit juice.

GET YOUR BODY HYDRATED OFTEN

The human body has a larger portion occupied with water which makes drinking water a necessity. Getting your body dehydrated makes your skin dry and also causes low blood levels resulting in high blood pressure and acute shut down of some body organs like your kidneys. It recommended for adults to drink about 8 to 12 glasses of water. Individuals from Africa or within the summer season needs to drink more water. Another form of hydration is drinking water is drinking soups, coconut water, or fruit juice.

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